sorry, obama, but bristol palin is fair game
I'm not trying to turn this blog into anti-Palin all the time, but Sarah Palin is so infuriating that I can't help but vent. Today, let's discuss the hypocrisy of her teenage daughter's pregnancy, shall we?
I know Obama recently said that Palin's family life is not a fair topic for discussion (and Republicans recently lambasted the media, saying that these sort of matters are private), but considering Palin's political views, Bristol Palin's pregnancy is fair game. Why?
Well, for one, the woman is anti-choice. And yes, that means choosing to carry your child to term as well as choosing not to. Lucky for Bristol that she had a choice. If McCain and her mom get elected, others in her situation will be forced to let the government make that choice for them.
Secondly, the woman opposes the use of contraception. Clearly, whatever Bristol used didn't work (or worse, she probably didn't use any).
Palin, being staunchly anti-choice, believes abstinence outside of marriage is an absolute and attainable goal. Clearly, it was not a choice that her daughter felt she was capable of. Perhaps there are others that are not fans of abstinence.
Moreover, Palin does not approve of sex education, whether it's abstinence only or comprehensive. So, I'm assuming she taught her kids about sex then. Perhaps she forgot to tell her daughter about the part where sex sometimes leads to babies. She was probably too busy going on and on about abstinence and how great it is.
Legislatively, Palin is not a fan of teen mothers, using a line item veto to cut funding for programs for teen mothers. I suppose Bristol doesn't want in? Sadly, not all teen mothers have the support of her family in raising a new family. But Palin only cares about her own, naturally.
And quite possibly, the most hypocritical thing about this whole situation is that it's considered a private matter, not a political one. So, lay off, media! Stop being mean to the GOP's incredibly underqualified VP candidate! Oh and stop digging up all that dirt that makes her unqualified/hypocritical/unethical/look downright bad.
You know what, Palin? Yes, an unexpected pregnancy is a private matter. Clearly, government should have no say in what you and your daughter choose to do with the pregnancy. Yet you are against a woman's choice, advocating for our government to have a say in such pregnancies? So what is it? Is pregnancy private or political? Palin, you can't have it both ways.
Speaking of hypocrites, has anyone else noticed how the evangelicals are all rushing to Bristol Palin's defense, praising her for doing that 'right thing' and keeping the baby and marrying the father (yup, b/c a forced marriage at 17 is always the smart thing to do)? Apparently they forgot all that ABSTINENCE ONLY sh*t they spout and how sex outside of marriage is a sin.
I suppose it's no longer a sin when your mom is running for VP.
13 comments:
Love you :-) running out of this post............I didn't know she was opposed to contraceptive.
Thanks for this post -- articulates clearly the sputtering anger I've been feeling since the weekend.
Haha! I love that we both wrote about this today. I've been fired up over for DAYS, so I finally wrote my post, logged into my google reader and laughed out loud when I found your post.
I've got to say - RIGHT ON! As usual, I agree with you 100%.
I almost wrote a whole other paragraph about Bristol's "forced" marriage because HELLO! It's obvious that girl doesn't have any sort of choice....
You're awesome!
I have to say this - my parents raised me the same way Palin raised her kids - did it work? - to an extent on me - I was a virgin till I got to college. Kids will do what they want, no matter how the way your parents raise you. One of my really good Mormon friends in high school - went out of screwed half the school - totally ignored the rules of the church and her parents.
Was Bristol forced to marry him? Or is it her choice? It is what it is.
to clarify so I don't come off bitchy both you and Terra make an intelligent argument though.
Ya know agree to disagree
Love - your republican friend
zip: yup. condoms = evil, according to palin.
wordnerd: this post has been forming in my head for days while i've been traveling. feel free to spread the word!
terra: i saw yours in my reader (coincidentally) and i nearly squealed in my office. they say great minds think alike.
i wonder if the marriage is truly bristol's idea.
zip2: precisely my point tho. kids are going to do what they want. wouldn't it be best to arm them with the information in order for them to make an informed choice? maybe bristol would've used a condom had she received comprehensive sex ed. instead of abstinence-only sex ed.
"Speaking of hypocrites, has anyone else noticed how the evangelicals are all rushing to Bristol Palin's defense, praising her for doing that 'right thing' and keeping the baby and marrying the father (yup, b/c a forced marriage at 17 is always the smart thing to do)? Apparently they forgot all that ABSTINENCE ONLY sh*t they spout and how sex outside of marriage is a sin."
Well, there's this thing in Christianity about forgiveness of sins, which is why it's named after Jesus Christ and not Fred Phelps. I used to be an evangelical (I'm now sort of a lazy Catholic), and in every instance of teen pregnancy I saw when I was, unmarried pregnant girls were treated with compassion and respect.
Hi, I found you through Terra's blog. I like your points and look forward to reading more. I've got a social justice blog you may want to check out too. Thanks!
juliet: thank you for your perspective. i'm a 'lazy catholic' myself. i firmly believe in the separation of church and state. therefore, i give you the following:
"If you look at the last 30 years, as a culture we have removed any form of being judgmental about out-of-wedlock pregnancy, as well as a host of other things," said Gary L. Bauer, the president of the Family Research Council, a social policy research organization in Washington. "While at first glance that may seem to be kind, the fact is that when a society has increasing rates of illegitimacy, it is headed for the rocks of decline."[emphasis mine]
What does Gary Bauer say now about Bristol Palin's pregnancy?
“Bristol Palin and her family understand that a new life has been created,” said Bauer. “The commitment to bring that life into the world is a testament to their pro-life philosophy. I commend them for the example they are setting for other women in crisis pregnancies.”
Bauer's first quote: judgment
Bauer's second quote: forgiveness
Sorry, evangelicals, but you can't have it both ways.
Generation Next: thanks for the compliment. i'll have to check your blog out!
My response to that would be similar to Jesus' response to the adulterous woman in John 8, whom he saves from stoning and then tells to go and sin no more--he recognizes that she has sinned but forgives her. Judgment and forgiveness are not incompatible. I concede this belief is lived out VERY imperfectly in a lot of evangelical churches, but I think you're being overly reductionist in your interpretation of evangelical doctrine in order to make the most of an apparent hypocrisy. Also, I think there's a difference between being critical of a social trend and responding in a humane and constructive manner to a specific situation.
And, finally, no matter how inconsistent Gary Bauer is, he's one guy and he doesn't speak for the whole evangelical community. Evangelicalism by its very nature is fairly non-hierarchical; if you're looking for a pope of evangelicalism you're not going to find one. (This came up with the Ted Haggard thing too; a lot of outsiders assumed because he was president of some kind of club of evangelical churches that he represented evangelicals in general, when in fact I'd never heard of him and neither had a lot of my friends who were still evangelicals. Or if they had, in a very tangential way.)
juliet: i think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. the bible also says (in the Book of Matthew, I believe) that you should 'judge not lest you be judged' yet it seems that many evangelicals do just that. i don't feel that judgment and forgiveness go together. who are they to judge a girl's actions? the only one bristol palin has to answer to is God.
also, i could quote many others who feel just as bauer does about teen pregnancy yet have totally turned around for bristol palin.
moreover, forgiveness would suggest that they have admitted that bristol committed said sin and she's sorry. but everyone seems to have overlooked that 'sin' (BTW, i don't feel that sex before marriage is wrong altho i was taught otherwise) and have skipped straight to acceptance and rationalization to fit their political agenda.
We will indeed have to agree to disagree. I don't think if we continued this debate that we'd get anywhere. I hope (sincerely) that you have a lovely weekend.
juliet: it was nice debatin' with ya. i bear no ill will and i respect you for your opinions even if i don't agree. i hope you had a nice weekend too!
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