Bristol Palin Interview: Talks Motherhood, Mom, Shows Off Baby (VIDEO)

**UPDATED AT 7 a.m. with more video, including that of baby Tripp**

Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin whose pregnancy during the presidential campaign made headlines, taped an interview for Greta Van Susteren's "On The Record" on Monday night.

Both Bristol, appearing with her 2-month old baby Tripp for the first time, and her mother expressed skepticism about abstinence-only programs which her mother backed when running for governor in 2006.

When Van Susteren mentions abstinence in discussing Bristol's surprise pregnancy, Sarah Palin responded: "It sounds naive. Life happens."

Bristol also said that "everyone should be abstinent but it's not realistic... [sex] is more and more accepted among kids my age."

Bristol also warned about the dangers of teen pregnancy and said that she should have waited 10 years before having children.

"Of course I wish it would happen in like 10 years so I could have a job and education and my own house... But he brings so much joy. i don't regret it at all."

At the end of the interview, Sarah Palin gave a passionate speech against the fairness doctrine, which has been painted by conservatives as a prerogative of Democrats. She lauded a few members of the media whom she admires for asking tough questions - and all of whom happen to work for Fox News: Van Susteren, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck.

"Any attempt to squash these voices... that's a threat to our democracy."

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WATCH Bristol talk about her pregnancy:

WATCH Sarah Palin bring in baby Tripp:

WATCH Sarah talk about her opposition to the stimulus package and the fairness doctrine:

Comments

[Krankil]

What kind of credibility does Van Monster have when she's this close to the Palins. If she's not talking about the other hot chick in Aruba she's interviewing Palin.

To me it all seems scripted (maybe not but the questions all lead to an easy answer). Why is this news? is it perhaps because the young mom is hot and her mom might be the next republican nominee with Van Monster's help (never undreestimate the number of ignorants in the rethugs party) ?

Palin had to interject "government" into a "private" interview. Is that political? no! she's a very honest jesus loving woman, she wouldn't do that. And why family should support but government should be out of our lives? how about if the pregnant teenage doesn't have a rich governor mom? her dad in jail and her mom doesn't care? should we let her down to pay for her parents mistakes?? how hypocritical and selfish?

[TruthNreconciliation]

i know, that jumped out at me too... it's right up there with palin's policy that the $1100 forensic medical testing kits used for rape victims are no longer state funded in alaska... because the victim's insurance should pay for it, HELLO? unbelievable. low income women and children are disproportionately represented in the rape statistics as it is. so how many of them are going to fund the cash for the test... i thought maintenance of law and order was a core government role. please, libertarians, wrest that party back from the lunatic fringe conservatives!

[Vivuldi]

Teaching abstinence and preventive methods are not contradictory but rather complementary -- either or or is not enough.

[ediva75]

No diss but is it wrong for me to wish for this baby momma to go away??? I have no desire to watch this interview and I commend her for being realistic on things going on with young people. But U know what- someone who is getting help from her momma and is more financially blessed than the average teen mom in her shoes I really have no interest in hearing from. Her story is no different than other teen moms and having sex too early in life to get caught. Only diff is she is in a better financially blessed state than most!!

The wonderful hypocrisy of "Family Values" conservatives and Fixed News is that they will champion around the likes of Bristol yet at the same time raise a fit and complain about the money from the stimulus bill going towards STD treatment and education. Hannity the genius's reply to being repulsed on that aspect of the bill- DON'T HAVE SEX WITH STRANGERS (which he repeated for the umpteenth time on his show Mon night). Where the **** is the logic in that lack of understanding of educating on sex and STDs from the "Family Values" conservatives???

Can she just go ahead somewhere and just be a baby momma raising her son and planning some supposed wedding with Levi!! LOL N ow that is something that is interesting on if that will happen or not!!

[LoyalJane]

The uckiest thing about the interview was how Palin comes into her daughters interview as if anybody wants to hear her let alone see her. Seemed like she wanted to bring the baby into the interview and then steal the interview while Bristol was holding the baby. You could see the chops smacking on Gretas face as she anticipated ratings shooting up because Palin came on. Guess what? Once Palin did come into the conversation, I turned the channel.

[beenn15]

there's a funny thing about "common sense".

[lovbug]

this message of waiting to have babies should not be coming from a teenage mother parading her baby around. How about a positive role model such as a teenager that makes the right choices and don't have babies being the spokesperson -- this messenger would have more creditibility. dah!

[Ricey]

At least shes saying and trying to do the right things now unlike another mom in the news (Nadya Suleman). She can't help it if her mom happened to be Sarah Palin and her pregnancy became a story because of that. Nobody is holding her up as a role model, not even herself if you listened to the interview. I also believe her story, and others like her, can play a role in encouraging teens to be serious about contraceptives because she is a teen. Theres something about seeing someone how looks and talks like you to really hit home a message. I didnt have any problem with the Bristol part of the interview.

[LeftRight]

Actually, I don't really have a problem with her being a role model. Sometimes the best person for teaching others is one who's hand has been burned by the fire. I remember my old high school shop teacher who walked into class on day one with three fingers gone from his left hand. NO ONE ignored the safety rules!!

Her MOTHER, on the other hand, is a HORRIBLE role model!! ANYONE who has an unwed teenage daughter with a child of her own, who is STILL preaching the beauty of abstinence only education, needs to get away from my children! It's been shown time and time and time again that abstinence only sex ed FAILS at its basic premise, while comprehensive sex ed results in kids having sex later in life, fewer partners in life, and the likelihood of pregnancy and diseases decreases radically! And yet this woman, who's own daughter got pregnant because she didn't know or have access to the information she needed, STILL decides that she's not going to allow comprehensive sex ed for her own children!

[Judyisacutie]

So now we see the real Sarah Palin starting to emerge: a mother who has seen first-hand the naivete of anti-abstinence only education. I guess the right wing will have to replace her. You break the rules when you start to make sense on anything.

[Marina56]

Bristol seems to be a nice girl who is trying her best in her current situation. I feel sorry for her, growing up with and living under the shadow of such a completely narcissistic mother.

[redhead61]

Ironically she literally was in her mothers shadow in this interview...Her mother hovering in the background holding the baby...and then of course Greta brings her into the discussion ...it was hilariously ironic.. The woman will do ANYTHING to keep herself in the spotlight of her 'fan(atic)s'.

[Alessan]

Someone wrote here, why are the post so nasty. Well maybe it's because it 's not that unusual these days for young unmarried women to get pregnant and have children out of wedlock. Ms. :Palin is just another horny young women who couldn't wait to have sex. Like who really cares, there are a thousand stories just like this one.

[Ricey]

Like a hangover from generations of puritanical fanaticism, theres a belief that still exists in our collective subconscious that suggests our biology is evil/sinful and we should fight it. The statement horny young woman who couldn't wait to have sex is evidence of that. Sexual drive is natural and like Bristol herself pointed out, abstinence unrealistic.

[elfpix]

Actually she's just another young woman whose biological script is in tune with an earlier age when women died in childbirth by 18.

And also she's another young woman who couldn't handle that impulse well enough to get a contraceptive. If you think she didn't know about them, think again.

Waiting to have sex is a ridiculous concept at that age. There were, once upon a long time ago, perfectly good biological reasons for girls that age to be having babies. Even now, the amount of energy it takes to mother an infant every three years belongs to humans in that age range.

Get real.

[DarwinAtWork]

When's the shotgun wedding?

[beenn15]

there won't be a wedding. Experienced professionals can't find jobs let along a 17 yr old straight out of high school. Their parents would be extremely irresponsible to let them tie the knot. Then again, common sense doesn't exit among some of those conservatives.

[shella2177]

Some of these posts are just mean. Birth control is not 100% effective-and she is dealing w/ her choices. I do not understand the venom agianst the Palin family. How will their ever be civil discourse amongst the two parties when you all pigeon hole people the way that you do. It is very sad.
She is a young mother trying to sort it out-we should be happy she has the support-a healthy child and a supportive mother.
Not spewing crude remarks.
Some, a lot of people don't agree with abortion it doesn't mean they should be torn apart.
Now should Greta for doing a story.
It is just too silly at a time when, again, civil conversation is needed.
Not the standard one-liners about the right.

[lovbug]

easy for you to say. old enough to have sex then she should deal with it and stop already. who cares.

[tonewheel]

You have to look at the bigger picture involved here, specifically. It's the right wing hypocrisy that has raised the comments on this issue, not simply some 17 year old who got pregnant.

[Scooter60660]

Fox News would NEVER had such an understanding interview If this was an Obama daughter. Fox News makes teenage pregnancy a romantic thing while giving Palin another fifeteen minutes? Where were these voices asking tough questions when Bush was in office?

[Pie7]

Agreed, but we can be different and leave the venom to the Fox News community.

[shella2177]

let the ratings speak for themselves. Most people want accurate news.

[shella2177]

as w/ talk radio. progressive talk needs tax subsidy right talk has enough viewers to garnish advertisers.

[llmitchellb]

So Sarah thinks it's ok for Bristol to get pregnant becasue she has a strong family to help with the baby. If you don't have that support system, then the government can't help you take care of your baby.
WHAT? Let me get this straight. If Bristol got pregnant and didn't have a large family, to hell with her and that baby?
And don't get me started on how Sarah hijacked that interview because she was "down at the river and just wanted to stop by." Liar. God, more and more reasons to hate Sarah.

[Lilybart]

Mom threw her out of the house when the news broke. She went to live with relatives. She was right to be scared to tell them about the pregnancy.

The whole issue here is realism about teens and sex. Tell them it's better to wait and talk about the emotional ramifications etc. Discuss the possible child's life and how unfair it would be to another human being to start life as an accident to a teen mother. Maybe thinking about the quality of life of a child will get them to use birth control.

[bloggolb]

She speaks in more complete sentences than her mother!

[bloggolb]

She talks better than her mother!