Don't believe everything you read

Sometimes I get frustrated at the mainstream media--okay more than sometimes. I hate how complicated stories and issues are broken into little soundbites.

I just read this article written about Briston Palin's first interview since giving birth in December. I was surprised at the headline, "Bristol Palin Faults Abstinence Teaching"-- for her teenage pregnancy. I actually stayed up and watched the interview last night. Bristol Palin never blamed her pregnancy on abstinence teaching. This article is misleading and implies that Bristol and her mother are at odds on this issue. On the contrary, as I remember Bristol felt that teaching abstinence WAS a good idea. I remember her saying that abstinence was the best way for teens to avoid her unplanned fate.

The article says, when Bristol was "asked about her views on teaching abstinence, which her mother, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, advocates, Bristol said, 'it's not realistic at all.'" This sentence is totally misleading. Bristol's comment was taken out of context. As I remember, Bristol talked about how television portrays sex as glamorous and common, and the culture of sex in high school is accepted as normal. I felt her comment about teaching abstinence as not being 'realistic' was put into the context that sex is so common that most teens hardly even consider abstinence at all. . . .to me, her comment was the perfect example of why teaching abstinence to teens is TOTALLY NECESSARY. In every environment, teens are bombarded about sex, sex, sex, so they hardly even consider NOT having sex as an option.

I was pretty peeved that in the one sentence I quoted above, it made Bristol seem like she was at war with her mom about this issue. I sensed no animosity between her and her mother during the interview. In fact, the interviewer, Greta van Susteren, pretty muched danced over the issue and didn't really probe Bristol at all about her answers regarding contraception. When Bristol didn't want to go into details about why she didn't use contraceptives, Greta just let it go. . . . . . . For the AP writer to draw such bold conclusions and to take one of Bristol's comments out of context was totally irresponsible journalism. But now, everyone who reads the article will come to the conclusion that abstinence teaching is not realistic and won't prevent teen pregnancy.

Teaching teens abstinence is the responsible way to prevent teen pregnancy. Teens know all about contraceptives. They know that sex= pregnancy. What they need to hear is a strong and differing voice from those that they watch on T.V. No, I don't think teaching one 20-minute class in Health class about abstinence is going to change things at all--defnintely not in the culture of sex that we are surrounded with. Abstinence teaching needs to be a part of the environment that teens grow up in--starting at home. That means limiting 'adult' television. That means having candid and open conversations with your teens. Teens need to know that sex is a special, sacred act that should be reserved for marriage. Teaching teens abstinence might be the only time they hear about the benefits of fidelity in marriage. . . . .

Bristol Palin doesn't need to be the poster child for teenage pregnancy and how teaching abstinence doesn't work. . .that is NOT what she said. That is NOT the message society needs to hear.