Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is the first woman to be nominated by the Republican Party to be Vice-President of the United States. She has been Governor of Alaska for less than two years. Prior to that Palin was the Mayor of Wissila, Alaska, a town of 9,000 people, and she served on the city council and PTA prior to that. She is a "hockey mom" of five including one special needs child, a hunter, and likes moose meat. She is "pro-life" and believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and abortion rights denied even in the case of rape or incest. She also believes that creationism or "intelligent design" should be taught in public schools as part of the science curriculum, and that humans do not impact global warming. In terms of government ethics, Palin is under investigation for using government funds to settle a private family score.

It is fair to say that Palin has been selected by Sen. John McCain in an effort to reach out to women voters, and to energize the far-right social conservative wing of the Republican Party, who he referred to as "agents of intolerance" when he ran for President against George W. Bush in 2000.

The Palin selection demonstrates, with a choice that is seen as the first "presidential" decision a candidate makes, that "pro-life" voters can count on him to pick Supreme Court Justices as well. Two perhaps three justices will leave the bench in the next President's term and the "pro-life" community is focused on overturning Roe v. Wade, even though it will not end abortion, only make it unsafe and illegal and turn women and doctors into criminals.

But interestingly, neither McCain nor Palin mentioned her clear "pro-life" credentials in her announcement, perhaps because they are trying to attract women for whom those issues would be a non-starter.

That may be a result of the fact that Palin's anti-choice views are on the extreme fringe for even many people who call themself "pro-life." On an Eagle Forum questionnaire Palin responded "I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor’s determination that the mother’s life would end if the pregnancy continued. I believe that no matter what mistakes we make as a society, we cannot condone ending an innocent’s life." This means that the health of the mother would never be a consideration, only if her life was actually threatened. She does not support abortion rights for victims of rape or incest either.

The reluctance to talk openly about her extreme "pro-life" positions seems to follow a pattern for Palin, and a pattern that other "stealth" candidates have used to downplay their extreme views until in office. In her race for Governor, the Juneau Empire reports:

Palin, however, isn't interested in talking about her [pro-life] views. "She would not seek out this issue. She feels like there are several other issues that are paramount to the future of the state," said Curtis Smith, spokesman for the Palin campaign.

But it appears that her campaign spokesperson was wrong, and that in fact she has sought out the "pro-life" cause even during a very short term in office.

According to LifeNews.com, "As the governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin hasn't had many opportunities to address the issue of abortion, but she has promoted a pro-life position when given the opportunity."

As Governor she has called the decision of the Alaska Supreme Court, declaring a parental notification bill unconstitutional, "outrageous". Instead of accepting the judgment of an equal branch of government, Gov. Palin ordered the Attorney General to file papers for a re-hearing. In Alaska that year approximately 126 teen girls obtained abortions, and only a fraction of those did so without involving family.

Anchorage attorney Jeff Feldman, part of the Planned Parenthood legal team, agreed. Evidence at trial was that "very few minors find themselves in this situation," Feldman said Friday. Those that do often come "from difficult or troubled families, where maybe the father or stepfather is the father. Not from intact families."

Palin's "outrage" and use of executive power to keep this issue in the courts, ignoring the very real problems of young women who face abusive families, and the small number of people impacted by this law, seems out of proportion, but typical of ardent "pro-life" politicians. It should also be noted that since this decision she has appointed a "pro-life" judge to replace one of the justices that voted to uphold the Alaska Constitution.

Interestingly, Palin was concerned about respecting the constitutionality of a law that banned the State of Alaska paying benefits to same-sex couples. She opposes same-sex marriage.

In another example, again according to LifeNews.com, from her short term, the only reason Gov. Palin chose not to call a special session of the legislature that would have considered two "pro-life" bills, was that there was no certainty they would be passed. That leads one to believe that had she been assured of success, she would have expended state resources on a special session just to promote "pro-life" legislation.

Given the lack of record, it seems fair to wonder how she might tie up the resources of the government of the United States in similar pursuits.

According to the Alska Daily News, "In 2002, when she was running for lieutenant governor, Palin sent an e-mail to the anti-abortion Alaska Right to Life Board saying she was as 'pro-life as any candidate can be' and has 'adamantly supported our cause since I first understood, as a child, the atrocity of abortion.'" Her childlike understanding does not seem to have matured as an adult who understands the complexities of decisions that some women face in such a way that Palin allows them to make their own choice, as she has made hers about her family.

Palin is pro-contraception, though it is unclear how she defines contraception, putting her at odds with many in the "pro-life" movement that claim birth control is the same thing as abortion. That may be a pill they are willing to swallow in order to get a President and Vice President that will appoint justices to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Alaska does have the highest rate of chlamydia in the nation (ranking first or second among states), while ranking in the middle of the 50 states for other STI's and HIV. So far as we can tell there is no public statement of concern for these issues from Gov. Palin on the same level that she has made for parental notification issue, or any statement or direction of additional state funds at all to address this public health concern.

Gov. Palin supports abstinence-only-until-marriage program, saying that she does not favor "explicit sex ed". Soon after she joined the GOP ticket, it was announced her 17 year old unwed daughter Bristol is pregnant, suggesting abstinence-only programs don't even work within the Governor's family. According to this article from a teen who was able to compare and contrast the federally funded "Let's Talk" abstinence-only program that all students are forced to listen to in Alaska, and a similar comprehensive presentation her teacher arranged for their class from Planned Parenthood, it is clear that at least the teens in Alaska understand the state and nation should abandon failed abstinence-only programs. Gov. Palin joins John McCain, who is on record as supporting President Bush's abstinence-only programs.