Sarah Palin and the 'death panel' comment.

Let me get one thing straight before I say anything else. I do not agree with Sarah Palin's assertion that the health care bill sets up a 'death panel' that determines whether an elderly or disabled person receives care. I do not believe that this is something that President Obama or any member of congress that I am familiar with would condone.
What I would like to point out is that Sarah Palin, as a mother of a developmentally disabled child, may have personal reasons for fearing such a policy. My own experience as an administrator for developmentally disabled persons living in groups homes has shown me that the health care industry is not always kind to the disabled. This is something that someone who cares directly for the developmentally disabled would know very well.
I have spent countless hours speaking with nurses and administrators to ensure only the most basic care for my clients. While a "Do Not Resuscitate" (or DNR) order is sometimes appropriate with the severely handicapped, it was rare that I did not get a series of questions about a client's status.
Two cases that occurred during my time as an administrator were particularly troubling. On one occasion a staff member at the hospital told a fellow administrator that they required a resuscitate order. This trained staff member had the gall to suggest that these health care professionals needed a doctor's order to do the job that they are supposed to do anyway. I guarentee that no such order was ever asked of a non-disabled person. Even more horrifying was the case in which a client without a DNR order, and in which the case manager had specifically stated that there was not a DNR for the client, suddenly had a DNR order signed by the attending physician appear in his chart. The client coded during the night and was allowed to die.
In my time as an administrator I met many nurses and physicians who treated my clients with all the respect and dignity they deserved, but I also met many who treated them as if they were less deserving of medical care than the non-disabled. In networking with other care providers for the disabled I have learned that this is common. It was personally difficult to see my clients, many of whom I consider friends, being disrespected when it came to their most basic needs. I would not at all be surprised if Sarah Palin has experienced this herself while caring for her child. This breeds a suspicion against all in the health care field, since it is difficult to know who to trust.
Again, I would like to make clear that I neither agree with Sarah Palin's comment, nor condone it. What I am saying is that I understand that there may be personal reasons why she expressed suspicion about the bill. Might this have been yet another politically-minded attack? Of course. But it might also sprung from a mother's most basic drive in trying to protect her child.