bristol_palin.jpgBristol Palin and baby Tripp are featured on the mixed-message cover of this week’s People Magazine.
The photo is of a happy high school grad mom with her beautiful baby, while the caption reads, “Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter talks about her life with baby Tripp. ‘If girls realized the consequences of sex, nobody would be having sex,’ says Bristol. ‘Trust me. Nobody.'”
There surely must be a better way to convey the combination abstinence/anti-abortion message.
The captions leading into the cover story are no better….

  • “‘This is hard…. I don’t think anyone realizes that it really can happen to you – like, in an instant.’ – Bristol Palin”
  • “Breast-feeding before classes, staying in on prom night – the Alaska teenager graduates from high school and talks frankly about the highs and lows of her new ’24-hour-a-day job.'”
  • The highs are mentioned less frequently than the lows, although I realize care must be taken not to glamorize teen motherhood.
    Bristol’s message to teens is also mixed, “a sort of abstinence-first strategy, backed up by education about birth control. ‘Abstinence is the safest way, but kids should know about everything else too,’ [said Bristol].”
    I, too, think teens should be educated about contraceptives – that the Pill is composed of artificial female steroids that wreak havoc on a developing girl’s body and render long-term health consequences such as breast cancer and stroke; that all contraceptives have a pregnancy failure rate, particularly high among teens; that most contraceptives offer no barrier to STDs, some of which are incurable; that the 1 that does, the condom, has a high pregnancy failure rate and is not a sureproof guard against STDs either.
    The problem with secular liberal news organizations covering this issue is they don’t delve into the multi-faceted reasons to deter sex until marriage, including the emotional scars of premarital sex, which predominantly exploits women, whose chemical make-up and rationale for sex are far different than men’s.
    Without exploring the other facets, a story such as this gives more the message not to be stupid and use precautions when having sex, and if impregnated, abort to avoid such consequences as Bristol must endure.
    That said, the article does state, “Bristol has said she never considered having an abortion,” which is important. And, of course, baby Tripp is testimony to Bristol’s decision to honor life. I also appreciate Bristol’s willingness to not only learn from her mistakes but attempt to educate others.
    The story includes a sidebar, “Teen pregnancy on the rise.” The reason?
    “[S]everal possible factors, including evidence that teens these days are less concerned about sexually transmitted diseases. Studies suggest that teens are having more sex and using less contraception….”
    The proper message should be that teens are not animals who cannot control their sexual impulses. The abortion industry, of course, sends the opposite message. With good reason.
    Interestingly, Bonnie Fuller at Huffington Post thinks the cover story photo spread is a “total promotion for teen pregnancy!… The inside article, with dreamy full page photos, might as well be titled, ‘I’m 18, a mom and HOT…and you can be too!'” It is true the photos alone send a different message, as I indicated at the top of this post.
    [Photo attribution: People.com; HT: proofreader Laura Loo]

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