Sarah Palin: She Has Chosen to Exploit Her Own Daughter's Pregnancy!

Is Sarah Palin ready to take the mantle of worst mother of the year from Lynne Spears? Has Todd Palin wrestled the title of worst father from Billy Ray Cyrus?

Sarah Palin may be running for Vice President but is she any different from the woman who sold the story of her daughter Jamie Lynn's pregnancy to a magazine for $1 million, or from the father that allowed 15-year-old Miley Cyrus to be photographed semi-nude for Vanity Fair supposedly to further her career?

Despite her supposed "Family Values" credentials, she and her husband Todd are being just as exploitative of her teenage daughter, Bristol, as any of these celebrity parents have been. Actually, even more so.

Like Elizabeth and John Edwards, they knew they had a ticking time bomb of a family secret, that they were hiding from the public, when they stepped into the limelight of the Presidential race. But the Edwards were adults and were aware or should have been, that the primary public fallout of their decision not to reveal John Edwards' affair would fall on themselves. They would bear the shame of their decision to deceive the American public about their family crisis. Their children would be off limits.

Not so in the case of the Palins. They took center stage with the full knowledge that their 17-year-old's five-months-along pregnancy was about to become front page news around the world. Bristol Palin hasn't been the star of a major kids TV show like Jamie Lynn or Miley Cyrus. She has not chosen a life of celebrity. But now, thanks to her mother's decision to accept the Republican Vice Presidential candidacy, her private life — her sex life — is as exposed as if she had long been a cover regular on Star or US Weekly.

She has unwittingly and literally become the poster child for her mother's anti-choice and abstinence-only education policies.

Having been the editor-in-chief of teen magazine YM for five years, and now as the mother of a 17-year-old girl myself, there are a few things I know. Seventeen year-old girls are not yet adults, they are highly emotional human beings who are still trying to find their own identities and to establish self-confidence. They are easily embarrassed, they care tremendously what their friends think, and their relationships with guys are always on a dramatic rollercoaster. They are not ready to get married, raise babies or to deal with public embarrassment and humiliation. Haven't endless teen movies and TV shows from "Sixteen Candles" to "Gossip Girl" all dealt with these issues of lack of confidence, fear of embarrassment and befuddlement with dealing with the opposite sex?

No wonder getting pregnant in high school is truly a girl's worst nightmare, points out Atoosa Rubenstein, the founding editor-in-chief of CosmoGIRL! magazine, and later the editor of Seventeen magazine. Bristol Palin should have "the protection of her mother right now and not be paraded around as a platform. She should have had the privacy to make her own difficult choices and now she has to support her mother's ambitions and policies regardless of what she wants for herself — she's been thrown under a bus," believes Rubenstein.

"She probably feels powerless right now," points out Gloria Feldt, who is the author of Behind Every Choice is a Story, and is the former president of Planned Parenthood of America. "Because of her family's attitude she probably doesn't feel that she has a choice, in terms of what will happen to her and her mother is weaving a narrative that it's a heroic thing of course that she is going forward with the pregnancy, she's getting married and it will all be beautiful and rosy."

But Bristol Palin isn't a policy poster child, or a celebrity, she's a real live 17-year-old trying to cover her growing bump with a baggy sweatshirt or by holding her 4 month-old baby brother as a shield. She's now planning, according to her mom's statement, to marry and spend her life with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Levi Johnston, a guy who uses the "f" word as his major descriptive adjective on his MySpace page. He also until yesterday described himself as someone who "likes to hang out with the boys...and just f---in chillin," and who doesn't want kids on that same page, until it was yanked off of public view.

What kind of parents today — this is 2008 — want to doom their daughter to a "shotgun" marriage with a guy who doesn't want kids? It's going to be tough enough for Bristol to finish high school, let alone go on to college and realize any ambitions of her own, without being trapped in a marriage that neither young person is probably ready for. And if self-described "redneck" Levi isn't happy about being pushed into parenthood and marriage, you can "f---in" expect he'll make sure that Bristol knows about it.

"Girls pick the wrong college for themselves all the time. How can they pick the right husband for themselves at 17?" points out Rubenstein.

I bet that poor Bristol Palin probably doesn't feel like she has the right to object to anything her mother and father are doing or saying right now. Like most teenage girls she is probably insecure and is blaming herself for her own predicament.

Blaming herself for not being abstinent and instead being one of the 60% of American high school seniors who are sexually active. Blaming herself for getting pregnant like 3 out of 10 American teen girls do each year. And now blaming herself for possibly derailing her mother's vice-presidential ambitions because of that pregnancy. There's no way that she's not going to do what her parents want, in order to bolster her mother's image, even if that means supporting her mother's platform and getting married at 17.

And just imagine if John McCain and Sarah Palin are elected to two terms in office. Bristol's every move as a teen mom will be under scrutiny — Britney-style. Her marriage to Levi Johnston, will HAVE TO WORK or her parents' image will be tarnished. Talk about pressure, Bristol.

Sarah Palin also needs to ponder this: if she succeeds in "normalizing" her daughter's pregnancy, making it almost seem sort of glamorous, will other teen girls look at this and say what is the problem with having a baby? asks Sarah Brown, the CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies.

In that case, Palin's exploitation of her daughter hasn't just hurt Bristol's own young life, she'll hurt countless others.

Watch Bonnie Fuller discuss her blog post on CNN Headline News' Showbiz Tonight, September 3:

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin

Follow Bonnie Fuller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bonniefuller

Comments

[Windowgal]

OMG. Bonnie Fuller, I believe you and I are kindred spirits! I have said these exact words a thousand times in the past month and even wrote a letter to our local newspaper's editor. Ever since it was published, I have been public enemy number one in this town. Nice to know that I am not the only person with these opinions!!! Thank You!

[Speech]

What I gather from all the previous posts is: A young woman will only get pregnant if her mother is a bad parent. Is that correct? That's like saying all prisoners are a a product of bad parents. That's so untrue. There are plenty of pregnant girls who have caring and attentive parents who are shocked non-the-less when when they hear the words that most of us have experienced or will experience: "Mom, Dad...I've got something to tell you." Would all of you have felt better if Bristol's parent had ushered her through the darkness to have the a physician shove scissors into the cranium to extract the brain matter out of the baby so the young lady wouldn't have to deal with it? Didn't hear anyone screaming about what a poor mother Hillary Clinton was as she toured the world for 8 yrs as her daughter grew up.
I can understand perfectly why she went public. There were bloggers making up lies as to the who the real mother of newest addition to the Palin family. And even when the pregnancy of Bristol was acknowledged...the same bloggers went on to insist that DNA testing be conducted to rule out that Bristol was not impregnated by her own father. The public has gone insane over this situation.
I

[AProudRepublican]

These kinds of articles do not help Bristol's situation.... As Obama said, the kids should be off-limits. We should not be speculating - we should just leave their situations alone! Continuing to give their stories attention only makes things worse for them!

[MagisterLudi]

Sen. Barack Obama said firmly that families are off-limits in the campaign for president, reacting to news that GOP running mate Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant."Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics.

[wendoxia]

yes, bonnie fuller, thank you for expressing my rage. the fact that this woman has been pushed in our face as a poster child for responsible motherhood is appalling. i'm praying for further family secrets that will derail her, her hypocritical values, and utter incompetance. and i so feel for this daughter..actually i feel for all her children.

[xpressive1515]

Is your message this?! "I feel for this daughter.... so, I am praying that her mother's career will be derailed and she will be exposed as an utterly incompetant hypocritical fool." And that would help the daughter HOW?

[FreeExpression]

If you are Gov. Palin's daughter and become pregnant at 17 by someone who is 18; it is a personal, family matter.

If you are 18 or older and have sex with a minor (17 or younger) and you are NOT related to Gov. Palin, you are considered a felon by Alaska's laws because I believe in Alaska there is a Statutory Rape law on the books that says that if an 18yr old has sex with a 17yr old it is a felony.

Gee, does this mean some convicted felons in Alaska serving time for Statutory Rape can petition for a pardon? Yikes, that's scary. Way to go Gov. Palin; career first, daughter is "collateral damage"!!!

[misseal]

"..... I believe in Alaska there is a Statutory Rape law on the books that says that if an 18yr old has sex with a 17yr old it is a felony."

The age of consent in Alaska:
**The age of consent in Alaska is 16. This is the age at which an individual may consent to have sex with someone over 18, legally, in Alaska.**
http://blog.laborlawtalk.com/2006/11/07/alaska-age-of-consent-laws/

They were both 17 when she became pregnant.

[pinefarmerva]

I meant to say "what she is not getting at home.....love and attention" Please forgive the typo. I wish there was an edit option here when we post.

[realwoman39]

Maybe if teenage girls aren't ready to be a mother and they are on an emotional roller coaster all the time they should NOT be having sex yet. I am teaching my children to respect their bodies and respect themselves....not just do it because that's what everyone else is doing. I am also teaching them about STD's,pregnancyand responsibility. Condoms are only 60% effective in protecting them for stds, that a std can affect later fertility, and that a person with an std often does not know he/she is infected. I believe every parent should discuss the good, bad, and ugly but it seems to me as if too much emphasis is placed on the good and not enough on the ugly. Abstinence at least until they are mature enough to really know what they want from a partner is not silly.....It should be part of the discussion and not one to be ridiculed.

[RedDogBear]

"Condoms are only 60% effective in protecting them for stds" do you have a reference to back this up? From what I've read condoms, if used correctly, are much more effective than that, more like 99%.
Also, no one is ridiculing abstinence. No one is saying it shouldn't be a part of sex ed What they are ridiculing is the idea that ONLY teaching abstinence is an effective way to prevent girls and young women from unwanted pregnancy and STD. Sarah Palin's daughter is proof of that.

[TaylorAnn]

A Lesson In The Value Of Hypocrisy
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When Palin eloped, she was already pregnant. In her acceptance speech, Palin mentioned her 19-year-old son, Track, then said that she had been married to her husband for "2 decades." A little searching, and sure enough, "elope" is code for shotgun marriage.
I respect Palin for deciding to marry, but I don't want Palin, or her daughter, parading before my daughters as role models.
Yes, Palin has done well despite her pregnancy. However, she was 24-years-old, and a college grad. Where does the Christian Right position themselves on premarital sex?
And, we all know the story of McCain and his adulterous affair with his current wife, Cindy.
Christian Right, read the book of Judges - “a disobedient and idolatrous people are defeated”. Furthermore, disobedience results in corruption from within: in his acceptance speech, McCain concedes that the Republican Party and the current administration, like Israel of old, are corrupt.
In the documentary, McCain Revealed, McCain said that he didn’t care what the Nation wanted or thought was right - that theme is repeated throughout McCain and Palin speeches.
People, we are in the day of Judges 21:25, “In those days [days of rebellion and idolatry] there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

[leelee3]

http://jezebel.com/5044017/sarah-palin-rumors-some-people-are-taking-the-low-road

finally ^^ someone with common sense

[leelee3]

"And just imagine if John McCain and Sarah Palin are elected to two terms in office. Bristol's every move as a teen mom will be under scrutiny — Britney-style. Her marriage to Levi Johnston, will HAVE TO WORK or her parents' image will be tarnished. Talk about pressure, Bristol."

So, the Obama children won't be subjected to the same thing? They can run around DC, drunk, having babies, and robbing banks and no one will notice? If they mess up or have a failed marriage, this won't take a toll on their father's image?

Enough with the double standards and lack of logic.

[leelee3]

And then the lady goes into criticizing Palin for not giving her daughter the option of abortion? And saying that she is keeping her daughter from being a normal teen by not allowing her to have sex and get pregnant? The author says that normal teens are allowed to have sex, saying 60% of them are sexually active and 30% of teens get pregnant every year.

So, let me get this straight: Palin is morally wrong for making any comment to the press about her daughter and that she should allow her daughter to have unprotected sex, get pregnant, and have an abortion? Are you kidding me?

She also says Palin is a bad parent and exploiting her daughter by running for VP.

What?

So the Obama's are also bad parents too then, because they are running and have children that the press can get info about, if you're using the same logic. She says that Palin hasn't chosen the life of a celebrity. Neither have the Obama's children. And Palin definitely isn't asking Bristol to be in the spotlight.

"She has unwittingly and literally become the poster child for her mother's anti-choice and abstinence-only education policies."

So if Obama had a daughter that had an abortion could you substitute her into that quote and get away with it? No, everyone would say that it's a sensitive and personal thing and it's not right to associate the family's decision with the father's politics.

[leelee3]

Yeah, she didn't go the tabloids with a "million dollar tell all". These opposing her did enough uncovering of their own. A lot of the facts she used were ones that were gathered off the children's myspaces or other such sources. Palin obviously didn't give them that. She's using low tactics to get info on the children that she's supposedly trying to protect by telling Palin to keep the kids out of the news. Hypocrisy, much? Or somehow it's ok for her, but nobody else?

The only thing I've heard Palin say about it is that it was unfortunate and they know that it'll make her grow up much faster than they originally thought but they would support her and choose life. Then, this lady compares her to Lynne Spears. What else did you want her to say? The story is everywhere, and the people that will be electing her are expecting an answer. I believe it was a good one and the best she could do under the circumstances.

[shakelbai]

The kids could be"left alone" but Gov. Palin keeps parading them in the public eye. If she really considered the pregnancy to be a family matter to be dealt with privately, she and her husband should probably try to keep Bristol out of the public and insure her privacy through a difficult and confusing event in her life.

[Peosmom]

I also find it hilarious that after 50 years of condemning and undermining working mothers, the Rethugs have decided to trot out this woman as an example of what women should be. We're supposed to just fall all over ourselves congratulating SuperMommy when she is EXACTLY what they've been telling us is what's wrong with this country. What a bunch of hypocrites.

BTW, Palin is the one who made Bristol's pregnancy an issue not the MSM. I would never have exposed my teenaged daughter's life to this kind of scrutiny to further my own career ambitions. Either she didn't know that Bristol was pregnant or she knew and accepted the VP position anyway. Either way it speaks volumes about her parenting skills.

Also it's not sexist to question this unknown person about he background and experience. She decided that she deserves to play w/the big boys so she needs to deal w/the scrutiny just like a MAN in the same position would. How dare she say Hillary was a whiner. BRING IT ON!