Palin's Abstinence Only Education Pans Out

First of all, let me just say, this is not an attack on Bristol Palin. Poor girl has a whole host of problems to deal with now. As a new mom, I know it's no picnic to be waking up three, four times a night to feed a baby, get no sleep during the day as the little guy eats and poops, and have no time for day time naps. Being a mom means dropping all the other roles in your life, and being just MOM for a really long time. It's a tough job for anyone, especially a 17 year old girl whose mother has just stepped into the national spotlight on a presidential ticket. So my heart goes out to her. I wish her luck in raising a child as a teenage mom.



But next, WHAT THE HELL WAS SARAH PALIN THINKING??

Governor Palin supports abstinence-only sex-ed programs for Alaska schools. According to CNN:

In a 2006 Eagle Forum questionnaire, Palin indicated that she supported funding abstinence-until-marriage education programs instead of teaching sex-education programs.
"Explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support," Palin wrote in the conservative group’s questionnaire.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/01/palin-backed-abstinence-education/?eref=ib_politicalticker

Now, I may not be a conservative, but I agree that abstinence is the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs. However, in creating policies by which to govern a state and its people, including and especially its children, one has to be pragmatic about what can and will be effective in solving a problem. For example, a big problem in San Francisco is homelessness. But the city cannot mandate that in order for any person to live in San Francisco, they must have a job and find appropriate housing, in order to solve the problem of homelessness. Such a law does not effectively address the problem of homelessness, just as abstinence only sex-ed does not effectively address the problem of teen pregnancies. Teenagers of conservative parents and liberal parents alike, will have sex, regardless of their parents' views. The question is, how do parents and school administrators mitigate the repercussions of teens having sex before marriage. Teaching the responsible and proper use of contraceptives is the job of the school administrators and government, teaching the moral implications of pre-marital sex is the job of parents. In supporting abstinence only sex-ed for Alaska's students, Governor Palin has failed those young adults making the decision to have sex.

As a parent, Sarah Palin has failed to be attentive to her daughter's needs, and oblivious to her actions. I find it hard to believe that a mother of a pregnant teen, and a special needs infant would put her self-interests and her ego before the needs of her children.

GROW UP, SARAH PALIN. This is not a high scool popularity contest. Yes, you may have a better than 60% approval raing in Alaska, however, that's really not the point. As a member of the party of "family values" shouldn't you be putting your family first? As a member of the party of "family values" shouldn't you put your money where your mouth is? As a member of the party of "family values" shouldn't you practice what you preach?

Sarah Palin = Worst Veep pick. Ever.