Pregnant Pause
Now that we all know that Vice-Presidential pick Sarah Palin’s daughter got pregnant by her hockey player boyfriend we can take a step back and have an adult conversation.
Now for those of you who think this is a private matter and nobody’s business, I think you’re right, to a point. Where I disagree is that when you have a policy maker whose appeals to social conservatives, in part, because of her stance on traditional family values and abstinence only-education, when one of her own children shows up pregnant, you’re bound to raise a unibrow or two. And I think it is worth discussing.
Secondly, I also have to ask are we glorifying teen pregnancy and now telling teenage girls that it is okay to get pregnant as long as your family supports you and you can take care of the baby? If that is the case, Jamie Lynn Spears is about to become a hero.
And third, if your daughter came home pregnant, what would you do?
Take a moment and pause and feel free to share your thoughts.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:47 am
I dodged the teenage pregnancy years with my kids, but each of my three kids had friends whose parents didn’t dodge it.
Teenage sex is a huge problem in this nation. It affects everyone–its path of destruction knows no boundaries–age, race, economic status. Too often, it leads to horrendoous dependency on the government and a lifetime pattern of mistakes. Unless the family is there to solidly support the baby and parent(s).
I have no answers, except, talk with your kids often. Even when it’s uncomfortable. (Especially then.) Ask tough questions, and listen. Heck I even condone snooping and eavesdropping if you suspect something.
As for Ms. Palin…her far-right wingnut views will ultimately do her in. Not this. This issue should be largely off-limits. Sure, she’s hypocritical given her views on the subject. So what?
A candidate’s kids should be off-limits. Period. It’s a stupid issue on which to choose a leader.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:54 am
The pregnancy is the least of it; though,as you mention, it’s put into play by the Family Values gambit — you can’t campaign on pretending to know how other families should conduct their affairs, then claim to be off limits when yours is examined.
But really, there are more important problems with Palin. She has apparently attempted to use her office to settle personal scores then fired another government official when he got in the way. (We’ve seen this movie before; it has a crappy ending.) She apparently has a poor grasp of history, believing as she does that the Founding Fathers put “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance (a belief that’s so inaccurate, it’s hard to know where to begin.) She believes that abortion should be outlawed even in cases of rape, incest, or a chance of serious injury to the mother exists; allowing it only when a doctor believes that the mother is going to die if the pregnancy continues. She believes that “Intelligent Design” should be taught as science in the classroom. And, she was apparently a member of a pro-secessionist political party.
Her daughter’s pregnancy is a very minor issue and probably one of the most sympathetic with which she and the McCain campaign have to deal.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:35 am
If it’s Palin’s daughter, everything is o.k. She is probably covered by her parents’ health insurance through the State of Alaska. If it’s Sue Smith from 16th and College, she is labeled as a “ho”, has no supports and is going to be on welfare. She will be shamed by the National Republican Party. That my friends is it in a nut shell.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 am
The best of families have problems, including children who do things outside the will of the parents. Most should be adult enough to know better than to smear the parents because a 17 yr.daughter gets knocked up. It was an open secret in the home town and McCain people knew of it prior to the Palin selection. It will not decrease the love from the parents and instead of being a part of the abortion on demand crowd, the child will be brought to term. The article in today’s star indicated the hometown simply did not want to ‘gossip’ and that’s where it should lay; not at the doorstep of tabloids or political junkies.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Why should anyone comment especially liberals who glorify the pregnancies of unwed celebrities who won’t marry or even name the father. The twisted liberal thinking and their media cohorts is the cause of the vacuous mainstream America.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 am
Isn’t it just truly amazing how sick, evil, and ignorant democrats are!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:45 am
It’s very disappointing. I don’t know what else to say. I do realize it can happen to anyone though. I am busting my tail to send my child to a Catholic school, my husband and I work to model good values and yes, even at 9 years of age, I am subtly starting to talk to her about relationships, her body, etc. And I plan on keeping that open line of communication. In spite of all that, I realize as a teenager, I will not be able to be with her all the time and she will ultimately choose to do whatever she wishes in that time. I don’t know what did/didn’t take place in the Palin home. I can just assume those parents worked hard to provide a decent home life for their kids like so many of us do. I don’t think it should be an issue for voters, but still, I am sure lots of us can’t shake that disappointment. I have to wonder if McCain also really knew about this. Why in the world wouldn’t they disclose this on Day One and secondly, if he did know, why in the world would he give his opponets more ammo to use against his campaign?
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:10 am
I think this shows the best of Republican families are human just as the best of Democratic Party families are human. We should stay out of this, it is a private matter and it should not be a matter for political discussion. We should all of us stop now discussing this teenage girl.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 am
If the Palin’s did the PC orthodox or “contemporary liberal thing,” they’d abort the child in the name of “convenience” rather than bear the child and give it a name.
It’s hardly brave or noble, to shout in the faces of the voiceless, in the name of “womens’ rights” (there is no such thing, there are only human rights), about a woman’s “right to choose,” while ignoring earlier choices, and that, approximately half the folks born into this world, are women…
Doctor / patient relationships should indeed be private. When that patient is an expecting mother, her health should be of paramount concern to that doctor & not the business of anyone else. However, when child bearing does not present a threat to the life of a mother, her doctor has an obligation to make her aware of alternatives, other than abortion, which for many women (and men), is an emotionally disfiguring experience that affects them for a lifetime.
Look around the world. Specific attitudes beget certain results. A culture that embraces life is a far more hospitable than one in which life is diminished. Where people are well treated, the environment is generally well treated. In places where the value of life is diminished, you see the negative impact on people and place.
“Religious right” is a media label that’s pasted on traditional family values folks to depreciate rather than appreciate those values; the practitioners of which are destined to struggle in meeting those standards, themselves in search of absolution, by virtue of their faith reconciled to, or in contrast with, their failings and hypocrisies.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 am
No, Dave, “Religious Right” isn’t a media label…Ted Swaggart coined the phrase, and Falwell ran with it. Along with the “Moral Majority” moniker. Hilarious, huh?
I’m a “traditional family values” kinda guy…but all definitions pale when something like this hits home.
She’s been kinda preachy about the “family values.” And anyone who’s preachy, in or out of the public eye, can get smacked upside the head when controversy hits home.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Bristol Palin’s pregnancy is the least important issue of this presidential campaign.
I completely disagree that because her mother campaigns for abstinence only education her daughter’s pregnancy is an issue. Simply because people do not want the schools educating children on issues relating to sexuality does not mean that their children are going to be any different than any other children out there.
The fact is that teen pregnancy rates have sharply declined since the 1950s. The fact is that many 17 year old young women have babies every single day and become magnificent mothers and successful individuals. I am one of those women and I am deeply offended at the venomous attacks on this young lady.
Bristol Palin is pregnant at 17. So what? Ted Kennedy drove off a cliff drunk and killed his passenger and did not even report the crime. Joe Biden has a history of plagiarizing speeches. Barack Obama used cocaine as a young man. Al Gore’s son is a drug addict.
Ya know as I sit here and type I can think of a lot worse things than having a baby at 17.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 am
come on Palin daughter is 17. she’s gonna do what she wants, no matter her parents wishes. if her other 4 kids grow up and make the right decisions till adulthood that’s still a great average. way better than most who blog on here. most of which probably have whole families of screw ups. i went to catholic school and they taught abstinence. no girls in my class got pregnant but a couple in others did while i was there. go to school where they pas out rubbers and look how well that works.
point is you can ingrain everything you want into your kids. it does have a huge factor. but in the end they are one who use or ignore that knowledge.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 am
Nice job working Obama’s talking points this morning, Abdul. Despite Obama’s claim to the contrary, Obama voted against the Born Alive Infants Protection Act even after the wording was changed to the exact wording of the federal bill. More accurately, he killed the bill, since he chaired the committee. So the verbage had nothing to do with his vote. It had been changed to specifically address infants post-birth. He once again misrepresents his legislative history. Even more disturbing, he simply doesn’t value a baby’s life. What a stark contrast to the VP nominee on the other ticket!
With regard to experience: Not only does she have executive experience (which Obama lacks), but she also has experience winning tough elections. As far as I know, Gov. Palin didn’t feel the need to have her opponents’ signatures invalidated and removed from the ballot in order to win.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Sarah Palin preached family values then and she should preach family values now. Any one who has a child knows you can’t control their actions 24/7. Her daughter did what she did on her own and it is no reflection on her parents. It is family business and not for us to judge, after all it could happen to you and you have no control over it. But you do have control over what happens to the baby and I guarantee that that baby will be recieved and loved and taken care of as if it were planned. And that’s the way it should be and the family gets all the credit in the world for that.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
How ’bout this little gem: Palin was a member of Alaska’s Independence Party in the 90′s. They don’t define “independent” like I do – as being separated from the criminal Dem/GOP cabal. They define “independent” as being a separate nation from the US.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
And one more thing – here’s the link to Mat-Su Hospital’s nursery/birth records. Trig Palin is not listed anywhere, and is certainly not listed on April 18th, although the registry is updated through the end of July. Seems to me like we’re all being put through the spin cycle on this story.
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http://www.matsuregional.com/nursery/nursery_calendar.php?month=6&year=2008
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
In the end, this can only help McCain-Palin.
Why? Expect the Republican talking point of the week to be that the Palin family considers the child a “blessed event” and not a “punishment” unlike Obama. You’ll hear his quote “I don’t want them punished with a baby.” over and over and over and over. Also, it will allow Republicans to once more mention Obama’s stance on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.
Finally, the whole Palin family is showing themselves to be strong with the pro-life right. They talk the talk and walk the walk. Down’s Syndrome Child. Aborted? No. Teenage pregnancy. Aborted? No.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Just out of curiosity, have any of you ever BEEN to Alaska? It’s significantly different than the lower 48 in… psychologically almost? The guy/girl ratio is over twice as high as anywhere else in the country because so many of the jobs to be had outside of Anchorage and Juneau are pipeline jobs (government intervention notwithstanding). Throw in the SENSE of isolation, a few weeks of cabin fever in the winter, etc. I think you get my point. It’s a great and beautiful state, truly it is. Things are done differently up there. I don’t think anybody’s willing to account for culture differences, despite the fact that most of the people complaining have never even been there!
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:54 am
Wasn’t that Jim Swaggart & Jerry Falwell, who, if they coined the phrase “religious right,” seemed to imply righteousness (that is, religiously “correct,” not unlike the PC Orthodoxy) vs. left, center & right?
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Dave, pal, it’s time for your meds. That last post made absolutely no sense.
Ash, I’ve bene to Alaska. Are you seriously putting forth the notion, that teen pregnancy might be abnbormally high because of cabin fever?
Check your statistics: http://www.census.gov Your figures are not correct. Alaska is indeed beautiful, but the gender dominance isn’t as stark as you painted.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Is it true that Dick Cheney offered to carry the shotgun at the wedding?
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I have been following this debate here and some other sites and it occurs to me that a mother of 5 (which includes a Downs Syndrome 4 month old and a pregnant 17 year old) might want to spend the next few months taking care of her 4 month old SPECIAL NEEDS child and be there for her 17 year old daughter rather than spending 24/7 (which is what will be necessary) campaigning and boning up on the issues……I guess it is a case of personal ambition over family…at least that is how I am reading it….
As for whether this info should be made public or not…..she should have known it would be….I imagine the tabloids will have a field day with this family and she should have known that too….and yes, apparently this woman has made religion and social values part of her public persona….so, while the daughter herself may not be exactly fair game, the fact that she is pregnant should be.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Quite simply TA, you may have tele-culturally spliced Ted Haggard with Jim (aka Jimmy) Swaggart. That’s all, nothing that couldn’t be helped with perhaps a few vitamins.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
KarenK – Would you ask the same of Obama if he had a 4 month old special needs child? Or do you think Michelle would be able to take care of the child properly? What gives you the right to assume that Mr. Palin will not be able to take care of the child? Same goes for a pregnant daughter…they have a large and seemingly close family that will be there for support, and they’re not new to politics.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Abbie,
Your missing the point. Palin will be a grandma vice president with 5 kids and a 4 month old special needs child. Can she handle the fact that this is even more responsibility for the VP post. Palin will need to be a mother, granmother and parent to her 17 yr old with a newborn. In many cases with teenage pregnancy/parents, (grand)parents do a great deal of supporting, nuturing and raising their grandchild and the teenager is allowed to be a teenager/teenage parent. I have kids. Not 5 and not teenagers. It is a lot to handle for both husband and wife. I never ever asked my wife to be a “super mom” to my kids. Just a mom. Personally, I have given up many careers where I could have been financially better off. But my family would have suffered. It is a balance. Maybe Palin can pull it off. My philosphy is family first. I wish more would have followed. Personally, I think Palin should as well. Her daughter(s) and future grandbaby will need her. Or will he country/party need her more. Tough call.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Wow Karen I am sure glad you are looking out for all the effort it takes to raise a child with Down syndrome….guess I better tell my wife to quit her job…..or maybe me ….hmmm…give me a break.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Again, absolutely amazing, and predictable. I only hope that once each of you have posted that you go back and read your post in context to the others posted. Like all things, throw out the hard left and hard right comments, and what you will find are some pretty thoughtful posts, and of course, the predictable village idiot who once again, adds absolutly nothing to the dialogue. What a joke.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I agree with Jerry. Why should Palin put aside her career goals because of children? Is this yet another attempt by the left to discredit the importance of a father in a family? Can the father not take care of the family whilst mom makes the living? I would think that this very situation is what the left would have wanted a woman to do. Well……all except the 17 year old having a baby. I am sure the left believes she should have gotten an abortion.
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You can preach to your kids about your belief in whatever, but a 17 year old already knows everything, just ask them. They will do whatever they want when not in the parent’s view and then expect the parent to bail them out of the tight spot when they get into one. Trust me, I have teenage daughters…..I live it every day.
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Palin is the BESt VP candidate we have had in probably DECADES. I am not voting for McCain as much as for HER.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Actually, many people put their children/family before their careers……Many men and women stay home with family…And the job in question here is not 40 hours a week at Walmart….
As for this woman being the best VP candidate in decades..(direct quote from another poster)…..This woman has,with the exception of a few years in in college in Idaho, has apparently spent her entire life in Alaska…….I cannot imagine exactly what she knows about real life in the urban US….and the problems those of us who have spent our lives living in these cities face every day….Time will tell whether she is the “best VP candidate in decades” or not.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
KarenK – in response to your original point, which quite honestly I don’t think you can logically back up . . .
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Do you want women to be equal or not?
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Karen K must get her info from P Diddy’s You Tube blog. That is basically what he said without the cuss words he used.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
In response to StatlernWaldorf: I presume you are referring to my last remarks about the VP nominee being unlikely to know much about real life in the lower 48…no I did NOT get it from P Diddy’s blog……I would not even know where to find it…I could add some cuss words if you like though…..
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Four years ago, the following things were happening (all facts):
Karl Rove was working hand-in-glove with a 527 to torpedo John Kerry with a Swiftboat ad that was disgraceful.
John Kerry let it happen. Which is equally disgraceful.
Sarah P. was an incorporator of a 527 organized to give aid and comfort (amid much distortion) to Sen. Ted Stevens, the indicted fraud and extortionist.
Sarah P. was mayor of a small town, which paid Ted Stevens’ son’s DC law firm big bucks to lobby for $25 million in federal dollars (altho she’s against pork). That came out to over five grand for every citizen of that little hamlet. A great gig. Philosophy be damned.
Sarah P. had only been away from a group 2 or 3 yrs., of which she served as an officer, that advocated Alaska seceding from the Union.
Time flies when you’re having fun, huh?
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I’ve always supported abstinence outside of marriage, ande have taught this to my children. Unfortunately, one of my children did not practice abstinence and is now pregnant. Nevetheless, I continue to believe that abstinence is the best policy for unmarried persons, and the fact that one of my children disagrees will not change that.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
Democrats are HYPOCRITES! Governor Palin has a loving husband and his five children. No divorce of record, a working mother. Women should have equal pay for equal work, states Sen. Hillary Clinton at the Democrats Convention. Hillary didn’t sit at home to raise Chelsea while Bill was campaigning. In less than one week, the democrats are saying Governor Palin should stay home with her baby and her daughter. Give me a break! You have single and divorced women across this country working 2 and 3 jobs supporting their families and worrying about adequate childcare while they work. This lady has juggled a successful political career and raised a family in her 44 years. She has more than a 90% approval rating from average citizens in her state regardless of the size. Teenagers today are exposed to more sex and violence today than my generation through Hollywood and television. Stay at home moms are hooked on daytime soap operas. The soaps and cable TV has more acts of sex revealed in its contents and it is accepted.
Irregardless, the values you teach and preach to your children today our young people are influenced by what they see daily. I would guess the pro-abortion group of women would prefer to have their daughters abort pregnancies rather than to give birth. Afterwards, their daughters develop deep emotional and mental scares from the abortion and some have had several, they become candidates for illegal drug use to ease the pain or suicidal. Some young women have had to have hysterectomies at an early age from botched abortions leaving them childless. This is what Democrats want for their daughters. For any women to conceive a baby is a gift from God at any age. Mother Nature controls that miracle biologically. No one is condoning teenage pregnancy, but realistically, teenagers are having sex earlier in all economic classes today. Whether or not she conceives, only the woman knows for sure. How many girls have marched down the aisle in marriage appearing to be virgins and it is a lie to their future husbands because they are childless. Men don’t know unless she tells him the truth. These dark secrets have broken up numerous marriages when exposed. Think about it!
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:24 am
The media, no doubt, is traumatizing that girl on a national stage.
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It is SHAMEFUL.
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It is IMMORAL.
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It is WITHOUT HEART.
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And it will serve to wake up America to the true nature of her media machine, for every family has or knows a teenage mother.
How dare they tread there.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 am
By the way. That young girl might finally be okay again after this in her 40′s. Ask any shrink. Her brain is not fully developed to handle this sudden nuclear attack on her personal life being discussed by strangers on all media all the time.
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It is grave what they do to her and she needs to be in our Country’s prayers.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 am
To Wilson: “Is it true that Dick Cheney offered to carry the shotgun at the wedding?” No I think they have already asked Bobby Knight! ;)
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 am
I want to know where all the Clintonistas are who whined “just leave Chelsea alone!” a few months ago. They all seem strangely quiet now.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:48 am
To Melyssa: “How dare they tread there.” It’s the media dear, they have the same ethics as lawyers and advertising exec! NONE!
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
TA, no, but in a way you helped make my point. The same people who normally would want to sympathize and make excuses suddenly turn the tables and say their family is a train-wreck. You kind of have to laugh at the hypocrisy of it all. The response from the left has suddenly been this righteous indignation. It’s just a flip-flop. Oh, and I didn’t consult the census stats before I took my trip, you can have that one, haha.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
While I agree that attention on the teenage daughter is wrong, the social/moral aspects aren’t. Even more, as the governor cut financial support for women’s support groups in AK, theres a problem. Not all women have family (nearby), and then there’s the issue of rape and abuse.
On this topic, Im bothered that she is ‘forcing’ her daughter to marry the sperm-donor. Is this to ‘seal the deal’ or what? Hes only 17, still in HS. The daughter, from what I read, did NOT want to get married. The ground for an abusive marriage?
September 4th, 2008 at 4:43 am
What is wrong with a State wanting to secede?
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The federal government has broken the covenant with the States; yet the federal government demands fealty from the States.
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The federal government forcibly extracts money from the Citizens of the several States; then gets around the ‘States-rights’ issue by ‘giving back’ some of that money — only if the State dances to the federal tune.
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I’m all for the right of a State to secede if those Citizens honestly believe the federal government has violated the Constitutional covenant.
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Of course, our wonderful federal government would use its ‘standing army’ to inflict violence on said State.
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Sooo, it comes to this: Was joining the Union a one-way deal? No ‘divorce’ possible?
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Where in our federal Constitution does it say that?
September 5th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
and another thing-
Palin pimped herself to the special needs segment of our society.
She declared “she would be there…” Why now? Because it serves her needs?
She sure as heck didn’t care about them when she cut funding 60% to the exact same group (in AK)!!!!
Its THIS TYPE OF DOUBLESPEAK that will doom her and the Repub ticket. Its another example of pandering. Its so typical of the Republicans, and its a signal that Washington will be the “same old same old” whether its in a skirt or slacks.
She’s an opportunist and she will NOT be able to talk her way out of this one.