My condolences to Bristol Palin.

[TheWraith]

It came out today that the 17-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin is pregnant. The same press release which declared this also trumpeted the supposed fact that she independently decided to keep the baby and marry the father--as if the fact that her parents are ultra-fundamentalist Christian Dominionists, who don't even believe in birth control, didn't make the decision for her.

My condolences to the poor girl. Whether her pregnancy is just an accident resulting from her parents' attitude about contraception and sex education, or is some kind of rebellion against them, I feel sorry for her. She's just had the rest of her life sacrificed on the alter of her parents' ambition and narrow-mindedness. She hasn't even graduated high school, and she's going to be forced into the role of a mother, one that she's certainly too young and immature for. Being pressured into that kind of decision, and into marrying before she's old enough to vote, is going to take away most of her future opportunities in life.

Sure, some people are able to attend college, or even have professional careers, after becoming parents early. But those people are few and far between, and to burden a 17 year old girl--your own daughter--with that kind of added difficulty for the rest of her life, just because you don't believe in any kind of contraception or sex ed, is absolutely shameful.

[alarimer]

1. I don't know how wealthy these people are.

But surely they have advantages that average people do not have.

[TheWraith]

3. I seriously doubt that they are wealthy. It's not like they come from a moneyed background.

And I suspect governorship doesn't pay THAT well.

[Kittycat]

6. They own 3 homes.

[TheWraith]

21. Homes or properties?

I make the distinction because given all her talk about mooseburgers, I wouldn't be surprised at all to know they owned a couple of properties or cabins for hunting, which is a thing apart from it being an additional home.

[karynnj]

12. Sarah Palin's family owned the company that made Heath bars

She likely is pretty well to do.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

13. I've heard that rumor, but

there is absolutely no evidence to back it up.

Do you have some kind of authoritative link for that bit of information, please?

[apocalypsehow]

17. No; we've reached the point in the internet feeding frenzy where someone posts

"she was impregnated by Adolf Hitler's charred corpse, which was hidden in the family basement," and the vast majority of replies roll in along the lines of "I didn't know that - sounds right!!!!!11"; and where the casual (but rare) request for *proof* of such assertions is met with "go back to freeperville, fucking repuke troll."

It's Lord of the Flies time, internet style.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

22. Sadly,

that's my experience, too.

The internet, with its built-in anonymity, seems to bring out the worst in some people.

"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"

[DangerDave921]

68. My favorite internet quote

"The Internet: It doesn't make you stupid; it just makes your stupidity more accessible to others."

[karynnj]

23. You're right - there was a DU article with a link into

Hershey's that looked legit - but there is no real link to her parents. Sorry.

Here though is an article on the parents - http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/142260.html He was a school teacher and they liked to hunt.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

34. Thanks

Those "her family is wealthy" rumors are worthless and it's never a good idea to pass them on. I'd seen the article about Hershey's, with no connection to the Palins or the Heaths, and wondered why you posted that.

Good to clear it up.

[karynnj]

51. I'm glad you pointed it out - I had read the other too quickly

taking it at face value - which it didn't deserve.

[TheWraith]

20. Any links to back that up?

Her parents were a science teacher and a school secretary, so I have difficult time believing they were rich.

[Heather MC]

54. also I suspect she has been taking care of her siblings for years

with two full time working parents, I have a feeling she is use to playing mommy to the other kids
That usually how these things work in Large families. I am the youngest of nine
my brother's took me to ballet rehereasals, swimming, and tennis lesson
(nothing ritzy county run programs)

[Fumesucker]

2. I agree with you, I feel for this poor young lady n/t

[TwilightGardener]

4. I feel bad for her too. Her parents obviously did not provide her with birth control

or enough sex education, and they wouldn't let her have an abortion, and they won't let her put the baby up for adoption, and they are going to force her to marry this kid--all for politics. She is a victim of her mother's political ambitions, and now she can't even have the baby in private, because mom decided to join the ticket instead of putting her family first and declining.

[Eric J in MN]

29. Accidents happen. Maybe she was using birth control.

If not, she could have bought condoms. Parents don't need to give their teenagers birth control.

It's also possible that she wanted to get pregnant.

[DangerDave921]

70. Good gracious!!!

How critical we are!! Should John Edwards have declined when his wife had breast cancer so he could put his family first?

Every person balances career and family. All these posts about how Palin should have declined the offer is just baffling to me.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. I hope for her sake that the boyfriend

truly loves her and doesn't turn out to be an abusive person. It is so hard for immature folks to start a family so soon. Wonder if the daughter will be able to continue her education?

[noamnety]

7. My congratulations to Bristol Palin.

I'm about as pro-choice as they come here and I have to say I find the tone of your post a bit offensive.

This will change the course of her life, as all pregnancies do, as mine did for me. It's certainly a different path than she'd have been on otherwise, but I think referring to this as "having the rest of her life sacrificed" is wrong-headed and ignorant on several levels, sorry.

I am a high school drop-out, by the way. No GED. Left home when I was 17.

My daughter's in her final year of undergraduate school, and I have three more classes to go for my masters, and despite spending some of my life as a single mom, that part of my life is something I wouldn't change. I find your post personally insulting, and I can assure you my entire life has not been "sacrificed" or "shameful."

Giving condolences because someone made a decision to keep a child and condemning that decision is not pro-choice. Maybe we need to step back and see who is being shameful.

[JohnnyLib2]

10. Thank you.

In honor of close members of my family--and probably a lot of others.

[Lebam in LA]

11. I too was a 17 year old new mom and fully agree with your post

I can only wish her well and hope she has lots of support from family and friends. This young women should not be included in the political debate. Having said that, I think the abstinence only debate needs to be discussed and her mothers choice to put political ambition above her child is relevant.

[avaistheone1]

56. Bristol she only be mentioned in the discussion as a prominent example

of abstinence only programs don't work.

[TheWraith]

18. Why don't you step back and re-read my post?

My big point was that she has NOT made a decision. She never really had a choice in the matter due to the fundamentalist beliefs of her parents. She never had the choice to practice safe sex, or to decide in a real way whether or not she wanted to be a mother at this point in her life. Those decisions were shaped and made by other people. Tell me, if she really didn't want to keep the baby, do you think her parents would let her get an abortion? Do you think her parents taught her about safe sex, got her on the pill, and made sure she knew all about condoms? Of course not. And now they're using her as a political football to further their own pro-life credibility.

Congratulations on having a good life despite early difficulty. I seriously doubt, though, that you can speak for Bristol Palin and millions of other girls like her.

[noamnety]

25. Your "condolences" are way out of line.

Your assumptions are just that - assumptions.

She might very well be happy, and your public condolences - based on your own assumptions - are out of line, inappropriate, and misogynistic - even IF the reasons she decided to keep the baby are also grounded in misogyny.

When my students come to school and tell me they are pregnant, I would have to be a complete schmuck to respond the way you did.

[Tallison]

62. What's misogynistic about observing that

an un-wed teenager without a diploma is not in an ideal position to start a family? Yeah, it's doable, but hard. Who would wish that on someone? The joys of parenthood are real, but less joyous when they involve the developmental sacrifices that teenage pregnancy does.

[woo me with science]

33. Unbelievable.

I suspect that Bristol would tell you exactly what to do with your pity and condescension.

Sheesh. And from a "liberal," no less.

[LisaL]

24. Exactly.

She is having a kid, not some deadly disease.

[woo me with science]

42. Thank you for posting this.

Congratulations, Bristol. The best to you and your new little one.

[JerseygirlCT]

50. Well, I think condolences are in order, b/c this particular young woman

is being forced - by her mother's choices - to live out her choices in the national spotlight. Hard enough to do as a "normal" teen in this situation. Now through choices not hers to make, she's being discussed and disected throughout the country.

[noamnety]

52. You are being rude and condescending regarding her choices.

You are making a lot of assumptions based on the premise that young women should be shamed and humiliated if they are sexually active and the public finds out. It's 2008. My suggestion is to get over it.

17 year olds have sex.

(My god, I feel like I'm lecturing the abstinence only crowd.)

[JerseygirlCT]

61. No, I'm not.

I'm the parent of an 18 yo.

Rare is the child that age ready to be a parent. Rarer still would be the one in that position eager to have the entire nation watching her choices and her life at this time.

Your own story is getting in the way of any compassion.

Where exactly did I say that young women ought to be shamed and humiliated? Do you think any child at this age wants all that attention? (With the possible exception of the Spearses of this world?)

Having and raising a child at 17 is going to be very, very difficult. It's hard at any age.

I think perhaps you're the one who needs to get over it.

[ehrnst]

65. Bristol Palin is very fortunate - more so than many pregnant 17 year olds

Many 17 year olds would suffer physical and emotional abuse if their parents found out, as pregnancy is often a lighting rod for violence in a dysfunctional family.

Many 17 year olds, especially in pro-life values families, would be turned out in the street.

Many 17 year olds do not have parents that can support them financially so that they can complete their education while raising a baby.

Many 17 year olds do not have medical insurance, and would not be getting good prenatal care or counseling.

Many of those 17 year olds would undertandably find those circumstances unacceptable.

Sarah Palin would like prohibit those teenagers from going to a physician to end a pregnancy that they are not prepared for.

[SidneyCarton]

80. I don't give her condolences for keeping the child, that is her choice and her right...

Which I strongly support.

I pity her for the humiliation and cruelty that she will inevitably suffer from the constant media attention that will now be turned in her direction. You had considerable difficulty with your pregnancy, imagine doing it on national TV in the teeth of all those self-righteous pundits performing their psychological vivisections. I pity her for having to face that. Were she my daughter, I would hope to be able to spare her as much of this as possible.

[mmonk]

8. We do not know if she is unhappy or not or if her parents

pushed them into marriage or not. I would not go with this line of thought publicly. It could backfire.

[TheWraith]

19. Think it through for a minute.

If she didn't want to marry the guy, or if she didn't want to have the baby, do you think her parents would really allow her to make those decisions? Of course not. Therefore, she does not have a choice in the matter. Maybe she'll have a great life, and be truly happy. But she could just as easily be completely miserable with the situation. And even if she would have chosen to settle down, nobody should be forced into that because of the prejudices of their parents.

[BobRossi]

9. Fuck her,

And her familiy's family values.

[Skittles]

58. ugly ugly ugly

repukes disgust me to but this teenage girl has done nothing to us

[jpertello]

14. Being a mother of 2 teens and 1 young adult

I can say with authority that when one's child is in crisis one drops all else and attends to that child. What is it saying about Sarah Palin's Family Values that she now chooses to run around the country until Nov 4 while her daughter deals with this situation up in Alaska without her Mom by her side? And if JMcC and SP get the P and VP slots, then what? A career Mom who has failed her children (or at least 1 of them) is not a good example of Christian values. However I know that many Fundamentalists will view a 17 yr old child keeping her baby as a great example of Christian Family Values. **rolls eyes**

[vanlassie]

15. EXACTLY. What sort of Mother is this woman? Her daughter is in crisis...

and SHE is off GALAVANTING around pretending she could be the leader of the free world? It. Is. Sick.

All respect to people who have made the BEST of a teen pregnancy. To leave this girl out there with the public scrutiny (not from DU, either...we don't run around with cameras) and her so called mother off on her own big-head trip is just deplorable.

[jpertello]

16. The poor daughter

Bristol made a terrible mistake and a decent Mother would've refused the VP slot because she wants to spare further embarrassment to her child and the rest of her family. A decent Mother would refuse the VP slot so she can be with her daughter for the next 4 months (a highly crucial time during a teen pregnancy). (also a Down Syndrome infant desperately needs his Mommy, not a nanny) A decent family would rally round this girl and shut out the outside world as much as possible, not allow her to become a national spectacle. Bristol must feel like crawling into a hole in the ground. I would be cringing if I were her. So sad to see what a despicable person like Sarah Palin McCain thinks is suited to the Vice Presidency.
So the McCain people were probably thinkg that the brilliant Obama speech and highly professional and impressive DNC convention with 84,000 people had to be overshadowed and FAST! Right? I can see McCain and his vetting team saying "What would be TRULY amazing as a VP and get CNN to stop talking about how great Obama is? A gorilla? A singing frog? How about a gun toting Alaskan beauty queen governor with no clue and a pregnant teen aged daughter?"

[noamnety]

27. OMG - this is NOT the 1950's

Why does the young woman need the outside world shut out as much as possible? So she can be spared the "public humiliation" of being sexually active and female? Are you kidding me?

Y'all need to check yourselves.

[jpertello]

30. Not my intention

to suggest or imply this. I know that when I was 17 the last thing I would've wanted was an entire nation speculating on my personal life. And if I were a pregnant teen I'd want as much privacy to deal with it as I needed. Sadly, as the election nears this thing is going to be bigger than any of the GOP or the Palins can imagine.

[noamnety]

36. Kids where I teach

sometimes pull out of school, and sometimes stay in class. We've had kids who are 7 months pregnant performing on stage with the show choir, wearing sequinny shirts. They take maternity leave, and often they bring their babies into school to show off.

Teen pregnancy was around when I was a teen; it's still around now. Personally, I think it's a healthy thing that we've gotten to the stage where we are no longer trying to impose a sense of "shame" into these girls. I'm very sorry to see people here promoting attitudes that suggest shame is an appropriate and better response than just saying matter of factly, yep, I'm pregnant, deal with it.

[Tallison]

64. It's not about shame, it's about preparedness

and teenagers are at a maturational disadvantage in becoming parents. Teenage pregnancy should be discouraged, and when that fails, pregnant teens need to be supported, by society, not just immediate family, contrary to SPalin's own evangelical platform. Shame has nothing to do with it, and I don't see that spirit among the posts with which you take issue. Bristol needs her Mom more than the country does; I question the family's judgment in choosing now as the time to renew its professional ambitions.

[ehrnst]

69. Her parents were the ones behaving as though it was the '50s, hiding her at home.

And if Sarah Palin feels a need to keep these kind of things secret - she is a huge target for blackmail as a public figure.

[noamnety]

78. Oh, there are a whole lot of folks here on DU

talking about how a responsible family would have hidden her away instead of taking jobs that put her in the public eye.

Palin ain't got nothing on us when it comes to the shame game.

[ehrnst]

81. I don't think anyone was saying that she should hide her daughter.

They were commenting on how one's whole family gets a blinding light shone on them when you run for office, and that Palin knew that her daughter's pregnancy would be in the national news if she accepted the nomination.

Hiding your daughter from the neighbors is about shame. Wanting to protect her being on the front page of national newspapers is another thing entirely.

If she had not behaved as though her daughter's pregnancy was shameful to start with, not kept her out of school, and supported her openly through this period in her life, Palin would be veiwed differently.

I wonder how many good people have stayed out of politics to avoid putting their family through that kind of scrutiny.

[noamnety]

28. Wow, I'm glad you weren't counseling my mom.

Good grief. My mom's okay and all, but I hardly needed her to quit her job and stay home and take care of me at that age. That would have driven me crazy. I wasn't even living at home. Actually, I wasn't living in the same continent for much of my pregnancy. I think it's likely if Bristol is getting married she won't be living at home either.

There's people her age in the army, for chrrissakes.

Your belief that a "career Mom" has "failed her children" if one gets pregnant is outdated and sexist.

[jpertello]

31. strange

to be a woman and be called sexist. Exactly which sex am I offending? I understand that a child of 17 still needs her Mom emotionally. I imagine a pregnant child of 17 needs to see her Mom in person and not on the TV. I think children under the age of 18 suffer from neglect too. Otherwise they would not do risky things like get pregnant or take drugs. Where were the parents to counsel this girl as to safe sex? Obviously she was putting herself at risk of not only pregnancy but AIDS and other STD's too. Yes. I stand by my previous statement. The parents failed her.

[noamnety]

35. It's not strange at all for women to be sexist.

Palin would be my first piece of evidence.

I have major problems with the mentality that young women who are pregnant should be hidden away "for their own good" from society.

One of the very many asshattery statements from Bush, I think it was, was that he was going to deal with teen pregnancy by creating places where the moms could be whisked away from the public eye in some kind of jail/workhouse/retreat thingie.

Reminded me of how we used to deal with people with disabilities. Hide them away in attics and crap. What IS that?

Do people seriously not get that pregnant women don't need or want to be forced into some form of solitary confinement? Our lives still go on, you know.

[jpertello]

38. no no

You can't speak for all pregnant teens and neither can I. I don't think they need to be hidden away. I do think a pregnant teen girl should be given the choice of keeping it private or making it public. This decision was made for her by her very own mother's stupidity in accepting the VP offer from McCain (knowing fully that her daughter is 5 months pregnant).

[noamnety]

41. Maybe they did discuss it - maybe she wanted her mother to run.

You don't have a way of knowing.

[jpertello]

43. BTW, here is an excellent analysis of the entire Bristol Sarah soap opera.

http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/jnail/blog/&blogId=3422

[amandabeech]

57. The older son may have had some problems, too.

One of the Alaska blogs reported that the son wanted to play hockey in college, but didn't come up with the 2.0 average needed.

Hence the army.

Either the kid's strengths really don't fall in the academic area, or there were some problems. A 2.0 isn't that difficult to do given a little studying and proper choice of courses.

[LBJDemocrat]

26. Shouldn't the boyfriend not have consented to unprotected sex?

:shrug:

[IndyOp]

32. It's going to take away most of her future opportunities in life - Bullshit. Obama's mother went on

to raise her son with the help of her parents, finish college, become an anthropologist and help people around the world.

Yes, it is better that teens have sex ed and contraception.
Yes, it is better that a teen can make her own choice without parental judgment.
No, her future opportunities in life are not all gone.

[samuraiguppy]

37. my condolences

as well. It is not her fault she has a knuckle dragging, imbecile of a repuke mother.

What a horror to be raised by people with this type of "family" values. I checked out the website for their "church" and it would be impossible to be raised like that and not turn out warped.

Yes--we should all feel sorry for Bristel.

[Stinky The Clown]

39. Get thee off to the Greatest Page

[Canuckistanian]

40. Yup, you can't pick your parents

And HER baby will continue the cycle....

[philly_bob]

44. We're on your side, Bristol. It may not seem like it --

but we really, really are on your side.

[vanlassie]

45. This is NOT about a woman's right to her career.

It is about her judgment and sensitivity and common sense about what this PARTICULAR job offer will require of her and of her unfortunate family.

There is NO WAY she can meet the needs of her baby, not to mention the emotional support her daughter will be needing (as they themselves stated in their announcement, for God's sakes)

Babies need their mothers. They need them when they need them. Their needs can not be scheduled to fit around the affairs of state. Fathers and others can step in and do much, but they will not replace a baby's need for it's mother. There is a time for everything. I would LOVE to see a mature woman take the reins- a woman who has raised children is a plus in my book. But not a woman who is "raising" children RIGHT NOW. That is overload where everything gets shortchanged.

Who's needs would YOU be OK with shortchanging? The country's? Her baby's? That's a lose-lose proposition,and furthermore- it is probably the MOST obvious reason why GEORGE W.BUSH is a sociopath. His needs were neglected when they were age-appropriate- when he was little. And so many others as well.

[noamnety]

53. This is unforgivably sexist. nt

[renate]

59. my mom worked from Day One and I love and admire her

And I turned out just fine.

I had a wonderful, loving babysitter, which probably has something to do with how well it worked out. But both my parents worked HARD the whole time I was growing up and through my teenaged years and even when I had kids of my own, and I am very close to them--I adore them--because they always made sure I knew how much I was loved.

I don't, however, disagree with what you said about Bush's needs being neglected. There's no way someone like that, with those father issues and lack of personal responsibility, comes from a healthy environment.

[JI7]

46. she was having sex without being married so she could have got the abortion

without her parents knowing if she wanted to.

but this is an example of the failure of abstinence only education.

[tavalon]

47. Isn't this the same girl that had the baby last year?

The Down's syndrome baby. Geez, I go to sleep for the day and the kid is pregnant again!

[marshall]

48. Don't feel sorry for Bristol, she does have a family to help her

Feel sorry for the girls who are pregnant and kicked out of their homes, with no money or support system, no boyfriend wanting to marry them--feel sorry for girls who are totally alone and really need our care and concern.

[JerseygirlCT]

49. I do, too.

She doesn't deserve to have to deal with all this - in the nat'l spotlight. It's not right.

[Jennicut]

55. Blame Sarah Palin, not her daughter Bristol

Sarah's exemplatory family values are suspect.

[Jack Rabbit]

60. he's going to be forced into the role of a mother, one that she's certainly too young and immature

Vying for such positions seems to run in the family.

[RB TexLa]

63. Oh, no everything with that situation is great and wonderful. That's when children are supposed

to have children. There is no need for condolences. They shouldn't want anything other than that for their children. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3897817&mesg_id=3897817

:puke:

[Tallison]

66. And don't forget the miracle!

At this rate, the Palins could bless the nation with six generations alive at once. How Biblically glorious!

:puke:

[DangerDave921]

67. Don't be so judgmental

Don't be so quick to look down on others. She will be fine. Her mom is the governor, and may be VP. She will have the financial resources to go to school (if she wants). And she apparently comes from a close family that will help her through this.

Is 17 so different from being 18 and legal? I think if you looked behind the curtains, you would find a lot more examples than you think of pregnancy at this age. Is it ideal? Of course not. But is it the end of the mom's life? Not at all.

My own grandmom was 17 when she got pregnant and then married. My own wife was 19 and unmarried when she got pregnant. We're doing quite well thank you.

[RB TexLa]

71. And you want your child pregnant or having impregnated someone at 17 or 19 as well?

That's what you want for them, right?

[DangerDave921]

73. My point

is that the OP had such a fatalistic tone to her post, that the mother's life was essentially over to sacrafice to the child, etc. Come on! Do you realize how many generations have routinely given birth at 16, 17, 18? It is really only recently that we consider it normal to wait till age 30 to get married and have kids, after spending 10-15 years of having unmarried sex.

Yes, I would want my daughter to wait to get married and have kids. But at the same time, I don't at all believe that this girl's life is being sacraficed because she's having a child. She will face difficulties, but it is not the end of her life.

I think your political hatred of the mom is causing you to exaggerate this situation. Would you be posting the same message if the mom was a Dem?

[RB TexLa]

76. It does destroy people's lives. That's why the government spends money to prevent youth pregnancy

Are you saying teenage pregnancy should be glorified? Encouraged? Instead of PSA's against teen pregnancy 16 year olds should be pushed toward birthing babies because it's only recently that women's lives have become more than pushing babies out.

[DangerDave921]

77. is there no middle ground with you?

Seems there's two choices for you: a) it destroys the mom's life; or b) teenage pregnancy should be glorified. Talk about false choices!

Teenage pregnancy should be cautioned about. We should not encourage it. I agree with you there. But it does not follow that this young girl's life is going to be destroyed.

With a close loving family, and with financial support, this young girl and her baby will likely do just fine.

[Tallison]

72. By your own logic, is 17 so different from 16?

The answer is, at that age, yes.

[Ganja Ninja]

74. I'm sorry her family didn't have enough consideration for her

situation to stay out of the national lime light. Timing is everything. Her pregnancy by itself isn't something that should prevent her mother's political ambitions but the timing of this is very unsympathetic to to the daughter's plight. If they had done this after the baby had been born it wouldn't be so bad.

[lapislzi]

75. CHOICE.

Bristol Palin had the choice to end her pregnancy. She chose to continue it, presumably to term. It is what it is. Her CHOICE. Yet, Bristol Palin's mother would take that choice away from us and our daughters.

Shame on you, Sarah Palin.

[SidneyCarton]

79. Mine as well, hers is a fate not to be envied.