Was Sarah wrestling with the decision about getting a flu shot because she was pregnant? Or was it, as it appears at face-value, strictly politics? I'm thinking that if Sarah was actually pregnant, her first consideration would have been toward her baby. The politics of a flu shot are miniscule compared with having a healthy pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby.
I couldn’t find any coverage about whether she had one or not but the affects of the shot on the fetus cannot be downplayed. At the time these emails were exchanged, Sarah, if she had actually been pregnant, would have been in that period between knowing she was “with child” and finding out the baby had an extra chromosome. Sarah claims in “Going Rogue” and many speeches since, that she found out about Trig’s Down Syndrome in early December, 2007.
This is a tiny puzzle piece, and to properly place it, we need to know, what does the medical community say about flu shots and pregnancy? According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a flu shot for anyone who’s pregnant during the flu season – typically November through January or even later.” (Isn’t the Internet amazing? I had that information in under 60 seconds. Sarah, if actually pregnant at that time, and if she cared, could have had it that quickly, too.)
The website offers many good reasons to back up the advice. Here they are, one at a time:
Pregnancy puts extra stress on your heart and lungs. Note: Sarah’s heart was no twenty-something heart. Even though she might present the argument that running kept her heart strong, this supposedly pregnant woman had already put some miles between herself and her fortieth birthday.
Pregnancy can also affect your immune system. [extra stress on heart and lungs increases] the risk, not only of getting the flu but of developing serious complications of the flu, such as pneumonia and respiratory distress.
In turn, flu complications increase the risk of…premature labor, preterm birth and other pregnancy complications. Note: We learned in “Going Rogue” that not all Sarah’s pregnancies were simple and successful. She had experienced pregnancy complications before.
A flu shot during pregnancy can help protect your baby after birth… the antibodies you develop will…help protect your baby from the flu.” (PLEASE NOTE, the Mayo Clinic makes a point to differentiate between a shot (recommended) and a nasal dose which is not good for pregnant women to take).
Lest you think Sarah, as an Alaskan, has some built-up immunity to the flu, below is a chart published by the very agency that the Governor was supporting by signing the proclamation in 2007. According to a government report filed while Sarah Palin was in office, the State of Alaska influenza is a leading cause of death in their state.
So, for the first time in her life, one year into her governorship,Sarah might get immunized against the flu. Hmmm. Was she listening to the staff who warned her she would need a good excuse not to get the shot because they were sure the question would be asked? Or was it because it’s recommended that pregnant women get the shot. Pregnancy or politics? Where does this piece fit into our puzzle?
Are we forcing it to fit where we want it if we say this is one for the Trig Truthers? Does it really suggest Sarah was not pregnant? It could be argued from either side, and I shall. But in the end, I think there’s more weight on one side than the other.
Sarah says she never got a flu shot before and never got the flu. No reason to doubt that, other than she lies about everything. But, that’s what she said, so let’s examine the wisdom of that rationale, taking it at face value. Does a negative outcome (not getting the flu) guarantee continued negative outcomes? Of course not. That makes no more sense than a woman getting a negative pregnancy test result after unprotected sex assuming she had some immunity against getting pregnant. (Willow, read that again. You need to understand that concept.)
It wasn’t a good argument by the governor, so perhaps it was a lie. Maybe, just maybe, she was using this lame excuse to hide some real reason for not rolling up her sleeve and taking one for All Alaskans. Maybe Sarah doesn’t like shots. Lots of people don’t like shots. Would we know? Ah, yes, we do know. Sarah was getting shots into her belly that winter to dissolve fat. Even if Sarah had a strong aversion to injection, she could screw up her courage to get vanity shots. In the stomach, no less. Lipodissolve shots in the abdomen are a clue in themselves; suffice it to say that if she had them, she wouldn’t have some intense phobia causing her to reject a flu shot. Especially one recommended as part of pre-natal care.
I’m going to make a decision on which pile of picture pieces this should go with – Sarah wasn’t pregnant. I say this not only because I'm a Trig Truther, but because it makes sense. If she had been carrying a child, she would have either said, “I had a flu shot this year,” because she would have already done that on the advise of her doctor, or, if she wasn't yet under a doctor's care, she would have done the same internet search I did, and discovered that she really needed to get one. In the latter case, her second email would more likely have said “Sign me up!”
She didn’t do either one, and I’m saying she didn’t act like a pregnant pro-life woman doing all she could to protect the unborn fetus within.
Check out this e-mail:
So why didn't Sarah get a flu shot? Is she anti-vaccine?
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