B. Palin's pregnancy -- Is it fair to discuss? Is it relevant?
Brain of J.Lo
Posts: 3,259
I'll admit, as much as I want to respect this girl's privacy (to the point that I wish I didn't even know this story), I can't let go of the irony that she is a pregnant teen who was raised in a household that teaches abstinence instead of birth control.
On one hand, no 17 year old girl should be scrutinized in the way she is bound to be in the coming days -- whether the candidates and mainstream media continue with their "off limits" stance, or not. She will be the topic of debates/discussions/gossip until the American Public finds something else to occupy our minds, or some other "baby bump" to watch. :rolleyes: But this is a very personal story, and she is technically a private citizen.
On the other hand, as the Right spins this story as an example of the Palin's putting their pro-life money where their pro-life mouths are, is it not also valid or fair to ask if this is one more example that abstinence-only education might not be such a great idea? To do so is not necessarily an indictment of the teen herself. Instead, it questions the (apparently) faulty methods her parents not only practice, but that her mother wishes to impose on every family in America?
If Sarah Palin wants to control the way our children receive sex education, and wants to alter or take away our reproductive rights so that there are no "choices" to make, how can she ask us not to discuss the choices her own family has made? If these are private matters for her family, why shouldn't they be for mine?
I just don't know how I feel about this becoming a political issue.
On one hand, no 17 year old girl should be scrutinized in the way she is bound to be in the coming days -- whether the candidates and mainstream media continue with their "off limits" stance, or not. She will be the topic of debates/discussions/gossip until the American Public finds something else to occupy our minds, or some other "baby bump" to watch. :rolleyes: But this is a very personal story, and she is technically a private citizen.
On the other hand, as the Right spins this story as an example of the Palin's putting their pro-life money where their pro-life mouths are, is it not also valid or fair to ask if this is one more example that abstinence-only education might not be such a great idea? To do so is not necessarily an indictment of the teen herself. Instead, it questions the (apparently) faulty methods her parents not only practice, but that her mother wishes to impose on every family in America?
If Sarah Palin wants to control the way our children receive sex education, and wants to alter or take away our reproductive rights so that there are no "choices" to make, how can she ask us not to discuss the choices her own family has made? If these are private matters for her family, why shouldn't they be for mine?
I just don't know how I feel about this becoming a political issue.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Best question ever.
If Obama is smart he'll leave it alone... plenty others will scrutinize it.
Whether right or wrong, the media is going to do it anyway...
I will say that it doesn't help that the Republicans have acted like they own morality, family values, and god.
leave the teen be.
Stop by:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14678777351&ref=mf
MONROE, Michigan (CNN) – Barack Obama told reporters firmly that families are off-limits in this campaign, reacting to news that Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant.
“Let me be as clear as possible,” said Obama, “I think people’s families are off-limits and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president.”
Obama said reporters should “back off these kinds of stories” and noted that he was born to an 18 year-old mother.
“How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that’s off-limits.”
The Illinois senator became aggravated when asked about rumors on liberal blogs speculating that Palin’s fifth child - Trig - is actually her daughter Bristol’s. A Reuters report Monday quotes a senior McCain aide saying that Obama’s name is in some of posts, “in a way that certainly juxtaposes themselves against their 'campaign of change,’”
“I am offended by that statement,” Obama shot back, not letting the reporter finish his question. “There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us.”
“We don’t go after people’s families,” Obama said. “We don’t get them involved in the politics. It’s not appropriate and it’s not relevant. Our people were not involved in any way in this and they will not be. And if I ever thought that there was somebody in my campaign that was involved in something like that, they’d be fired.”
Yeah, it never looks good when candidates mention children of their opponents. It didn't go over well when Kerry made a comment about Mary Cheney's sexual orientation in 2004. It gave Cheyney a chance to take a free shot at Kerry.
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Peace
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But, I'm not one of those 'Blame the Parents for Bad Parenting' when their children make poor decisions. I'm just wondering what the people who DO hold the parents responsible for their kid's actions (i.e. the Friends over at FOX News, for example) are going to say about this.
My guess, they will contradict themselves and hop on it doesn't matter wagon... bullshit, such as 'Family Values' and 'Moral Compasses' and that crap they ordinarily spew... and look for someone else to blame.
Look out, Juno... they'll probably come gunning for you.
Hail, Hail!!!
And I remember being a kid.. and a teenager... My parents didn't have a clue what I was up to. I wasn't telling them. And the case was the same for just about all of my friends. You had to be a complete idiot to tell your parents you are banging girls... and if you were the type to tell your parents.. chances are... you WEREN'T banging any girls.
Hail, Hail!!!
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
Alaska also inspires kids to fuck... during those 6 Winter months when the fucking Sun never come up over the horizon and it's colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra up there. I mean, what the fuck are teenagers supposed to do up there... except fuck?
Hail, Hail!!!
EV- 08/09,10/2008.06/08,09/2009
Then you and everyone else needs to quit making threads about it and use the half dozen that are already running.
This is a non-issue. Even your candidate Obama said to let it go and not discuss it, best thing I've heard him say all year.
OP makes a good point though.
"Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect," said Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. "Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord."
so why no forgiveness for homosexuals?
http://www.myspace.com/thelastreel http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19604327965
Abstinence only works if used, just like other methods of birth control. Only difference is that Abstinenece is 100% effective when used. Her family could have just as easily put a jar of condoms by the door, and they only would have worked if used.
Please define reproductive rights? You are legally allowed to have sex and reproduce, if you CHOOSE to do so. If you later decide your CHOICE was wrong, I guess you want a SECOND choice to kill the unborn baby? Do you consider abortion a "reproductive" right?
The media can ignore Rev. Wright, Father Flager, Bill Ayers, and Tony Resco for nearly a year... yet they will be all over this in an instant! Obama was an adult when he associated with those guys. This girl is a minor, and she shouldn't be put through this. Also it really has no impact on the campaign.
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I think it's pretty funny that men like that consider themselves Christians.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
Nice statement Obama.
I believe this to be true...and I'm sure there are 17 year olds that have gotten pregnant living in households that teach contraceptives. Maybe she never would have had sex if TV and movies didn;t show it all the time...without the ramification mostly.
I feel bad for the girl and what she's going to have to go through. Makes me wonder if Palin should have turned it down in order to save her daughter some of this crap. The girl made some poor choices and I'm sure Keith O'bamasman and the rest are going to make her pay dearly for it. How the family deals with this situation is more important that what happened.
Well, I don't agree with their stance on homosexuals, but in order to get forgiveness they would say that you would have to CONFESS your sins/imperfections and not keep sinning.
Although, it hardly seems like a big deal in the grand scheme of things to me.
I think it's a pretty big deal that a man like that is one of the most prominent social conservatives in the country, and that you pretty much cannot be a prominent Republican without answering to his beck and call.
Maybe this story will be like those...it'll be big news for a week or two, and then people will actually get smart and realize there's too much to this election to get bogged down in bullshit politics. Sean Hannity, is that you? Feel free not to answer this post with talking points.
No, you misunderstood me, I meant to say I don't know why social conservatives make such a big deal out of gay marriage...they should "hate the sin, not the sinner", live and let live and let their God sort it out in the end.
"When we waste our time and energy rooting around in someone's personal life for John McCain's next black baby, we are conceding to conservatives that they are right.
There are dozens and dozens of legitimate reasons to oppose Sarah Palin — everything from her position on drilling to that on polar bears; her flip-flopping on the Bridge to Nowhere; her pro-life advocacy to her opposition to marriage equity. Let's focus on those legitimate reasons as to why people should oppose Sarah Palin and the McCain-Palin ticket rather than trying to be the next Karl Rove because, as Dan Rather might say, when you wrestle with a pig (i.e., shitty rumors like these), all you get is shit on you and the pig kind of likes it."
Her mom and family are well off enough to take care of the baby if/when the impregnator run off. The taxpayer gets stuck with the rest of them and that pretty much dooms most pregnant teens to a very average life. Unless they get motivated to find a way to pull themselves out of it.
What about everyone elses teenage kid that never learns anything about birth control or how it works?
That's the relevance. It's not just a campaign issue, but I bet there are a lot of other people out there with pregnant teenagers.... and a hell of a lot more having unprotected sex even the ones that had "good" upbringings.
Instead of debating her child... debate the methods being taught or not taught in the classroom and at home?
What's really to debate about having a pregnant teenager? Loads of people from all walks have that. The only people that would demonize that might get a nosebleed from the high horse. Individual people especially younger people have been known to make bad decisions... all anyone can do is give them information and instruction and hope for the best.
Hear hear. I think that's the right approach. There are many legitimate criticisms to be made of this pick, just like there are legitimate criticisms to be made about McCain or legit criticisms to be made without calling him a Muslim. However, after Obama's speech yesterday I haven't really seen this tenacious, Swift Boat-esque continuation of any kind of attack; it's on Huffington Post and Daily Kos, but I'm a liberal and realize they're just blog smears. Obama's set the tone and hopefully the overwhelming majority of his supporters will follow, which seems to be happening.
I still don't get, however, why Obama can come out two hours after the story breaks and say it's off-limits while you haven't seen McCain get up and make a similar statement this entire campaign about the viral smears regarding Obama.
Palin's stance on sex education (abstinence-only): Very much within the limits.
Obviously, the media should leave the girl alone. She should not be the next Britney Spears or whatever. This debate is not about the girl. It's about whether Palin's sex education policy works or not. (It doesn't).