Posted on 01/09/2009 8:10:32 AM PST by lewisglad
In the final half hour of Thursday’s CBS Early Show, correspondent Bianca Solorzano reported on an increase in the teen pregnancy rate, using Bristol Palin as an example: "Teen pregnancy was on the RNC platform this year, literally, as Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was about to give birth. Jamie Lynne Spears made headlines at 16, not for her acting, but the grown-up, real-life role of becoming a teen mom. These famous faces front a growing problem." A graphic appeared on screen declaring: "Teen Pregnancy: The Growing Crisis."
Later, Solorzano explained: "After more than a decade of progress, experts fear we've been lulled into a false sense of security. And have stopped pouring resources into prevention." A clip of the movie ‘Juno’ was then played, after which Solorzano exclaimed: "And unlike the comedy 'Juno,' there's nothing funny about the nation's growing number of teenage mothers."
Here is the full transcript of the segment:
8:31AM SEGMENT:
RUSS MITCHELL: We're going to begin this half hour with a story about teen pregnancies on the rise. It is a reversal of recent trends. CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano has more.
[GRAPHIC ON SCREEN: 'Teen Pregnancy: The Growing Crisis']
BIANCA SOLORZANO: Teen pregnancy was on the RNC platform this year, literally, as Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was about to give birth. Jamie Lynne Spears made headlines at 16, not for her acting, but the grown-up, real-life role of becoming a teen mom. These famous faces front a growing problem. A new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows for the first time in almost 15 years, the number of teen birth rates is on the rise.
BILL ALBERT [NATIONAL TEEN PREGNANCY CAMPAIGN]: We've got a problem nationally, that we've got a problem in nearly every state, and that we have a problem among all racial and ethnic groups.
SOLORZANO: Teen births are up significantly in 26 states. Mississippi now leads the nation with the highest teen pregnancy rate. 68 births for every 1,000 teenage girls. New Mexico and Texas aren't far behind. In comparison, New Hampshire has the nation's lowest rate. 19 births for every 1,000 female teens. After more than a decade of progress, experts fear we've been lulled into a false sense of security. And have stopped pouring resources into prevention.
[CLIP OF MOVIE 'JUNO']
JENNIFER GARNER: Your parents are probably wondering where you are.
ELLEN PAGE: Nah, I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?
[END OF CLIP]
SOLORZANO: And unlike the comedy 'Juno,' there's nothing funny about the nation's growing number of teenage mothers. Bianca Solorzano, CBS News, New York.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
If it has turned upward again then blame it on the anything goes left who believe its fine to glamorize all the Hollyweirdos and their out of wedlock pregnancies.
It’s actually those who can’t get a joke that look foolish. In the future I will tag all attempts at humor with a joke alert.
As I have already said, my post was about the decision not to have already had a wedding — not the decisions leading to the pregnancy.
Thanks!
Speak for yourself. Some of us aren't hypocrites.
I disagree. It seems to me a case of "locking the barn door after the horses got out."
What does it matter WHEN they get married since she was already pregnant? At least this way, it can never be said, "They had to get married."
I think the fact that they are not "Public figures" but are constantly the source of public discussion says as much about our society as all the pregnant teenagers!
Why should teenagers be ashamed of their conduct when adults have no shame?
The “rise of teen pregnancy” is, to some extent, an indicator that more teens are choosing life over abortion. That's a slant on things that you won't soon be seeing in the MSM.
If you are betting on number three, you are a winner.
In any case, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/29/MNG108F47E1.DTL suggests that outside of "bride purchase", an ancient Yupik custom, they just live together for a while to see what happens.
Think of Sarah as having "gone native" and marrying an Eskimo ~ I think you'll be much happier with that thought than that she was some young gal from Bird in Hand whose family were "farming her out" to see how she handles kitchen chores first.
America is a big country with a vast array of traditions, particularly when it comes to marriage.
Out of wedlock births are the problem, not teenage births. There is a difference.
BINGO!
Though some would say that modern teens don’t seem to be mature enough to handle the responsibility of marriage.
BINGO again and to you both!
Ironic isn’t it that our party just writes this off without a second glance!
Sorry kids but if you can’t handle the responsibility of being married, you cannot handle the responsibility of being parents....
I think many opinions will change about Bristol when it comes time to start selling those pictures of Trip and then those from her wedding to Levi.
Would anyone dare wager with me that both will be actively marketed by the Palin’s? I’ll take on all bet’s!
I am not sure it is up to Sarah Palin whether her daughter marries or not. We can’t force marriage in this country.
I thought that to a conservative, the truth was not an “attack.”
I think it is a repudiation of conservative values that Bristol and her baby daddy have not gotten married yet. I think that is an irrefutable point. I made the point that Sarah and Todd did the decent thing. Her daughter does not feel the need to do it, apparently.
If Sarah ends up being the Republican nominee in 4 or 8 years, I’ll support her happily. But I am not foolish enough to pretend there aren’t warts.
Did you wait to have sex or have sex and get pregnant.
Once again we are not worthy of your perfecton.
In other cultures marriage is considered an intensely personal and private decision entered into by the bride and groom alone (SEE: Scotland, Medieval).
Then there's Alaska .........
The phrase “shotgun wedding” no longer implies that an actual shotgun was being held to the head of an unwilling groom. It simply means that a wedding was held because of an impending birth. That is what happened. But, the point on this thread is that Sarah and Todd cared enough about convention, and about legitimizing their son, that they did it. Bristol didn’t.
This isn’t about a decision to have sex, made in the heat of the moment, in the back seat of a car.
It is a decision made over months, in the cold light of day, not to have your child born in wedlock. That bothers me. Sorry if that offends you.
Both. I admit it with trepidation, however, because apparently, to you, that makes me an object of hatred.
I think winter is a special time in Alaska that pretty much inhibits travel and get-togethers, and this winter is a record breaker.
Still, that Johnston kid is getting married because he has no choice in the matter. In Alaska the women rule.
They should have gotten married before the campaign — as soon as they knew there was a baby — in my humble, traditional, conservative opinion.
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