This is really sad. Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. McCain's choice for his running mate, announced today that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is five months pregnant. Bristol, a high school senior, will marry the baby's father, they said also.
To paraphrase Barack Obama in his acceptance speech last week - we may disagree on lots of issues related to reproductive rights, but can we at least agree that a child having another child is never a good thing? Bristol Palin is fortunate to have an apparently loving, supportive family with her in this life-changing situation. She's also more fortunate than many teens who get pregnant because of her family's affluence. But her young pregnancy and marriage will still dramatically alter thte course of her life, the child's life and the life of the baby's father.
I've always believed that a candidate's children (especiaaly minors) should be off-limits, and that a child's actions don't necessarily reflect on the quality of their parenting. But it's not cheap-shotting to point out that Gov. Palin is herself militantly anti-choice and strongly supports abstinence-only sex education in public schools. I can't help but wonder how differently Bristol's life might look right now if her mother had tempered her idealism with a shot of reality -- teens who want to have sex will have sex, and they'd better know how to protect themselves.
Much has been made over Gov. Palin's strong Christian faith, as if that is the sole basis for her conservatism. Well, I'm a Christian, too. My Bible tells me not to judge the actions of other people, that that's God's job. My Bible also tells me to see to my own house before I start telling others how to live their lives.
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