Teen Pregnancy and Bristol Palin

[JaneDoe]

Does anyone else think that Bristol Palin as the spokesperson for the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy sends a mixed message?

With a baby in her arm, she is essentially telling teens don't get pregnant. I understand that sometimes it's helpful for people who have btdt to promote a message of "don't do what I did". But, here is Bristol Palin, who has a much larger support system and oppurtunity available to her than the average teen mom, saying don't do what I did. Frankly, she makes teen motherhood not look so bad.

This just rubs me the wrong way.

[Bittersweet]

She’s hardly the typical face of teenage pregnancy, but I don’t think she is a horrible choice. At the very least, lending her name to the cause has meant that teen pregnancy is discussed by the media. And she has had some hardship: she and the father have split, she’s not living independently, there were rampant rumors that she wasn’t going to finish high school and her future choices are obviously limited. She’s expressed regret that she entered motherhood at such a young age and seems to recognize what she is missing out on. I’d have a different opinion if her message was that parenting is a breeze and her life was perfectly awesome.

The intended audience is teenagers – the “it won’t happen to me” crowd. Seeing someone who had so many opportunities and who seemed so otherwise put together say “look I’m managing and this is really the best case scenario, but I have to live with my parents, I don’t get the real college/prom/raging 20s experience and I’m having major baby-daddy drama - this sucks and isn’t worth it” may be persuasive. I know for the teenage version of me that message would have hit closer to home than being presented with someone who got pregnant as a teen, dropped out of school, never graduated and, as a result, now lives in abject poverty … because hey, in my tiny teenage mind that certainly wouldn’t happen to me if I got pregnant. And I don’t know, I bet in many ways Bristol’s current situation, minus the famous last name and celebrity, is what teen pregnancy often looks like in middle to upper class American families.

I feel blasé about the whole thing - which is likely why I didn't have a negative reaction. I’m not all that convinced that spokespeople have the potential to change teen pregnancy rates. But that’s a whole other issue.

[GrayMatterWife]

I don't have a problem with the idea of a teen mom being a spokesperson for an anti-teen pregnancy advocacy group. However, I find Bristol in particular to be a remarkably average and unimpressive speaker. She can't formulate arguments well that support her asserted premise, and everything she says is peppered with pedestrian vernacular ("like," "uh...," "whatever," etc.). Nothing she says is persuasive. She's not a good spokesperson. She seems like one dull penney.

Sorry. I am not trying to pick on a young lady who is trying to do good, but since she's injected herself into the public forum by her advocacy, she's invited the critical review.

[JaneDoe]

I find Bristol in particular to be a remarkably average and unimpressive speaker. She can't formulate arguments well that support her asserted premise, and everything she says is peppered with pedestrian vernacular ("like," "uh...," "whatever," etc.). Nothing she says is persuasive. She's not a good spokesperson. She seems like one dull penney.

She hasn't even graduated high school has she? Perhaps this is where she has the ability to connect with teens. However, I do agree with Bittersweet the spokespeople really won't be able to affect teen pregnancy rates.

[GrayMatterWife]

She hasn't even graduated high school has she? Perhaps this is where she has the ability to connect with teens. However, I do agree with Bittersweet the spokespeople really won't be able to affect teen pregnancy rates.

According to Palin's camp last January, Bristol was attending school for her last few credits and is supposed to graduate this May.

I don't know. If I were her, I think I may have finished up my credits through correspondence. Who wants the headache of the public attention (from Mom's situation), while also having a baby? High school, in that situation, seems a little...high school

[SuzySunshine]

When she was on Today this morning she said that she's going to college in the fall, so she must have graduated or gotten her GED.

I can see why the group picked her, whether she's the best role model or not she's going to get the national attention the group wants.

[MarissaNicole]

I watched her today show interview in which they asked her about her prior statement that "teaching abstenence just isn't realistic" - whereas today when they asked her what she thought of safe sex she said "abstinence is the only sure-proof way to prevent pregnancy" which obviously sounded like it was fed to her...
But I do think she is a good example in the sense that they did practice safe sex and she still got pregnant (obviously I encourage safe sex but I think the biggest problem with kids having sex is that they still think they can't get pregnant with birth control....)
And I agree to the negative of her being a spokesperson is that she obviously has a lot of support which is not typical of a pregnant teen.
I also think it is hard for any teen mother to be an advocate against teen pregnancy because it is such a fine line to tow - I mean how do you advocate "being a teen mother is hard and not a good idea" without saying "my baby was a mistake."
And finally in terms of her not being much of a speaker I think that is a good thing - I think it makes her easier to relate to for the average teen.

I agree Marissa about the fine line and who to pick for a spokesperson.

I'm going to assume that Bristol Palin did this of her own initiative and given the spotlight she has already been in, decided it was important enough to put herself in a spotlight again. For that, I admire her. I don't think they should be selecting a teen based on their delivery of talking points. Disclaimer...I didn't see or hear her speak so I don't know how it sounded. If she was at least understandable, I agree that she might connect to teens that way.

[Rapunzel]

I've got several issues with this particular spokesperson choice:

1) As previously mentioned this can't be good for her future child. She's basically saying her child was a big mistake (then perhaps she should have given that child for adoption to someone who doesn't feel that way?).

2) She kept the baby. That was not in the best interest of her or the child. Instead she is statistically likely NOT to get into let alone finish college, to reside in poverty during her child's life, etc. If it is a mistake to have a child out of wedlock then perhaps she should be the spokesperson if she had made better choices after her pregnancy was discovered.

3) She is making having a baby out of wedlock look relatively attractive. Her spokesmanship is a serious backfire in the future, I think. She's attractive, she has a situation that few young women in the country will ever have, etc. If anything other young women might falsely imagine that they will have the advantages in life that this young woman has. But, the bottom line is that most of them don't.

I think the person that should be the "anti-Out-of-Wedlock" spokesperson is an attractive, accomplished young woman from a normal background who has NOT had an out of wedlock pregnancy. But, of course, that would be too obvious....

[peggyfromwastate]

Ummm, this topic hits a little close to home for me... I think I'll stay out of it, but suffice it to say I don't judge her badly for speaking out about teen pregnancy, whether or not she has a good support system, or whether or not she's fed the lines...

She's in an incredibly hard postition. You just have no idea how hard it is unless you've BTDT and I know for damn sure that I would've been a lot less articulate than she... Plus, she was careful to *not* call her child a mistake.

[Rapunzel]

It honestly doesn't matter if she physically says "This child was a mistake" or not. By being the spokesperson for an anti-out of wedlock pregnancy group the implication is that getting pregnant was a HUGE mistake. This is just not good for the child. If Bristol agrees with this group and agrees that getting pregnant was a mistake then it would be best for her child to be with a family that wanted, prayed for, and worked very hard to get him. As it is it's going to be pretty hard for this child to feel wanted while he's growing up if she persists in this roll (or when it comes up while he's a teenager). If she really wants this roll then the logical follow-through is for her child to be with a family for which this child was NOT a mistake.

[medpedspouse]

I do not think the child is a mistake. I think getting pregnant at that particular time could be considered a mistake. For example, I , yes, I was a mistake. My parents never ever said so and I never felt unloved/uncared for but once I was old enough to understand, I knew that my mom's pregnancy did not come at a good time. Likewise, my sister can be called a mistake too. Born 14 yrs after me, my mom was quite surprised to say the least and again was not a good time to be pregnant. My sister and I have never felt that our parents did not want us. Now there was that time when I was 8 and did not get my way - I was sure it was because my mom did not love me but by bedtime I thought otherwise.

BTW - what's s wrong about being a mistake?
Just the other day I made a mistake cooking dinner. Had to improvise and came up with what is now a new favorite. I have also learned that many "inventions" - not to forget good bottles of wine, were the result of a mistake.

I see a mistake as something that, given the situation can end very, very wrong but sometimes gives you something wonderful. The problem, if you want to call it that, is that more often than not the odds of things ending on the very, very wrong end are higher than things ending well.

But what do I know...I was a mistake and could be mistaken now.

[Sheherezade]

Well put. I've always qualified my "good" mistakes with "a mistake like chocolate chip cookies and penicillin." Both very fortunate mistakes.

I think that the attitude of the parents is pivotal. I've know many a "surprise" birth that turned out to be wonderful.

I think Bristol is a very brave young lady and her child will be proud that she handled this so well. I don't think she should be expected to give her child up because she was unprepared for this birth or for admitting that she was unprepared and under-qualified for the role of "mom". I think that time will tell. Some parents that do all the planning in the world before the pregnancy may end up being far worse at the actual job.

[mommax3]

I am sure that more babies are unplanned than planned, but most parents/mothers don't decide on adoption. I think that if Bristol is willing to admit that she has chosen a tough road, she is a good spokesperson. I have to admit that I am skeptical about the premise of "do as I say, not as I do (did)", but that may be just because I am in a bad mood. I am afraid that the girls who could most benefit from this message don't even have Bristol Palin on their radar.

[NYCHoosier]

My mentor is co-owner of a motivational speaking company, so needless to say, I've seen a lot of speakers.

I'll steal a line from one of the speakers who talks about hazing. He says (and I'm paraphrasing) 'when people become speakers, it's either because they have a gift for speaking or they have a compelling story. I have a story' as a way of excusing himself if he's not the most brilliant speaker.

I think it's admirable that Bristol is using her situation to help others. I certainly am in no place to judge her for keeping her baby. I have no reason to believe Tripp isn't well cared for, so beyond that I don't see why I should be concerned.

However, her message needs to be clear, and I'm not convinced it is. I'm not sure this is 100% her fault as she probably has myriad opinions on the matter. But for the purpose of being a spokesperson, she needs to sit down with someone and organize her thoughts.