Bristol Palin pregnancy - the discussion I'd love to see (long)

[Anonymous]

of course it would. you wouldn't have to do any mothering anymore, supernanny will do it for you.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry. I just really don't see that Bristol Palin's pregnancy is any of our business.

I agree with this to an extent, but:

1. As several people mentioned in another thread, Palin in treading on thin ice to claim her family is off-limits, then parade them in front of the cameras as often as they have,

2. It strikes me as more than a little hypocritical for Palin to claim that the pregnancy is private family business, but then turn around and make an argument, as a matter of public policy, that government should regulate everybody else's reproductive rights.

[Anonymous]

I think the OP makes a good point. While the conservatives are applauding the teenager's choice not to terminate, younger more impressionable voters are not necessarily making that distinction. They simply see the image of a pregnant teenager, marrying her boyfriend, on stage being applauded by all. I do not think Palin is a bad mother because her teenager got pregnant and if my daughter was in the same position and did not want to terminate, I would support her also..but that is not the point.

I truly hope that as we run up to election we are not bombarded with family images of the pregnant teen or the teen mom happily holding a new baby. I do find it bothersome that Palin is parading her children out for the public. I would be protecting them and trying to keep their privacy.

The real discussion should be about how Palin slashed funding for teen pregnancy programs. The program in question offered support to pregnant teens for 18 months..food, shelter, education, and assistance in getting their lives on track. If there is any segment in society that government programs should be helping, it is this group. Teen moms are at an astronomical risk for no prenatel care and risk of premature birth, poverty, failure to thrive, child abuse, and infant mortality. Many have tragic outcomes and others struggle for a lifetime. I just don't understand how someone can be pro-life and not give a damn what happens to the actual babies.

[Anonymous]

OP, I disagree about the part about inability to control teens lives. One great contributing factor to teen sex and pregnancy is lack of adult supervision after school hours. That is, does that child come home to an empty house. There are many ways to get children to delay sex, and studies have shown that the longer you can delay it, the less likely the child is to develop an STD or become pregnant.

That said, there are two lessons here and three victims. One lesson is about that young man who did not use his brain and avoid being trapped by his girlfriend. He is also a victim, probably being forced to marry a woman that he never planned to marry.
The other lesson is one that Bristol should have learned about abstinence and contraception, she is a victim too. The baby is the other victim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I disagree about the part about inability to control teens lives. One great contributing factor to teen sex and pregnancy is lack of adult supervision after school hours. That is, does that child come home to an empty house. There are many ways to get children to delay sex, and studies have shown that the longer you can delay it, the less likely the child is to develop an STD or become pregnant.

That said, there are two lessons here and three victims. One lesson is about that young man who did not use his brain and avoid being trapped by his girlfriend. He is also a victim, probably being forced to marry a woman that he never planned to marry.
The other lesson is one that Bristol should have learned about abstinence and contraception, she is a victim too. The baby is the other victim.

Sheesh, I was having sex all over the place, just not at home because my mom was there all day long!

[Anonymous]

I was careful not to say, "the factor", I said, "one contributing factor". You, pp were not supervised out of the home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those people who urge abstinence usually are adults with kids of their own - because we know about the whole cycle and have weighed the results of sex, the costs of STDs and kids, against the pleasure of sex. Teenagers haven't. They don't get it because they haven't lived it. Given that teenagers should be given tools to assist them with staying abstinent, or tools to avoid the negative consequences often associated with unprotected sex. quote]

I am a product of abstinence education (Sex Respect Curriculum) and I recall thinking it was a good thing when I had the class as an 8th grader. I also continued to think being abstinent was a good thing through high school, college and law school and until my wedding night. There are peer abstinence groups out there (e.g, True Love Waits). As a single abstinent college age woman, I counseled abstinence to teenagers and single women older than myself. (And frankly most of them found it an empowering totally new message).

I think we are setting kids up for failure when we tell them sex is a fantastic recreational activity that will be difficult to resist so here's how to use a condom. The abstinence programs take a different approach and teach sex as a gift of total intimacy to be shared with one person in life long committment (marriage). When you begin to regard your body and your fertility as a gift, you are far less likely to share it casually. It also helped to have friends and to have dated guys (including my husband) who held the same beliefs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think we are setting kids up for failure when we tell them sex is a fantastic recreational activity that will be difficult to resist so here's how to use a condom. The abstinence programs take a different approach and teach sex as a gift of total intimacy to be shared with one person in life long committment (marriage). When you begin to regard your body and your fertility as a gift, you are far less likely to share it casually. It also helped to have friends and to have dated guys (including my husband) who held the same beliefs.

I don't think anyone is debating that abstinence is the rock solid solution to unplanned pregnancy, STD prevention, etc. It's great that you were able to wait, and meet a man who also waited (it would only be fair...). I just don't think it is any more realistic than to think we should have diet plans that promote 'food abstinence', or using solely willpower. The mind may be willing, but the body is weak. It's not just sex that's hard to resist, it's the same with lots of things in life. You enter in with the best of intentions, and then crumble. Some people have that willpower or moral compass, but the majority don't.

Call me crazy, but if I knew my child would be going down a river in a canoe, I would want to make sure he knew how to swim and not leave it to chance.