Palin and Teen Pregnancy

I know the Dems are going to have a field day with this, as if, nothing has ever happened like this in their families. Let him without sin cast the first stone, right? I applaud Palin for coming out so quickly and announcing this. She is a family person and problems happen. I know that Obama will not touch this, if he does, he will be skewered.
Thank you, Gov. Palin for coming forth with this information. I don’t see this changing voters minds of you, but actually, helping to solidfy the GOP vote even more because of your stance.
McCain/Palin 08!

This is not a political issue, it is a family issue. Kids learn about safe sex early these days and a lot of them are going by the old “It won’t happen to me” idea. How skewered would her mom be if she went to have an abortion and the media found out? Would you rather her murder her baby so her mom didn’t have to deal with the backlash?

Senator Obama says that children are off limits in campaigns. Yes, that may be so. But a woman’s right to choose is not off limits. So I tell ya what: I’ll not pass judgement on the governor’s daughter, and the Republicans can keep their laws off my body. Sound like a deal?

It is a sad turn of events and I agree that children should be off limits. It is important that the governor and her daughter deal with this matter privately as I am certain that all families would. No need to drag the Supreme Court into this…do we all agree?

McCain!!!!
There are plenty of more qualified female GOP members out there.
I want to vote for you but your health issues are a serious concern and this is a very stressful job for a 72 yr old.
Palin is way over her head…
Besides,the Republicans had 7 yrs to capture Bin Laden and couldn’t do that. He’s in a cave in Afghanistan and not in Iraq…time to give the Dems a shot at nailing him…

This will boost the popularity of McCain. Teenage pregnancy has touched many families in the US and will do so again with this matter. Watch out Obama this looks like a tropical storm but it’s really a typhoon…

The frustrating part about the Palin teen pregnancy admission is that it is a distraction from the real issues that need to be addressed in this election. When a major political party has no real platform to run on, they have always been masters at introducing irrelevant issues that galvanize their fundamental base. Personal politics aside, maybe the republicans should start considering how sex education actually helps teens make informed choices and prevent unwanted pregnancies. This would be a win/win situation for America’s youth, our educational prospects, and economy.

It is none of the media’s business and certainly none of the public’s business, I am ashamed once again of the people in the country if they think it is ok to intrude on the lives of children. Shouldn’t this campaine be about the people who have chosen to run not their families.

Must be a slow day in the political arena that the media has to focus on a 17-year-old girl. Why is this worthy of air time?

I am a high school teacher and mother of a nineteen year old daughter, and I agree with Brian’s comments. Education works better than a lack of it.
I also agree that the political issues
are what should be addrssed here.
Palin might be a wonderful mother(or not)but is she qualified to be the vice president, or possibly president, in the event McCain can not.

It just beggars belief. Palin’s wishful thinking on teenage abstinence is undermined RIGHT UNDER HER NOSE, and she tries to present it as some sort of “Mission Accomplished”.
Does she think we’re all idiots? Or deaf?

First of all, it’s a shame that the face of Bristol Palin is being smeared all over the networks, while the young man who is EQUALLY responsible for this pregnancy hides anonymously in the shadows along with his family. Our news media is a twisted source of information, that preys on the weakness of our fellow man. This pregnancy has nothing to do with Palin’s qualifications for vice president. We should all be questioning the ethics of the media, who prefer cheesy sensationalism, instead of important issues. The sexual mishaps of young love have nothing to do with our Presidential campaign, and it’s pitiful that the media doesn’t realize this, and is allowed to continue with this type of reporting.

It is so funny the Dems are playing this up all the while, because of the Dems, we as tax payers are paying for and promoting non married women, reguardless of age, (who are illegal) to have babies. That’s right, illegal women get free health care and benefits for their babies and no one has any thing to say about it, from the dem side. It is only a talk point when they think it will help them.

When you preach Abstinence only Education, Family Values,Pro-life,etc,etc. and your teenage daughter becomes pregnant, it kinda proves to be a failed policy.

WAKE UP AMERICA DO YOU REALIZE THIS 17 YEAR OLD IS HEARING, HOW BAD SOME PEOPLE THINK THIS IS, AND HOW SHE IS MAKING HER MOM LOOK BAD.
SHE IS HAVING A BABY, AND NOT SMOKING CRACK, OR HURTING PEOPLE.
SHE IS A KID AND TRYING TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
THANK GOD SHE IS BEING HONEST, THANK GOD
I AM ALL FOR SARAH ,SHE IS REAL AND NOT F FAKE. GOD BLESS BRISTOL PRAYING SHE CCAN HANDLE THE PRESS AS BEING TEEN IS HARD ENOUGH.

The focus of this should be the issues.
Palin does not support sex education in schools, she supports an abstinence-only curriculum, apparently this doesn’t work all the time. If GOP can use her 17 year old and 4 month old they’ve made her positions fair game. Her positions and judgement are the issue, leave her children alone.

Annie: I have to disagree. Bristol is not making her Mom look bad. Her Mom is making *herself* look bad by trying to spin this as some sort of triumph of muddle-headed “family values”. I’m sure Bristol is a great kid – it’s just her mom seems to be in denial and expects us all to join her there.
I’m all for family values myself, but it has to be underpinned with sense of realism and honesty. Palin’s gushing about how “proud” she is of her daughter seems fake. If it was my daughter, I’d kick her butt in private and maintain a suitably humble and embarrassed silence in public.

She should drop off the VP and stay home, watch for her family.

So funny that this is none of our business, private family matter, but Clinton’s private affair became a HUGE polital issue for Republicans. So hypocritical and two-faced. IF palin wanted to keep this private, she should never have agreed to run as McSame’s VP.

Guess that’s what “Family Values” means to a Republican—politics first, family last

Teen pregnanacy is not a democrat or republican issue – it’s a teen issue. All mothers who have teens have to face this problem. Maybe the new VP does not believe in birth control and that won’t be good for her political future, however teens are getting pregnant. Is there someone to blame? Yea, maybe blame it on lack of parentig skills. I have asked my daughter to let me know when she needs to be on the pill (and I promised not to have a fit) but I always told her to be smart and wait for the right time/guy and she did. I would not consider this to be a political issue but yes this makes me question Sarah motherly skills.

Mary – do you have kids?? Do you still believe in abstinenece? Today kids want to grow op fast – they know the risks but don’t care. Don’t forget teens view them-selfs as unvincible. If you have kids I beg you drop the abstinence theroy – it won’t work. I know teens who were tought the absitence by parents and church, were part of church groups and they were still into sex behind closed doors.

I am sorry the Palin family had to go through all these. The issue shouldn’t be about the governor’s family, it should be more on McCain’s judgment. Looking back at his life style (as shown on CNN’s McCain Revealed) he has ALWAYS been reckless in dealing with life. For a 72 years man with three bouts of cancer, and he handing over the presidency to someone with so much problems in her family & lack of the necessary exposure to foreign situations depicts how McCain views life! Obviously, proper investigation was not done on the VP he selected. If this was the case with Obama, I am sure RNC operatives would jump over him (Obama) for such lack of judgment. And McCain wants to claim he has good judgment?

WOW, we are all dwelling on what a 17 year old decided to do and not that we have to elect a president? If Hillary had been choosen to be VP would we be discussing Bill’s adventures in the Oval Office during his years in office. Thanks LHmom123 for your comments about Bill and what example he set for our teenagers as to how to conduct yourself as an adult. Not only as an adult but as President of the USA. How priceless! Now weren’t we suppose to be getting to know how the canidates are going to handle the everyday problems we face as individuals and a nation…(ie health care, the housing crisis, debt and the war)? May we get back to that and leave this issue with the family it affects?

How can she protect the moral values of our contry when she cannot control the morals of her own family.

So Palin’s daughter is pregnant it is not like she is not going to finish school or have no one to help her so that she can. Look at all the girls who don’t finish High School and have kids living off the system. Give me a break. I agree with what one of the women in panel said that teenagers do not believe it will happen to them. I gave mine the opportunity to get condoms and bought them my daughter ended up pregnant and had an STD that couild have been prevented they do not believe it can happen to them.
It’s not the parents fault if the girl is pregnant everyone has a choice and now she has to live in with it. Tell the world FAMILY IS OFF LIMITS for a change. It’s Palin’s ability to do the job that should be important.

McCain has this Nomination about 2 to 3 months ago and if his team could
not do this simple investigation of Sarah Palin background how on earth can he run this Country as a President?
These
According to Republican close to the McCain campaign is quoted as saying ”They didn’t seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before…This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn’t get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe or Ridge.”, so what were they doing all this time? They are useless.

I am very very afraid if this ticket has any chance of winning. Two loose cannons are not better than one when they are in charge of running the country.
As for the teen pregnancy. I side with the women who say she should never have agreed to run when she has 5 children–one baby with special needs and one 17 year old with a baby on the way. All of those kids need more attention than she will be able to give them. I am a feminist and I support women’s rights to choose in all areas and I wanted to be able to vote for Hillary. But this woman, despite the inexperience and sheer lack of interest in any foreign issues whatsoever, is not in any position to be taking on this job. I gave up opportunities for more status and money in positions that would require more of my time away from my children, especially when they were in junior high and showed signs of going down the wrong path. That is when kids need their parents around. There is no substitute for that. I’m sorry, but if you want to be one heartbeat away from the presidency, you should not have babies and pregnant teens at home. Furthermore, when your party makes an issue of such “family values” then yes, it is hypocritical to trot out the pregnant teen and make an example of her. Do they not see the absolute irony of it all???? Amazing!
And another thing, I think it is unconscionable that Ms. Palin has anything at all negative to say about Hillary or think for one minute that she is in the same category with her. Hillary has been at this on a national scale for many years and Ms. Palin has no idea!
God help us all.

…terrorists, fuel costs, economic woes, trying to keep corporate policies (that cheat me out of money) away from the door…I do not have time to throw verbal or written stones at adolescents.
I think it is ludicrous to put the weight of the United States presidency on the shoulders of one single young person’s actions. As for her mom, which one of us, did NOT do something against our parents beliefs? Here’s your rockkkkkkkkk.

For all those who are saying this is a private issue and the dems are turning it into a political issue: you are missing the point that it is the republicans who have chosen to put private issues aka gay marriage, a woman’s right to chose, “family values” and keeping sex education out of schools, at the forefront of their polital agenda. The worst part about this scandal is that now every time Obaama is asked to speak on these issues which he has so eloquently done in the past, he will have to be extremely guarded lest he gets accused of making an underhanded refernce to Palin’s daughter. Oh, and one more thing, tell me, was this child out of wedlock planned or a “mistake”?

This is a personal, family issue….just as abortion and gay marriage are. Until the Republicans take these issues off the “campaign agenda”, it makes all personal issues part of the “campaign agenda”. To make one silent but the others campaign vote getters is just wrong. So now, deal with the consequences or leave all personal issues off the campaign. Deal with the real issues, affordable health care, social security, and high inflation to name a few.

I don’t think it is any of the media business. It is a family matter and should be kept out of the news.

Right, I keep reading these stupid remarks by dems..talk about the pot calling the kettle black..well let’s line up the qualifications correctly and see how the tickets really should be. Obama has about as many qualifications for being President of the United States as Homer Simpson. What a joke. He has no executive experience whatsoever, he goes around saying he has headed up his presidential campaign, well blow me down..what a great reason for being president. He’s been a senator for less than 3 years and campaigned for president 2 of them, good choice..etc..etc. Oh yeah, he and Ayers organized some southside Chicago community clubs On the other hand, Palin has been elected to the highest office in Alaska, she has made many executive decisions, she has been in elected office for many years more than Obama.. etc..the actual campaign should be McCain ( Pres) / Palin ( VP ) against Biden ( Pres ) / Obama ( VP ), but then you would hear all this crazy chatter about how Obama is in NO WAY QUALIFIED TO TAKE OVER AS PRESIDENT if something happened to biden..I really think their best ticket would have been PELOSI / OBAMA ( since those two are the most liberal of the democratic party ).Talk about an inexperienced candidate being a heartbeat away from the highest office in the land, well on rhe Dems side, an totally inexperienced and way unqualified candidate is just a misguided Vote away from the highest office…and oh yeah, I will put Palin’s husband’s DUI up against Obama’s Cocaine and Marijuana use any time…let’s argue that point for a while..I also bet, Obama’s sealed college records will tell even more about this in the future..Why won’t he let us see them ? BY THE WAY, I AM A DEMOCRAT and DISGUSTED BY THIS JOKE BEING PLAYED BY OUR PARTY

Sarah Palin said that she was proud that her daughter made the choice to keep her baby. All I want to say to her is isn’t she glad her daughter was able to make that choice? Under her policies, other women finding themselves in the same situation would not have much of a choice; and our country would have a new problem – record numbers of abandoned children that taxpayers would bear the responsibility for – not the women whose lack of choices brought those children into the world.

Obviously Sarah Palin wasn’t as proud of her daughter or to be a grandparent as she stated or she wouldn’t have had her daughter using Trig to hide the pregnancy while they were on stage.

I’m a lawyer, a single parent, and would have been delighted to vote for a woman who shares my values. Sarah Palin clearly does not. Her extreme stances on abortion, drilling, wolf and bear hunts, and out God ordained right to be in Iraq are smack up against he right-most extremem of our policital continuum. And added to this is her demonstrated self-interest, putting her political aspirations above the needs of her daughter.
I would not put my 17 year old, 5 month pregant daugher on stage at the RNC. I would not have my 4 month old Downs child baby there in all of that noise. I would not have accepted the VP slot — I’ve turned down far lesser opportunities to be there for my one child. I felt so bad for Bristol, who put a brave face on this. And so disgusted at her parents — both of them — to put her in that postition. Palin’s policies would make all of our daughter’s ignorant and then, when pregancies happened (remember the “pretend you’re on a date with Jesus” mantra? but you’re not!), no choice. And no escape, for many many teenagers, from grinding poverty. It’s no fun being a single parent when you do have an education and economic means. I wouldn’t want to be there as a child, cut off from support. And many 17 year olds would not be supported by their right wing families. If this was not an annointed member of the Republican parties, the Palis would be getting bashed by the right wingers just as hard as did the Spears. Remember that? What hypocrites. Just another of the many blatant examples of hypocrisy of the Republican Party, as driven by the right-wing ultraconservatives.
McCain has created this distraction to win the ultraconservative vote and take the focus off the economy, which continues to nose dive. I have even stronger reasons to vote against him.

What does Sarah think of the GOP Abstinence Program? Is the “First Dude” going to be a stay-at-home mom and take care of all the kids? They say he likes to fish a lot. Can she get a “leave of absence” as a VP to take care of emergencies at home and not have to worry about an emergency abroad? LOL with GOP women who think that she is going to save the party by upstaging McCain. In his younger days, he wouldn’t put up with her but in his old age he needs somebody to prop him up. She is going to be his Cheney telling him what to do as has happened to Bush.

Where is all the compassion and understanding the Democrats pretend to be so full of. Get off it … you’re simply.. just full of it. Sarah Palin will support McCain in cutting this overgrown Federal budget. She cut Alaska’s twice. It could only help the economy and democrats attack her for the purpose of trying to capture total power of the government and our lives. So far the Democratic congress has done nothing NOTHING for America. It’s the most stagnant most hated congress in American history. 9% approval rating. Like they say..staffers and close family relations..the rest of us don’t need another Democrat in charge of anything.