In an act of coarse opportunism CNN used young Bristol Palin’s situation as an opportunity to beat the drum for sex-education. Bill Bennett, on their political panel, did not sit idly by. No, he chastised CNN on air for dragging the young lady into the discussion and using her as a discussion point for their perennial advocacy of sex education and their equally enduring disdain for abstinence.
Bill Bennett rightly agrees that the debate of sex education is a legitimate one, but in no way should this young woman be exploited to advocate for a position in this debate.
Watch the clip here.
Lastly, the idea that one young girl who gets pregnant invalidates the concept of abstinence education simply because her mother advocates for it is patently absurd. Someone should remind CNN that the plural of anecdote is not data.
September 2, 2008 at 6:33 am
Someone needs to point out that those that use contraception still get pregnant as well.
September 2, 2008 at 2:04 pm
It would seem that the Democrats and their ilk have no problem with teenagers having sex, just so long as they don’t have a baby in the process.
September 2, 2008 at 3:46 pm
This whole story is sickening. What business is it of the media to delve into this young girl’s personal life.
Predators! They are acting without conscience.
September 2, 2008 at 4:32 pm
When is the wedding? We Catholics should read the Bible instead listing to CNN and Fox News.
September 2, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Although I am not a parent, I was a child once, and I have siblings, and I have friends that are parents and have siblings, so I’m going out on a limb and offer anecdotal evidence for the following statment…
You can lead a horse to water, but can’t make them drink. Young Ms. Palin is a sentient being. She has free will.
She made a “choice” not to follow her Mom’s advice, which was abstinence before marriage. This does not automatically invalidate the validity of abstienence before marriage.
It only shows that young Ms. Palin is mortal, and like all of us a poor sinner.
I speak for myself, when I was in my teens I thought I knew more/was smarter than my parents, and I was invincible (I think that can be categorized by the sin of pride).
There are many times I look back at my life and say …”Gawd, I wish I had listened to my parents” but I didn’t, and now I have to pay the Piper.
September 3, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Lets also keep in mind that Bristol got pregnant by her HIGHSCHOOL sweetheart. Even though the rumor is going around I am not finding a credible reference that Palin homeschools or ever did though she seem like the type to support it. Even so, it would seem that Bristol, at the least has spent some time in PUBLIC SCHOOL. In Alaska, sex ed is mandatory from grade 8 and some districts start as early as grade 5. There is no reason to not believe that Bristol was not heavily influenced by public school propaganda in this regard. In any event, to the extent that Palin advocated abstinence to her daughter, she obviously choose to not listen in this instance.
Blaming this pregnancy on abstinence education both stupid and dishonest.
September 6, 2008 at 11:23 am
Bill Bennett is not a very bright individual. Bristol got pregnant because she did not use birth control. Condoms prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Use your heads. The Catholic Church is always wrong and behind the times. Think what it did to Galileo. Look at all the Popes who had sex (even incest). C’mon!