Roses,

This is not about using her daughter as a tool to attack her mother. It’s about showing that this woman – who is a candidate for vice presidency – is preaching a doctrine that overall does not work. It’s not about shaming Bristol. I have no problem with Bristol having sex or being pregnant. I have a problem with her mother advocating a policy that has been shown to increase the rate of teen pregnancy and the transmission of STDs…a policy that didn’t even work in her own home.

Tina,

Bristol is acting exactly as a teenage would. That’s the point. This woman (sarah palin) preaches abstinence. Abstinence as a policy has been consistently shown to NOT work. The fact that Sarah Palin has a pregnant daughter while preaching abstinence-only education is completely relevant and absolutely fair game for discussion.

What I would say to Sarah Palin:”You *did* realize that your daughter’s pregnancy would come up as a major media storm, right? Kinda comes with the territory – whether that’s right or wrong. I’m glad YOU had the choice to carry your son to term, and I’m glad YOUR daughter has the choice to carry her child to term. But what about MY daughter and MY nieces? You would take away their choices, even if one of them was raped and left for dead. What happens in your house is your business, and I’ll defend that. But see, by taking away comprehensive sex ed and access to birth control and abortion – you’re bringing your values into MY house. Sorry honey, but you don’t dictate what goes on in MY house – stop using your kid as a weapon. And I hope you wake up soon and see just how much John McCain and his campaign are using *you*”

Oh, come on. Where’s the evidence that there was any significant risk at all (even assuming it’s anyone else’s business, which it really isn’t)? She had some leakage of fluid – not unusual – and was not then, apparently, in frank labor. Cripes! Isn’t there enough perfectly valid stuff to criticize Palin on?
I’ve gotten enough comments about delivering my second child at home that I’m not particularly interested in hearing about anyone’s “shock” at another woman’s birthing choices, thankyouverymuch.

It doesn’t demand we scrutinize it. As a feminist, I believe all women have the right to privacy and autonomy regarding their reproductive decisions. Period. Just because she has different beliefs doesn’t mean mine no longer apply.

http://elleabd.blogspot.com/2008/09/hmmm.html

Her water hadn’t broken. She was leaking amniotic fluid… she talked to her doctor about it and he said it was okay. Not that it’s any of our damn business anyway.

Roses: I have to respectfully disagree. This is a woman who thinks her bible and beliefs should dictate my medical decisions vis-a-vis pregnancy. She runs against abortion for any reason indicating that the health and well-being of a zygote must come first. When I heard she chose to get on a plane to spend 8 hours getting home and then driving an additional 45 minutes to deliver her child (passing other hospitals in Texas and Alaska) knowing full well she was delivering a child with special needs and was about 4 weeks early, I was shocked that she decided to put the safety and well being of her unborn child at risk. Sadly, my first thought (legitimate or not) was to wonder if she was intentionally putting the child at risk (it just reminded me way too much of rabidly pro-life women who intentionally have their malformed fetuses induced early so they can not survive but go around using their sad misfortune and superior morals as a banner to wave when what they really did was find a back-door to make their abortion socially acceptable). I’d like to think my heinous thought is way off the mark but her very political platform demands she receive the same scrutiny of her reproductive medical decisions that she advocates for every one else.

Is her daughter pregnant because of a pact made with other High School girls to get pregnant together, or was it just a pact she made only with her mother? The media should investigate….

;)