So we all heard Sarah Palin's horror story about "death panels" who'd determine whether or not her baby Trig with Down's syndrome would be allowed to live under Obama's 'socialist' health-care plan.
That's of course a ridiculous lie, but why not ask the question: What would actually happen, in this polar opposite of what Sarah wants?
So, finding the polar opposite, we put our finger on Wasilla and spin the globe half a turn around the pole. You'd end up not far from the middle of Sweden - which in fact is almost as close to the polar opposite of Palin's policies as you can find anywhere in the developed, democratic, world. And Sarah claims she gave him a Norse name* as well. So how'd Trig fare there?
Well, having not only lived in Sweden, I also had the opportunity to attend a lecture and Q&A just this year with a Swedish social researcher who worked with neurologically handicapped kids there. So I suppose I should give some answers on that.
First off, I think Sarah would feel just at home in the environment; The (geographic) middle and north of Sweden is not entirely unlike Alaska; widespread forests, sparsely populated. Sarah could still indulge in all the snowmobiling and moose-hunting and ice-fishing she wanted. They too, have a strong scepticism against 'urban elites'.
It's also a politically red area. Although by red, they mean Red. In Hudiksvall, on the same latitude as Wasilla, the Social Democrats got 40% of the vote in the last election, the former-communist party 10%, and the Greens another 5%. It was considered a bad election for the Left.
Putting Sarah's fears to rest: There are, in fact, no "death panels" there. Medical care is prioritized by medical need, and nothing else. And the public system is good. Let's put it this way: Their entire Royal Family (except the foreign-born queen) were born in public hospitals. If it's good enough for them..
Euthanasia is in fact not legal. It's not really considered a right-or-left issue there, either. But abortion is fully legal (and not really a right-or-left issue either, since no major party questions its legality). And all pregnant women can get free amniotic fluid tests. I'm sure Sarah would claim that'd lead to everyone aborting their Downs babies. In fact it hasn't; their number hasn't decreased since AFTs became widespread, according to the researcher I heard.
So how'd Sarah and Trig be doing? Well, to begin with, they'd probably still be on maternity leave. You get 16 months of paid parental leave, often extended to 18 months. I'm afraid Sarah's political ambitions would be put in danger if she didn't use her full parental leave; she'd come across as a bad parent. Todd would be expected to take paternity leave as well - not doing so would get him a reputation of being a 'deadbeat dad' of sorts.
That's their "family values", I guess.
In school, Trig would be entitled to all kinds of help, even in a public school. More than in US schools, but at least it'd be somewhat comparable. The big difference is what happens after that. See, under Swedish law, Trig would be entitled to his own apartment. If he couldn't afford it, the state would pay for it. If the apartment needed modifications to suit his disability, they'd pay for that as well. See, they think it's part of a fundamental right to human dignity to enable people to take care of themselves to the extent that they can.
The USA has followed that development since the late 80's, but who pioneered it? Those dang socialists. In the United States, there are still hundreds of thousands of mentally handicapped not in need of immediate care who nevertheless are still in state or federal institutions. (e.g. ICF/MR)
Depending on Trig's needs, he'd have what they call a "personal assistant", up to 24/7 if necessary, perhaps to clean and cook, or whatever other things he couldn't do himself. If he's a typical Downs patient, he could probably manage quite a lot, including having a job. And he would be provided with a job, either subsidized by the government or in the government-owned company Samhall. The job would naturally be tailored to his abilities.
Surviving with a roof over your head and a job isn't quite living either. The Swedes recognize that a guy like Trig would be at risk of social isolation. For that reason, he's also entitled by law to a "contact person"; a volunteer recruited by Social Services that serves a purely social function. Someone to come over and 'hang out', or take him out to movies, or do other stuff. That's right: The government will give you a friend if you need one.
Now Mrs Palin, you can say what you want about the Swedish system. You can complain about the high taxes, or the fact that their unemployment tends to be a point or two above US levels. (yet significantly lower than continental-European levels) Or that most Swedish families only own one car, and not two. It's not a perfect country, it's no utopia. And they have plenty of self-criticism - all while striving to always improve their system.
But there's one thing nobody can deny: the Swedes have created for themselves one of the most humane societies ever. Or as Krugman wrote, they "prove that nice societies sometimes finish first". I'm not going to stand for anyone pretending otherwise.
(*On that name thing. "Trig" isn't a Norse word for "strong" (also reported as "true" or "courage") as Sarah claimed. However, "Tryg(g)", pronounced quite differently, is a Norse word that means "secure" or "safe". But the corresponding name is then "Tryg(g)ve". E.g. Trygve Lie)