Perspectives On Bristol Palin: Notes From A Sexologist
Where oh where to begin? For a sexologist and sexuality educator, the news about Governor Sarah Palin's nomination and the subsequent information that has come to light about her family is simultaneously a nightmare and a dream come true. Between her pro-life, anti-sex ed, pro-gun, anti-gay marriage, pro-creationism beliefs and her teen daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy, there is plenty of material to address.
First things first. Full disclosure: I am pro-comprehensive sexuality education, pro-choice (I believe that individuals are entitled to make their choices when it comes to their bodies), pro-same sex marriage, and I firmly believe that religion has no place in public education. And quite frankly, the nomination of Sarah Palin excites me as an Obama supporter, but scares the crap out of me as a woman.
When I was sixteen, two years before I had sex for the first time, I carried a loose-leaf with the words, "Support Vaginal Pride," plastered across the front. I had picked the sticker up at a choice rally sometime in 1992. I have always been pro-choice in theory, but until I became pregnant with my son, I didn't have any idea how pro-choice I really was. While I love my son, pregnancy was excruciating for me. I was depressed, throwing up daily for twenty weeks, uncomfortable, my body felt like it didn't belong to me, and I had tried to get pregnant! I couldn't imagine having to go through this (let alone raising a child in the end) if I wasn't ready physically let alone emotionally. While pregnancy was right for me at a certain point in my life, it definitely isn't right for everyone, especially a teenager.
Going through with a pregnancy - whether it is a fetus with special needs or not - does not make a woman a hero. It does not make her brave. What is brave is being honest with yourself and determining whether or not you are capable of bringing another life into this world and unconditionally taking care of it. It is equally brave and honest to admit that you cannot care for a baby, and thus, decide to terminate. Palin isn't a martyr. Let's be sure that we don't place her on a pedestal for her actions. She made her decision and many other women make theirs. I am a supporter of all choices and Palin is no better than anyone else.
Yet from a sexually political perspective, Palin is terrifying. Sarah Palin is anti-choice across the board. She doesn't believe in abortions for girls and women who are victims of incest or rape.
As for Bristol Palin, the Governor's pregnant 17-year-old, she has followed in the footsteps of many girls this year, becoming yet another statistic of teen pregnancy. I don't know when it became in vogue for young girls to forgo protection, get knocked up and refuse to consider the option of termination, but clearly our policies about reproductive health services and sexuality education (specifically the abstinence-only movement) have done a great disservice to our youth. Quite frankly this incident underscores the fact that Governor Palin's adherence to abstinence-only-until-marriage sexuality education is a waste of time and money.
Let's try to remember that those of us who support a woman's right to choose aren't suggesting that all women run out and terminate pregnancies. We believe that every woman has the right to make her own decision; for some that means termination, for others it means continuing the pregnancy. In the end, who am I (and who are all these politicians?) to suggest that women can't do that? What was right for Palin (and questionably her daughter) is definitely not right for all.
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I never really understood why Evangelicals such as Palin are so adament about outlawing abortion. Women have been doing it since the beginning of time, and they are going to continue to do it, regardless of whether or not it's legal.
I really wish that the religious right would put more time and resources into promoting adoption, assisting pregnant teens, etc. I believe that if more women had access to assistance in carrying a child to term, they would be more likely to want to. But at the end of the day, it should be a woman's CHOICE on what she does to her body.
Sara Palin is typical of most "Christian" Republicans; quick to judge others yet do not practice what they preach. The Republicans and their "Christian" allies began the dirty politics game by making irrelevant personal issues a factor in elections. Now watch them squeal when the tables turn.
News item:
Karl Rove has announced that Bristol Palin's baby, officially now named Freedom Reagan Palin, will be auctioned as part of a fundraiser for the GOP cause, The Family Values Straight Shootin' Express. This is a no reserve auction, and bidding is open to anyone. Word is that various Russian Oligarchs and Saudi Sheiks have already registered to bid. Don't miss out on this golden opportunity to bid on an American classic!
finally!
Dr Levkoff,
Since you say, "While pregnancy was right for me at a certain point in my life, it definitely isn't right for everyone, especially a teenager." Would you then agree that if the same logic was applied to Obama's mother (considering the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy), and if abortion happened to be legal in 1961, is it too far of a stretch to suggest we may not have Barack today?
In 2008, teenage pregnancy is difficult and costly in many ways. Obama's mother was entitled to make her decision about her pregnancy. I question, however, whether Bristol was allowed to make her own. In press documents, Sarah Palin talks about how this was a "family decision." But in the end, it shouldn't be a family's decision. It should be the decision of this girl. It doesn't matter if she has family support; she is the one carrying this pregnancy, she alone (and possibly the baby's father) is the one who will be raising it and it is her life that will be forever changed. I don't profess to know what the world looked like in 1961. However, as someone who works with teenagers in 2008, I stand by the notion that teen pregnancy is not a trend that we should be supporting. This doesn't mean that teens can't be good parents (look at Obama's mother), but sadly, teen pregnancy is connected to a myriad of social, public health, and economic issues. Teen mothers are less likely to finish school, more likely to be single parents, and fall into poverty. Babies born to teen mothers are more likely to have low birth weight and other health related complications, and are more likely to be teen parents themselves. Financially speaking, according to conservative estimates, teen pregnancies cost taxpayers $9.1 billion each year. For these reasons, I firmly believe that teens are not prepared for the ramifications of parenthood.
We may not have had you or me or the bum on the corner either. It is all about choice. Making abortion illegal will not stop abortions, it will just drive them underground. I assure you, abortions were available in 1961, even if it meant going to Mexico to get one.
Hmm.. Well, I hold a doctorate in Feral Micro-Radiology, so that makes me an "expert" on the female political spectrum in America too, I guess.
So, "Doctor", I suppose you have sage advice regarding the price of tea in China?
Nice straw-man.
What are you doing here, exactly, if you _aren't_ interested in hearing the opinion of a sexologist? Didn't read the title?
Sarah sounds like a decent, salt-of-the-earth person, the kind who is going to ride rough shod over Obama and Biden come November.
I have no doubt she rides rough shod, but it will be over someone in AK come January.
Why do so many assume that women are not capable individually of making moral decisions?
Exactly!
While you and I can agree that Governor Palin and (questionably her teenage daughter)
have every right to do what they have done and are doing, the same agreement would not
be afforded you or I.
My right to chose my own outcome in either of their situations would only be accepted if I choose
'their way.'
Aids is on the rise - other stds are on the rise big time.
Unwanted pregnancies are common.
Condoms don't always work.
The only sure way to stop aids, stds and unwanted pregnancies is not to engage in sex.
Belittle those who are successful convincing the youth not to have sex - I for one prefer 12 - 18 yr olds protected from the sexual predators by good advice.
Sexual abuse of children has gotten out of hand and is promoted by the media pushing early sex to the kids.
Sexual abuse of children is a direct result of the media bashing attempts to try and convince kids not to have sex - the constant bashing of the "failed" programs can be seen from BEFORE the programs were even started.
You say that you don't want your daughters being used as sex toys for all the boys - you have a very weird way of showing it.
NOT having sex should be lauded - try and find very many frequent mainstream media articles that don't belittle it being taught and practiced.
I don't believe many who advocate sex education care about the kids at all.
I do believe that those who make fun of "no sex before marriage" condon the spread of stds and abortion as an acceptable evil that must be tolerated.
No wonder so many children are being used by the sex industry - the media endorses sex for kids.
I guess one would never know who decided to keep the baby ... mummy or future mummy ... I am more inclined to go with the former. If that is the case, are we not stepping back into the stone age of choices.
You make complete sense.
Gov. Palin's worldview on sex and contraception is unimpeachably alarming, and doesn't completely square with the realities of teens today, and would clearly serve to eradicate the reproductive choices and freedoms that many of our female (and male) forbears fought vigorously for. This is serious business.
I wish you could send this post out to all of the puny number of disgruntled older white women who had their hearts set on Hillary, and are writing posts and sending vicious e-mails about Barack Obama in an effort to punish him and elect the McCain/Palin ticket which would eviscerate ROE v WADE, and spit in the face of GISWOLD v CONNECTICUT - two landmark Supreme Court cases that are the majority underpinnings of the reproductive choices so many women take for granted today.
To be sure, many of these "disgruntled, older white women" were on the front lines of the push to facilitate those those rights. And now, many of them will stop at nothing to see that Palin is elected - a woman who paints herself as feminist crusader and supporter of working families, but who, like McCain, opposes EQUAL WORK FOR EQUAL PAY, and would be comfortable with the appointment of conservative justices on The Supreme Court to overturn ROE v WADE.
Dr. Logan, thanks for a great post. I hope you and others will be able to through to the disgruntled, older white female obstructionists who are foolishly voting for McCain against their own interests.
I just despair. So many damaged lives. So much damage still to come.
Did Bristol Palin actually have (or make) a "choice"? With a rabid anti-choice party water-carrier governor for a mother in a firmly conservative red state, was there ever an honest discussion about Bristol's options?
Growing up with and being raised by a mother with such feelings and convictions, one would have to assume that Bristol well knew what her path would be should she become pregnant. The unfortunate thing is that after the shock of having to tell parents/guardians that they are pregnant, they are for the most part, looking out of eyes that are seeing stars, romance, love, motherhood in all it's glory, without any of the warts, etc. and are without any thought whatsoever as to how, in just a few short years, how harrowing mother and baby's life will become.
And it's doubtful there was ever an honest discussion about her options BEFORE she got knocked up, either. When sex ed consists of nothing more than the message, "Don't do it," what will the inevitable results be? Teenagers have never and will never heed one-note messages like that.
Now when kids are given honest and comprehensive sex ed, they know the choices before them and can be proactive about their decisions. I'm a 33-year-old woman now, and I shudder to think what my life would have been like if I hadn't been educated early on that I have agency over my body, and that I have a choice about my destiny.
But then, that's not what the right wing wants women to know, is it?
Eagle Forum Alaska did a survey of the 06 Alaskan gubernatorial Candidates. Here are their findings.
(I have deleted all but Palin's responses as well as those not pertaining to the topic)
The following questionnaire was sent to all candidates for Governor with their responses listed in the order we received them.
SP = Sarah Palin (R )
1. Complete the sentence by checking the applicable phrases (you can check more than one).
Abortion should be:
Banned throughout entire pregnancy.
Legal to save the life of the mother.
Legal in case of rape and incest.
Legal if the baby is handicapped.
Legal if the baby has a genetic defect.
Legal in the first trimester.
Legal in the second trimester.
Legal in the third trimester.
Other:__________________
SP: I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor’s determination that the mother’s life would end if the pregnancy continued. I believe that no matter what mistakes we make as a society, we cannot condone ending an innocent’s life.
3. Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?
SP: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.
continued...
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