A Mile in their Shoes

For all those bastards who decided they were in a position to judge Rick Santorum on how he and his family handled the death of their child, this is a must read. A woman who went through the same type of situation weighs in...

At first blush, the way Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum handled the death of his newborn son almost 16 years ago may seem a little bizarre to some.

But it’s not. I know because I’ve gone through it, too.

Nearly two and a half years ago, my world came crashing down.
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One of the nurses swaddled my daughter and put her in my arms — an act for which I am eternally grateful. Despite our fears and trepidation, the nurse assured us that holding our baby daughter would help us through our ordeal. As painful as it might seem, it would help us heal.

Grace was beautiful. She had my husband’s lips and my big toe. We told her how much we loved her and how sorry we were. Our families got to see her, too, and a priest came to our hospital room to bless her.
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Those precious moments with my daughter — the only time I ever got to see and hold her — are cherished ones. That single memory of holding Grace brings me much peace.
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As Santorum did for his son, we had a funeral for Grace. She’s buried alongside her grandmother and her obituary ran in this newspaper.

And like Santorum, not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. My 12-year-old stepdaughter, meanwhile, wears a remembrance bracelet to honor the baby sister she never knew.

I was sickened this week when liberal pundits mocked Santorum as “weird” and “crazy,” and tried to use the tragedy to highlight his extreme right-wing views.

Some may not agree with Santorum’s ideology, but to ridicule a grief-stricken father for grappling with one of life’s most agonizing tragedies is the dirtiest of politics.

My hope is that none of his heartless critics will ever have to walk in his — or my — shoes.

You really should read the whole thing...it goes into far more detail.

As most of you know, there was a period of time after the Boy was born that we weren't sure whether or not he was going make it. Would I have done the same thing? I have NO idea. And that's the point - unless one has been through this, heaven only knows how one would react and what choices they would make.

What I DO know is no one has the right to judge this type of decision. NO ONE can say they know without a doubt what they would do in the face of such a tragic emotional event. Moreover, how DARE anyone make fun of or criticize a decision such as this. I, like the author, hope they never have to find out what they'd do in such a situation.

They should be ashamed of themselves, but since they have no shame we know that ain't gonna happen.