The voice of experience: Bristol Palin
Posted on February 18th, 2009 – 1:21 PMBy Josephine Marcotty
The debate on sex education and birth control has changed, and if you need proof, here it is on — of all places — Fox News, from the lips of Bristol Palin herself. See her interview on Fox News where she says abstinence only education “is not realistic.”
Well.
Bristol Palin with her baby, courtesy of Fox News
Cristina Page, who blogs on reproductive health policy for Birth Control Watch put it like this:
In a stroke of media mastery, Bristol Palin harnessed the Palin family-doting Fox News last night to announce a powerful (and decidedly non-Fox News) message for policy makers: abstinence only is “not realistic.” The new teen mom also told Great Van Susteren that she would “love to be an advocate to prevent teen pregnancy.” Making this announcement on one of the most watched, and most conservative, news stations in the nation is already a pretty good display of her ability to reach a large swath of Americans (particularly the most difficult to reach on this issue.)
What the interview reveals is that Bristol is lovely, humble, honest, no doubt still a teenager and refreshingly free of any political agenda–except to use her experience to steer teens away from the same fate. In startling candidness, Bristol expresses the conflicting emotions that come packaged with teen parenthood; her love for her child and of motherhood and her belief that waiting ten years before becoming a parent would have been a better path.
With rates of teen pregnancy and STD’s rising, especially in Minnesota, her voice and her message could not come at a better time.
56 Responses to "The voice of experience: Bristol Palin"
Uh oh Bristol! Now she’s going to face the wrath of the righties by stating that abstinence only education “is not realistic.”
Out the mouth of babes…
Hmmm. I watched the interview and they didn’t talk at all about abstinence only education. Mostly monosyllabic answers that you would expect from a teenager. Funny how news can be made from nothing!
Abstinence is only “not realistic” if the media perpetuates the idea that it truly isn’t - People will believe what they hear. Fox should now cover a story on someone with their experience of how they succeeded to remain abstinent before marriage.
For bristol, she has gained a beautiful child and lost-out on those memorable years that will only be lived vicariously through her child in the future.
Since when is Bristol’s opinion one which is to be held without question? She has made poor choices (getting pregnant) and good choices (not aborting). The studies have clearly shown that abstinence-only education works most effectively to reduce teen pregnancy, teen abortion and teen STDs. Case closed.
Far Right, do you have any links to these studies or citations of any kind?
Okay Far Right, I’ll bite. Could you please cite the “studies” that have shown the effectiveness of abstinence-only education? I don’t recall reading that in any publications of Science, Nature, the Journal of Personality of Social and Psychology, or any of the other reputable sources over the years. I just want to make sure where it was since I obviously missed this.
Dang Anna. You beat me to the punch while I was writing.
Far Right
What studies have you been looking at? Abstinence only education basically leads to the same stats as though that are given Contraceptive education. Some studies have actually shown that abstinence only education leads to more unwanted pregnancies because the teens don’t know the options that are available.
What a terrible example to say that abstinence is “not realistic.” Obviously she felt it necessary to do what everyone else was doing. I know she’s obviously not the only one doing it, but why would you go on national TV and say that?
So when can Bristol Pail run for president? Refreshing to get an honest and realistic opinion from just about anyone these days.
I believe Harvard did a study following up on a large group of teens who had signed “chastity contracts.” After 5 years, 82% had had sexual relations, and 60-some% of those denied ever having signed the contract. Immature young adults with sexually mature bodies don’t do well with a “just say no” sex education program.
I love this exchange in the interview: Greta-”So what are you going to do?” Britsol-”Graduate high school, raise my child and go to college and stuff.” (And here’s the kicker…wait for it…) Greta- “So it all worked out?” WTF??? Are you kidding me? Come back in one year, in five years, in 15 years and we’ll see if it “all worked out.” But for Greta to sit there and tell this teenager holding an infant that it all worked out is comical.
She is smokin’ hot, just like her mom. THere isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t want to get a shot at that. The best thing is she’s got the genes working for her and she’ll be smoking hot well into her 40’s. Look at that skin and those eyes. Wow!
well if she thinks it’s a good idea to wait then kids should learn to wait. She made a huge mistake and thankfully with her mom’s help and her family support system I’m sure she will be OK. Trouble is not everyone has a Mom like Sarah Palin who supports her daughter but imposed personal discipline too. There is nothing good that comes out of a teenager having a child. They need to finish HS then think about life in a bigger scale.
Walters, you’re creepin’ me out, man.
Abstinence-only education is completely absurd. Teens don’t need ‘the media’ to encourage them to have sex: they have this thing called ‘hormones.’
The best thing to do, proven time and time again, is to provide teens with complete and accurate information so that they can make informed decisions.
If abstinence-only were such a good idea, we could use it on automobiles: just say “Don’t drive the car, and you’ll never get into a car accident.” Well, the fact is, cars get driven, and accidents happen. Better that a person know how to drive, and have seatbelts available…
John W., thank you for the stating the REAL reason men want Palin to assume a higher office.
Yeah, let’s all just give up on abstinence teachings and just hand out condoms in kindergarten. After all, we can’t be held accountable for our actions — whether for mortgage payments or sex. Last I heard, you still can’t get pregnant if you don’t have sex.
I believe you can get pregnant without having sex……heard of the Octo-mom lately?
The biggest thing wrong with this story is that both Marcotty and Page misquote Bristol Palin as saying she thinks “abstinence-only education is not realistic.” But that is not what Bristol said; she said she thinks that “abstinence is not realistic.” Abstinece, and abstinence-only education are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, ladies. I guess when you are a radical feminist, accuracy isn’t important. And it’s a strange coincidence, isn’t it, that teen pregnancies and STD’s started their rise in the 1960s, right around the time contraception became widely available. Correlation is not necessarily causation, but still . . .
Where did Far Right go with these links to studies proving abstinence only works? Still waitin for ya…
I really don’t think that real, accurate scientific research is available for teen pregnancies and STD’s from, let’s say, ancient Egypt forward. STD’s and sex before marriage have always happened. Abortion wasn’t made illegal until doctors got pissy about midwives taking there business. There have always been babies born out of wedlock. People have always died from STD’s, however in the last 6,000 or so years, humans have not always had the science to know that. Iggy, I’d call you names back, but I’m so much smarter and better than you.
I really don’t think that real, accurate scientific research is available for teen pregnancies and STD’s from, let’s say, ancient Egypt forward. STD’s and sex before marriage have always happened. Abortion wasn’t made illegal until doctors got pissy about midwives taking their business. There have always been babies born out of wedlock. People have always died from STD’s, however in the last 6,000 or so years, humans have not always had the science to know that. Iggy, I’d call you names back, but I’m so much smarter and better than you.
Heather, so you agree that Marcotty and Page misquoted Bristol Palin? Don’t you think STD and teen pregnancy stats are available from say, 1960 until the present? You’re so much smarter than me . . . hmmm, I bet you’re a “Women’s Studies” grad–I hear that’s one of the toughest majors around.
And to my left wing buddies . . . where is your study or list of studies proving the opposite? Iggy is right. When did all this start to get out of control? 60’s when “revolution” began.
If you follow that thinking why not have an open bar at prom? At least you can control the intake and maybe provide alcohol counselors as well?
Want to solve teen pregnancy? Maybe we should skip the abstinence education and the birth control education and promote masturbation instead. No disease, no pregnancy, hormonal rages abated.
Study: from the April 2007 HHS report prepared by Mathematica: “Some policymakers and health educators have questioned whether the Title V, Section 510 programs’ focus on abstinence elevates STD risks. Findings from this study suggest that this is not the case, as program youth are no more likely to engage in unprotected sex than their control group counterparts.”
Comments about studies in article (”Does Anything Work in Sex Education?”) by Jennifer Roback Morse in the May 1, 2007 Mercatornet:
“If those are the alternatives, it is fair to ask whether sex-ed programmes any more successful than abstinence programmes. Let’s listen to some experts.
A 2002 study published in the British Medical Journal examined 26 programmes that included school based programmes, multi-faceted programmes, family planning and clinic based programmes, as well as abstinence programmes in the US and Canada. The results: “The interventions did not delay initiation of sexual intercourse in young women or young men, did not improve the use of birth control at every intercourse, or at last intercourse for either men or women, did not reduce pregnancy rates in young women.”2
Another study of a very well-designed and well-delivered sex-ed programme in Scotland was also published in the BMJ. The result: “When the intervention group was compared with the conventional sex education group, there were no differences in sexual activity or sexual risk taking by the age of 16 years.”3
Then there is Douglas Kirby’s 2001 survey of over 300 programmes of all sorts. “Most studies of school-based and school-linked health centers revealed no effect on student sexual behavior or contraceptive use.”4
Since you seem to have missed the point of my original post, Heather, it’s this: I object to journalists putting words in other people’s mouth to further their own agenda. And that’s exactly what Marcotty and Page did.
If you use a condom you are having sex. If you don’t use a condom you aren’t having sex. If you use birth control you are having sex. If aren’t using birth control you aren’t having sex. Case closed.
Obviously, abstinence is the best way for children (and adults, I might add) to not have unwanted pregnancies. That said, I find that there’s nothing unrealistic about expecting children to avoid sex, which is illegal under 18. It gets cloudier in the 18-21 year range, because that’s the age when people are of legal age to have sex and are then likely to try it out. So I guess I’d suggest an abstinence plan for <18 and a birth control plan for 18+.
I agree with John Walters comment
Uh…Far Left…I am struggling to follow your logic. If such is the case, why are there babies?
I think cynical1 has the best idea/comment I’ve ever heard/seen on this topic.
Yeah, let’s just believe that those under 18 have no sex drive - which is why masturbation should be an important step in dealing with this problem. No one wants to talk about that, though.
It would be great if abstinence was realistic, but have you ever watched “Judge Judy?” Obviously, abstinence isn’t realistic.
We as adults in many cases don’t make reponsible choices and we have all the information, experience and understanding of the consequences that young people don’t and we’re dealing with a small fraction of the hormones and pressure. Abstinence only is a nice thought but not realistic. Only telling young people not to do something is never going to work, it never has. You better give them enough common sense on how to deal with the situation if they do make the decision you wish they didn’t. Don’t drink that, but if you do don’t drive. Don’t go there but if you do bring a friend, Don’t have sex but if you do protect yourself, etc.
I believe it is realistic–with good parenting. My wife was abstinent until we got married. She had great parents and a strong faith that guided her. But you never see those stories on the news….
Far Right. Still waitin’ for those links.
Ignorance and Hypocracy… What a looser!! Its all about education. Thats the bottom line. How can she change her mind so fast? Oh, thats right, her mother is Sarah… Genes have been passed down…
You’re right about the effect of good parenting. Every time I see a teenager pushing a stroller around, I think, “Wow, that chick has some stupid parents.” (Actually, the first thing I think is, “Ever heard of birth control, you idiot?” And then I realize that her parents are probably more idiotic than she is.)
“That said, I find that there’s nothing unrealistic about expecting children to avoid sex, which is illegal under 18. ”
You might want to check your facts the Age of Consent in Minnesota is 16 and in some states as low as 14 depending on the age of the partner.
To ‘Open-Minded Conservative’…
You say your wife was abstinent before marriage but whether you were abstinent before marriage was conspicuously absent from your comment.
When I was 13 years old my father told me about masturbation. No, he wasn’t a pervert (the only domestic violence I ever committed was slapping a long ago boyfriend who had the audacity to suggest that). My father was realistic. He was also raised Catholic, served in WWII in the Navy, and quite honestly, was way ahead of his time. My parents had 5 children total. We grew up lower-middle class in Detroit. Not one of us came home and with an unwanted pregnancy (hell, my sister was MARRIED and didn’t want to tell the folks - crazy hormones), and my brothers did not father any children not wanted.
As for the person whose wife was a virgin until they married - great, but was sex really that good the first night? Did she really know what she was doing? Did she read up on it first? Did the 2 of you talk about it before doing it? Why didn’t you follow suit - because you are male and the double-standard applies?
The advice I give my nephews is as follows: if you can’t even talk about it with the gal you are about to do it with, you have no business doing it in the first place.
Bristol Palin is an ignorant slut, raised by religious nutjobs.
I agree with letsthink, and I was actually about to post a very similar thought until I was distracted. Even adults make poor decisions, despite the fact that we are as capable as we will become in making educated decisions. However, teenagers do not even biologically have the full capacity to make informed decisions, much less the experience or social support. The part of our brains devoted to making these decisions isn’t even fully developed until well into our 20’s. Which is largely to blame why teenagers do stupid things (throughout ALL of history, not just today’s youth).
I also agree with the comments about good parenting; parents can be the most influential and positive influences on their children. But…what about the children who aren’t getting that support and guidance from their parents? Should we just assume that they are “bad kids” for making these decisions, despite their biological predisposition towards it? Should schools just pretend that they don’t exist then, or should we attempt to prepare them to at least be informed about their options as they make these enormous and life-altering decisions?
To ‘clucas005′ and ‘V’:
First of all, I’m not going to share my intimate moments with my wife in a forum such as this. But do know that no, I was not a virgin when we married and she knew that. I regret the pre-marital decisions I made because as a more mature (and less-hormone driven) person I was able to realize the importance and flat-out safety of waiting until marriage. There’s no doubt that kids don’t think as clear-headed as adults do in this sense, but my point is still valid. With proper parenting–which means open discussion–kids can be steered in the right direction.
This is not to say that anyone who makes the decision to have pre-marital sex is a bad person. I’m not trying to convey that sentiment at all. But you can’t deny the sentiment that kids (by ‘kids’ I mean anyone under 18) ought not be having sex–relgious beliefs or not.
Best way to describe this is when you were younger did your parents tell you not to do something and you turned around and did it? Mostly likely you did. Its not about telling kids not to do it, its about informing them of the consequences.
As much as the kids dont want to hear it they need to know all about it. Once they know the consequences let them make the choice. Good parenting doesnt just mean to forbid them from doing something. It also doesnt mean to blow up at them when they make a mistake.
Finally everyone needs to realize that kids are starting to have intercourse at the young age of 12 or 13 these days. It wouldnt be a bad idea to start talking to them before they take the sex education classes in school.
Also parents of girls, theres nothing wrong with putting them on birth control at a young age! Explain that birth control doesnt mean you can have sex and that if you choose to have sex that they dont always prevent you from getting pregnant.
I watched a lot of the clips, but also didn’t hear them mention abstinence-only sex ed. She seemed honest and refreshingly apolitical, at least in the interview. Unlike her Mom, who is completely driven, artificial and honed to say whatever nonsense will advance her career.
Shame on the far right for pushing Abstinence-Only Sex Ed. Sex Ed should include some talk about abstinence and birth control and peer pressure and expressing your feelings and a million other things. With honesty above all.
A couple things:
First, the people who pointed out the misquote were absolutely right. There’s a difference between saying “abstinence-only [education] is unrealistic” and “abstinence is unrealistic”. She says the latter, so to take her words as a victory for more comprehensive sex-ed is ridiculous. Beyond that, what she actually did say doesn’t even make sense. Abstinence is realistic until you choose to have sex.
Even bigger than that, however, is the idea that she wants to be an advocate for helping people avoid getting themselves into her situation. That would work a lot better if she was honest about what had happened. “Don’t get pregnant at 17″ isn’t an original message, even if you put a face on it. If she really wants to make her point, she needs to come out and say “we made the mistake of not using contraceptives” or “we used contraceptives that didn’t work” or whatever the case may be. You can’t be a voice of “don’t make the same mistakes that I did” without first admitting to the mistakes that you made.
The second point is in regard to the general ignorance of abstinence-only education. A good analogy is underage drinking. I know a lot of parents who insisted that their kids didn’t drink at all until they were of age. Some of those kids didn’t, but many did. And the fact that they had to hide it from their parents, that they weren’t given the example of safe drinking behaviors made it all the more dangerous. On the other hand, I know a number of parents who allowed underage drinking as long as specific rules were followed. While almost all of these kids chose to drink, they also tended to do it in a much safer way.
It’s the same with sex-ed. You can teach kids that they should never have sex until marriage, and some won’t. But some will, and they’ll miss out on the education necessary to do it safely. Or you can teach everybody about safe sex. And maybe (but not necessarily) you end up with more kids having sex this way. But almost without question you end up with people having safer sex.
Stat: Abstinent Teens have a 100% chance of not getting pregnant, AIDS, or an STD.
In teaching Abstinence, Accurate information about contraception is provided, but always within the context of abstinence as the healthiest choice.
With 1 in 4 sexually active teens getting an STD each yr, those who wind up pregnant, and those girls too naive to know when they are being used like a Kleenex, why would I not teach my two daughters that waiting for marriage is best? What possible good did Jesus overlook when he said to wait for marriage?
Far Right, what kind of drugs are you on anyway? Abstinance only works? Since when?
Mappy, I cannot agree with you about accurate info on contraceptives being provided. In my school district, AO Sex Ed has NO information about contraceptives given to students and teaches on a basis of pure abstinence. Abstinence-Until-Marriage Sex Ed talks about contraceptives in a context where abstinence is the best choice. Big difference there.
Ms. Marcotty, are you there? Please correct the misquote, apologize to your readers (and editor) for putting words in Bristol Palin’s mouth, and acknowledge that Cristina Page’s blog also contained the misquote. See my 2-18 3:39 p.m. post and Mike’s 2-18 6:39 p.m. post. Listen to the last two minutes of the interview if you have questions about the accuracy of the quote. I expect this correction to published on Thursday morning.
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