Bristol Palin Proves It: Abstinence Education Is Unrealistic

Pajamas Media ^ | February 24, 2009 | Katherine Berry

[AJKauf]

When I, a parent of a 17-year-old daughter due to graduate from high school this May, originally read about Bristol Palin’s pregnancy during the presidential campaign, I shared the same sense of indignant outrage expressed by many upon hearing the news. Why on earth is a girl that age having sex, particularly when she was raised by a mother who staunchly supports abstinence-only education? Didn’t she listen?

Yes, I’ll admit my first reaction upon learning of a pregnant teenage girl is to think that it really should be that simple: telling one’s child “don’t have sex until you’re married” should be enough. Never mind the whole virginity pledge thing; explaining the risk of STDs, AIDs and teenage pregnancy should be sufficient rationale. And, just in case it isn’t, then the threat of an angry parent with “a 12-gauge double-aught buckshot” should be enough incentive for teens to “keep their britches on.” And yet, obviously, it isn’t. The Bristol Palins and Jamie Lynn Spears are proof enough that “just say no” doesn’t always sink in....

[WakeUpAndVote]

You mean BRISTOL WAS PREGNANT?

[the long march]

I really don’t understand your comment. Having a baby is giving an older child a “chance to slip up”?

[Troll_House_Cookies]

Well I never said she was responsible, what I said was that other people who vote consider things like this, and that they saw irony in the situation and that it hurt her credibility. I have nothing against Palin, I admire her resume, just don’t admire the irrational love fest she’s inspiring on here.

[the long march]

Good to know you are perfect and everything you do and touch is likewise perfect. Either you are not a parent or you have no clue as to what your children are really doing.

[Troll_House_Cookies]

HA! Touchette.

[HighlyOpinionated]

If there is one lesson that we, as parents, should learn from our children it’s that despite our best intentions, despite our instructions and admonishments, they aren’t always going to obey.

Kids screw up. That’s part of being kids. And a sad fact in today’s world is that, despite whatever we tell them, kids are also screwing around.

Telling a teenager that abstinence is the only acceptable approach denies the reality of the world they’re living in, just as it denies the reality of our own experience: children don’t always listen. The only thing that an abstinence-only approach gives us is the cold comfort of reminding ourselves we taught them better.

Abstinence IS the only way to insure that a person does not get an STD or a girl does not get pregnant. Hands down, no discussion.

That teens and young adults will not listen is true, but A LOT DO LISTEN and there's no way to know if YOURS will be in the group that listens or does what they want in the heat of the moment until afterward.

But because we can't be 100% sure that our child will listen to us is no reason not to keep on preaching abstinence.

As some here know, my own teen daughter got pregnant out of wedlock (father not in the picture) and decided that she wanted her son to be adopted/raised by a married couple. She reconnected with him last summer and he's getting married later this year. He's in the Army and has been to Iraq, is expecting to be sent to Afghanistan. She did the best thing for her son. He's a fine young man who looks and acts like a combination of my father, my brother, my son and my daughter's younger son. Nature beats out nurture. I was not and am not a 'bad' mother for stressing abstinence. My daughter could buy prophylactics just as easily as the boys.

So it's not a "prevention" of pregnancy issue. It's a SELF-CONTROL issue.

And the boys need to be taught by their fathers to Keep It Inside The Pants! Quit making this a 'girl' or 'female' issue. To do so is sexism at its worst. I want to see more advertisements with MEN/BOYS telling other men/boys that THEY have an obligation to be abstinent, too. Quit making "sex" as casual as a handshake. Make it something to "keep" for a committed/married relationship. [And that goes for 'gays' too.]

[McBuff]

Right. . .forget "just say no". . .instead just say "I surrender" It's true, that the "culture" is constantly promoting the idea as normal that kids should have sex early and often. . .but whose voice is that? It is the voice of the Left. . .the same voice that also inculcates the excuse that its not "realistic" to expect kids to not copulate like rabbits.

If someone points out that 70 - 80% of all violent crime are committed by individuals without fathers. . .its unrelated. . .in fact, something must be wrong with you for even bringing it up.

Here's the truth. It is in the political interest of the cultural Left to promote the sexual motive as the predominate basis of young men and women to relate. The Left actively seeks to DESTROY the family and especially the value system that holds the family together. Less family solidarity means a populace more prone to government dependency and loyalty to the State. There is a political motive to the destruction of moral values.

The Founder's understood that Freedom was a gift of God and that our rights were bequeathed to us by God. Our part of this sacred Covenant is to be a virtuous people. When we surrender to the idea that virtue is beyond the reach of youth and is no longer the expectation of parents. We are no longer free. . .because we will no longer understand our responsibility in the maintenance of Freedom.

Without virtue, the people willing surrender their freedom. . .and turn to the intoxication of false hopes.

[agrace]

Wow. Abstinence education is useless because most teens have sex anyway. (Never mind the 30% that chooses not to - abstinence education had no effect on them, of course. In fact, considering the counter-barrage teens get in the form of safe sex ed, free handouts, Planned Parenthood in schools etc, I’m amazed the abstinent percent is as high as it is.)

Using the author’s logic and examples, we shouldn’t bother to teach our kids to keep their hands out of the litter box, eat their vegetables, be honest, dress modestly, and not to drink, steal, cheat or have sex...because their very nature says they’ll probably do all that stuff anyway.

Silly me. I guess instead we should give our kids gloves for the litter box. Oh wait, we DO do that - they’re called condoms at that age.

[joejm65]

That makes no sense. McCain-Palin were winning before the bailout nonsense happened. Bristol was old news at that point. Sarah is one of the most popular politicians in the US today, and she’s still one of the most popular governors in the country. Her national political career doesn’t need to be salvaged. She’s only just begun...

[dmz]

Funny thing is that Science Fiction is really the only genre in this seculkar world that explores the nature of humanity
________

You absolutely need to do 2 things.

Get out more.
Read more.

[ari-freedom]

the cause isn’t going away just because of this. but the point is that Sarah won’t be taken seriously if she tries to say anything about this issue.

[WakeUpAndVote]

The irony of the moment the world found out that the person promoting abstinence had a pregnant daughter also must have gone right over a few people’s heads from what I read here on FR.

____________

The way that you word this does not pass the smell test.

SNIFF!

[goodnesswins]

Hear Hear!!!

[the long march]

“the quality or power of inspiring belief”...

I find her credible because of the job she has done as governor of Alaska not because she is a parent.

[SumProVita]

You might just be surprised. ;-)

[four more in O 4]

/Melancholy on

For the majority of the time America has been, Churches played a pivotal role in our lives and our outlook on life and the future. The sense of community and family kept the children in line, and the gift of faith in a power greater than ourselves helped us to tow that line of right verses wrong.

When I was in high school, it was an absolute scandal when a girl got pregnant, a lot of times the parents would whisk the girl off to a shelter for the gestation and eventual birth. The girl would come back to town and the family would have a new “niece” or “nephew”. Shame was a great motivator in how we conducted ourselves in respect to our standing in the community. There is no more shame, it has been usurped by so-called progress.

The waning morality of the culture took a nose dive with the courts decision of Roe-v-wade. As a result, it seems abstinence is no longer a chaste goal, and marriage is no longer the norm. That is the bigger issue, not abstinence, but a goal for a girl to offer her husband her most precious gift on their wedding night. No marriage, no gift.

It no longer matters and as a society, we have suffered a plight on our senses, dreams, morals and goals the likes of which the devil himself could not have orchestrated.

All in the name of “choice”.

/Melancholy off

[dmz]

but whose voice is that? It is the voice of the Left.

I beg to differ just a tad. It is the voice of the advertisers (read: capitalists). They want to sell product and sex sells.

Yes, the above is tongue in cheek. Sort of.

[dmz]

Never mind the 30% that chooses not to - abstinence education had no effect on them, of course
_________

You cannot demonstrate that the 30% are abstinent because of the abstinence education. Numerous factors go into that percentage.

[SoCalPol]

I see God’s chosen are stinking up FR. again.

They have children or grandchildren who never had sex before marriage or so they think or wish.

I wonder what they would think if they knew the background to some of their heroes.

[ari-freedom]

I the analogy should be like the warnings on drug labels: don’t swallow too many pills, it’s bad for you, but if you do, here’s how to deal with it: vomit, drink milk, etc.

Today, the attitude is either:
“it’s OK to swallow pills because you can always vomit afterwards. Swallowing pills is fun!”
OR
“if you swallow the pills, tough. You’re dead, idiot. MY kids never swallow pills.”