Comments on: (More) On Sarah Palin

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:15:04 +0000

To those of you who are pointing to Bristol and chanting “See, see, abstinence only education doesn’t work!”:

You do realize that children of parents who teach about birth control also wind up pregnant, right? The truth is *neither* method of sex-ed (teaching about birth control options or teaching abstinence only) is 100% effective in preventing teen pregnancy. You can’t use *one* teenager as an example.

Please, point to the studies when you want to discredit it. Don’t drag Palin’s daughter into it as your example. Pointing and laughing at people is not an effective way to get others to listen to your viewpoints.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:56:22 +0000

The first thought that came to me when I found out that Bristol was pregnant was if it was due to her abstinence only education. I agree with everyone that said we shouldn’t bring any candidate’s children into our debates on them, but it does make you wonder how Palin can continue to support abstinence only education in our schools when it is effecting her child’s life in this way. It is blatantly hypocritical and is very hard to ignore.

But like others have said, I completely disagree with Palin’s stance on so many issues and am insulted that McCain’s team seems to think that putting a woman out there will make women like us automatically vote for them. This is actually a step back for feminism in my opinion, not a step forward, when any candidate is anti-abortion with no exception for the health of the mother or rape or incest, when she is all abstinence education, wants creationism taught in schools, doesn’t care about equal wages for women…the list goes on and on. And when there is a blatant example in her own personal life of how one of her stances on the issues does not work, she cannot even see it. This is just not the type of person I can support as a candidate.

By: Roz

Roz — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:11:45 +0000

I won’t go so far as to say Palin’s are good or bad parents. I fear they have very full plates with a special needs child that will need many services and very hands on parents. (The best nanny in the world can’t replace the bond of parents)To the children they have already missed guiding and supporting with the knowledge and tools young teens need to make sound decisions in this world. Abstinence is only one form of birth control. Young women need all the tools of family planning, birth control and self respect to make sound desicions when faced with the choice to have sex. You don’t tell your children to not cross the street without teaching them to look both ways, cross at the cross walk etc. Why would we not want to teach our daughters and sons all that they need to know before they do choose to have sex. Protect them from STD’s as well as unplanned pregnancy. Maybe both Mr and Mrs Palin need to look at their lives and what they have thrown these five young children into (7 counting the baby Daddy and baby.) I think it would be very sad to see them all in Washington.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:19:28 +0000

Tobi you are very close to the real issue. The whole Palin-McCain ticket is based on fearing what the Democrats will do. Raise taxes - we are already suffering greatly especially those of us who make less than $50,000 a year. More government - what about the billions spent on homeland security. National Debt - we went from a surplus to billions of dollars in debt in less than 7 years. Now they are holding Palin up for women to follow - it is scary. I hope we are not so foolish to continue listening to the fear message.

By: Tobi

Tobi — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:22:10 +0000

I cannot let this one go. I really don’t care that her 17-yo daughter is pregnant (how many of us made it into our 20s thinking: Phew! We’re not pregnant!). She could be a great parent — and her daughter could be a great kid — human nature is what it is.
But there are some glaring ironies in all of this.
One is obviously that the abstinence-only advocates cannot use Sarah Palin or her family as poster children (apparently, Sarah and her husband eloped when she herself got pregnant, lo those many years ago). Unfortunately, if the teenage pregnant daughter had been an Obama, Clinton, Biden or other Democrat offspring, you better believe that the “family values” crew would have come out with guns blazing!
Also, given Palin’s very vocal positions on both abstinence-only education AND creationism, one can’t help but wonder whether we might, a year from now, yearn for the days of the Bush II administration’s “science” agenda. (I’m almost afraid to ask what Palin thinks about climate change.)
It chills me to think that this person could someday be setting national policy on issues of education and health care! And it chills me to think that John McCain — someone who has a reputation for thinking for himself — thought (for himself) that Palin would be a suitable vice president. My respect for him diminished substantially with this choice.

By: Amelia

Amelia — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:06:58 +0000

I think abstinence only education doesn’t work, and the statistics support that. Since the choice about what kind of an education your child gets about sex is a parenting choice (something that should be discussed outside the school setting), then yes, absolutely, I think her parenting is in question. I don’t think that is the only factor in teen pregnancy, but I think it definitely comes in to play. My issue is not so much specifically with her parenting, but how much of a double standard their is for their situation.

However, that is not why I don’t like her, I don’t like her because she’s extremely everything I don’t want that close to running the country.

By: jodie

jodie — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:13:54 +0000

I agree with Julie, I don’t think this is a reflection of their parenting abilities. I think it proves that if you’re not careful, it can happen to anyone - even white, upper-class teenagers. We need to focus on her potential abilities as a leader, if they exist, and not the fact that her teen daughter (unfortunately like millions of other teens) is pregnant.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:29:36 +0000

Her ability to parent is not the issue here (nor can you make conclusions based on her daughter’s pregnancy).

She believes that abstinence only education works, despite valid science showing that it doesn’t… and her daughter and future son-in-law paid for it.

I agree with Obama- her family is off limits. Her personal decisions are off limits. Whether we think she can balance family life and the VPship, or even a campaign, doesn’t matter.

Look at the issues. She’s as extreme as they come.

By: Kasie

Kasie — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:32:24 +0000

Wonderfully said Julie.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:59:30 +0000

So, if your kid gets pregnant, you’re a bad parent? I think parenting is much more complex than that. Good kids (with good parents) get pregnant. It’s not the “final grade” of one’s parenting ability. The real test of parenting happens in the difficult times — not when your kids are perfect angels.