on teen pregnancy
Remember this story about the alleged "pact" among teens at Gloucester High? Remember how it was national news and it was fair game to talk about the role of the parents and the role of abstinence-only education? It was only a couple months ago, after all, that news of this pact ignited discussion once again about whether Juno and Jamie Lynn Spears were making it seem cool to be young and pregnant. Crisis in this small fishing town.
But when Sarah Palin's unmarried 17-year-old daughter reveals that she is 5 months pregnant, suddenly the Palins are a normal American family dealing with children making their own decisions. Blasted children.
Is it still a question of whether it's cool to be 17 and pregnant? No, the discussion this time is private. People with supportive families are allowed their privacy, while people in Gloucester are blamed for not being there for their kids.
Imagine for a moment if this had been the daughter of Joe Biden. Imagine the outcries about those damn liberals' lack of morals. Premarital sex. Harumph. That's why this country is falling apart--because people simply aren't involved enough in their children's lives.
This is why I love rhetoric.
posted by aerobil @ 5:48 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
A little while ago, I watched Soledad O'Brien interview a Washington Post reporter (didn't catch her name). The reporter was making much the same argument I was, which is connected to yours--that as soon as the GOP made "family values," "abstinence," and moral judgments about teen pregnancy part of the political landscape, Sarah Palin lost the right to demand privacy. I couldn't agree more.
--Seth
I'm with you on this one. The problem if it is a problem lies in the fact that the Dems can't or won't say what you did and what Seth says above because of the hyperbole in public discourse and the need for some to pretend they are purer than Caesar's wife.
I think when a woman spends almost four years of her life (5 x 9 months) being a baby incubator, her decisions and behavior concerning her children are pertinent and subject to scrutiny. Stay-at-home Moms are often told that their organizational skills running a household are fair game for a job resumee.
Men are not baby incubators.
shoe
and who was it that wanted to impeach President Clinton for his lack of morals while in office? They like to say family should be off limits only when the spotlight is on them.
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