Reuters reported today that Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant (btw, this means that baby Trig is not her secret child), will keep her child and plans to marry the father. Said the Palins:
“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.”
Contrast this loving acceptance of unexpected life to Barack Obama’s statements earlier this year:
I’ve got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.
along with Sarah and Todd Palin enthusiastically embracing the life of their fifth child despite a positive prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome to Jill Stanek’s description of Obama being “unmoved” when she testified about her experience cradling a newborn child with Down syndrome until he died after he survived an abortion. Wesley Smith is right:
I think McCain/Palin versus Obama/Biden vividly reflects the cultural divisions that are tearing our society apart more starkly than any election in my memory.
A little humor, from ScrappleFace: Obama Begs Palin: Don’t Punish Bristol with a Baby
Among conservatives, I don’t see this hurting McCain at all – esp. not since Dick Cheney’s lesbian daughter didn’t make an impact on their vote in 2000. In fact, as Evangelical leader Dr. Richard Land put it, “this is the pro-life choice.” And as such, it may be more of a plus than a minus, again, among conservatives.
At any rate, God bless Bristol Palin for choosing life under these less than ideal circumstances and I pray that her coming marriage will be a strong one and last a lifetime. I’m also praying that the rest of the Palin children will make better choices when it comes to pre-marital sexual activity.
2 Comments on “Reflecting Society’s Cultural Divisions”
God bless them for living out their commitment to life even in challenging circumstances. That is inspiring, and a great witness! And, Sarah and Todd Palin were high school sweethearts and by all appearances have a happy marriage — a great role model for the young couple.
But what possessed Sarah Palin to say YES to McCain, under these circumstances?? “She knows she has our unconditional love and support” — well blah, blah, blah, but Mommy’s going to do everything in her power to be able to move 4000 miles away from you, right around your due date (inauguration is January 20, Bristol is about 5 months on?), so you’re on your own with that, and planning your wedding, and golly honey, don’t slack off on your senior year of high school!”
Are Bristol and Levi supposed to set up housekeeping independently when Mommy goes to Washington? Is she supposed to drop out of high school, or try to finish the two semesters in one so she’ll be done by the time the baby comes? I don’t feel qualified to comment on the special needs of Sarah & Todd’s infant with Downs Syndrome, but I WAS a teenager in crisis once (not pregnant, by the grace of God, not because I behaved myself). I am sure that I would now be dead or worse, if my parents had blown me off for some ambition of their own. My mother was my ROCK, and she saved my life and my soul and my sanity.
Country first! sounds great, but in my book, responsibility starts at home. She is a parent first, a politician second. John Edwards at least hesitated when his wife’s cancer recurred, and let her make the ultimate decision about whether he should run or not. Bristol didn’t have a say — she thought they were going to Ohio to celebrate her parents’ anniversary. Thank God she’ll still have grandparents in AK.
Would conservatives be rejoicing if a 17 year old urban woman was having her child out of wedlock? Or would that be counted as just a statistic? Would they be willing to help with government funds for prenatal, neonatal,and ongoing health care for the mother and child? Does the right to life end with birth?
Does Palin’s concern for the sacredness of life extend to the lives of Muslim children? Or endangered species -frequently indicator species for how all humans will fare?
Did Palin show just unbelievably poor judgement when her water broke and she continued to give a speech, get on an 11 hour flight, drive 45 minutes away from Anchorage -or was she hoping for something much darker to happen? Labor & delivery on an airplane for an at-risk child?
And after leaving her premature child with Downs Syndrome to go back to work as governor after only three days – might we say Palin’s motto ought to be: Special interests over special needs.