16 Weeks—A Palin I can agree with

I‘m a democrat, a solid democrat at that. I voted for President Obama, I even sported an Obama 08’ sticker on the back of my Honda. Although I can find humor in the SNL skits and even DVR’d Oprah when she was a guest, I’m not a fan of Sarah Palin. But today I saw the PSA with Bristol Palin about teen pregnancy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW1jT4u-624.

I thought it gave the right message. There was no “abstinence is the only way” or abortion messages, it was simply stating to “think”.

I think adults have tendency to talk down to teenagers about sex. The facts are that teenagers know what sex is, and they are probably having it. What they don’t know, or perhaps don’t think about, are the responsibilities and consequences that come with sex. This PSA attempts to do this.

There’s a show on tv called “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” Have you seen it? It should be called “The Sex Filled Life of the American Teenager.” It’s an over-the-top reflection of teen sex today. The whole lives of the 5 or so teens involved is consumed with sex, and the lead role had a baby at 15 or 16. Even the parents are having sex and getting pregnant.

I’ve only watched a couple of episodes, but it seems to glamorize teen pregnancy. I think the baby had about 5 minutes of screen time an episode. For those of us that have babies, we know that in “real life” the baby takes center stage. The teen mom is well dressed and has washed hair, the teen dad can somehow afford his own apartment, and neither one ever seem to have homework.

I have to give kudos to Bristol Palin for her honesty. She is lucky to have a supportive family both with their time and money. She will get to finish her education and eventually have a career. Most teens don’t have the resources that she does and she’s honest about it.