Santorum Drops Out: Liberals Rejoice, Humorists Sob

On Tuesday, Rick Santorum- who was locked in a battle to the death (if only) with Mitt Romney and a couple of other guys (what are their names again?) for the Republican bid for the presidency- announced that he was dropping out of the 2012 race. I’m certain that many women and those who support gay rights audibly sighed in relief, as one small battle in the 2012 War on Women/Equal Rights for All was won.

Others, I’m sure, were saddened to hear that there would be fewer chances to mock some of Santorum’s off-hand comments during further campaign engagements. How does one even go about making jokes concerning Mitt Romney? How will Stephen Colbert be able to top the spoof hashtag #InMyHeart?

I did not think I would ever see an incumbent presidential election that would be more boring than Bush vs. Kerry, but there you go. Get settled in, folks! It’s going to be a long, monotonous, Obama vs. Romney ride.

Many have speculated that this decision, in part, is due to the fact that Santorum trails Romney significantly in the race for delegates for the Republican convention- slated to be held in August. In fact, CNN estimated that Santorum carried less than half of the delegates that Romney did, and less than 25% of the needed delegates to actually be named the Republican nominee. The other side of the equation surely had something to do with Santorum’s youngest (of seven) child, Bella.

Bella is three years old and was born with a genetic disorder called Trisomy 18. This means that there are three copies of the 18^th chromosome, when there should only be two. Trisomy 18 is actually rather common (more in girls than boys) and causes a wide range of physical and mental impairments. It makes the children very susceptible to infections, and often, children who are affected by Trisomy 18 have significant issues with organ function or failure. The majority of children with this disorder die within the first year of life, and all children with Trisomy 18 require around-the-clock care.

Bella, again, is three years old. She is beating the odds in this regard. She is also beating the odds when it comes to life-threatening infections—as she has been hospitalized (and released) twice in less than three months for pneumonia.

So, while I would love to make snarky, rude, or perhaps even degrading (turnabout is fair play, right?) remarks about Santorum and his leaving the race, I cannot. Any family– any person– who gives something up to circle the wagons and care for a very sick child deserves some peace on the subject. Even if it would not be returned, in kind.

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