Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Baby Mama no more
Bristol wishes she had waitedNEW YORK (AP) — Unwed mother Bristol Palin said Wednesday that abstinence is a realistic way for teens to avoid unwanted pregnancy — a view not shared by the father of her infant son.
Palin, the 18-year old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she wishes she'd waited to have sex.
Bristol Palin was in New York Wednesday to help promote National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day.
In the interview, Palin said abstinence is the safest and best choice for teens.
"Regardless of what I did personally, I just think that abstinence is the only way you can effectively, 100 percent foolproof way you can prevent pregnancy," she said.
Palin's comments are a turnaround from what she told Fox News in February, that teens should avoid sex, but abstinence is "not realistic at all."
Levi Johnston, Palin's former fiance and the father of her 4-month old baby, Tripp, echoed that earlier view, saying Wednesday abstinence is "not realistic" for young people. He said sexually active teens need to learn about contraception as well.
Bristol is correct, & she's not talking religion. To which I'll add that there's lots of groovy things teens can do on the spacious seat of a pickup truck without actually, you know, doing it. Of course, boys vote for the full poke, & girls have to deal with that as dispassionately as possible. The more a teenage girl believes in her future, the less inclined she is to become a baby mama. It's a truism to say boys' brains are in their penises. Abstinence is just not a trustworthy focus for sex education. Good teen sex education has to admit the possibility of pleasure without pregnancy. Teachers & parents have to concede that sex is fun & feels good & is therefore an almost irresistably attractive thing for teenagers. Saying Jesus loathes it gives it additional allure, like stopping off on the way home from school for two double bacon cheeseburgers, a pound of fries, & a 64 oz medium soda. Then, like with teen sex in families like the Palins, they have to pretend it didn't happen although the swelling belly & changes of appetite in both instances say otherwise. We've all concluded that Bristol is smarter & more sensible than her mom, & that Levi, while not reprehensible, is a bit of dork, hardly unusual for a guy his age.
One of the most amusing moments in last year's campaign was the Palin family photo the Repugs released. All around the interwebs we were asking, "Are you guessing what I'm guessing about Bristol's tummy?" & one of the scariest moments was the photo of a mom with five children, one preggies & one newly born with special needs, practically drooling (along with her fanatical devotees) over the idea of the late President John McCain stretched out in a casket in the Capitol Rotunda.
Bristol could endorse Barack Obama in 2012. In her heart, I think she did in 2008. She knows she has an understanding friend in the White House.
