Coverage of Bristol Palin’s Pregnancy
By now, everyone knows about the situation regarding the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s 17-year old unmarried daughter’s pregnancy. I hear a lot of people, conservatives and liberals alike, say that it doesn’t matter and shouldn’t be covered. I only partially agree. I agree that Bristol should be left alone by the media; there should not be any papparazzo-type coverage of the situation, any degrading comments in her direction, or any political satire about the situation. She and her family should be allowed to deal with a very importanat situation as they see fit.
However, I do not agree that this is a non-issue in regards to Gov. Palin. It is natural, and I think, perfectly valid, to form opinions of Gov. Palin based on the facts of the situation. Here are mine:
- Gov. Palin is Bristol’s mother and, since she is only 17, is at least partially responsible for her actions. As a parent, I feel responsibility for my children’s actions. Certainly, from conception through the first several weeks and months of life, the parents are entirely responsible for their children; the children’s very lives depend on it. As the children grow older, they become more responsible (and, therefore, the parents become less responsible) for their actions. At some point, the children are on their own, entirely responsible for their own actions. The age at which this occurs is certainly open for debate, but, in my opinion, a 17-year old high school student is not there yet. So, Gov. Palin and her husband must share some responsibility and blame for Bristol’s actions.
- Bristol’s response to the issue says a great deal about Gov. Palin and her husband. When she became pregnant, she went to her mother and father. Apparently, there was no clandestine trip to the abortion clinic or anything of that sort. She had a deep enough relationship with her parents to go to them for help. From this, I gather that Gov. Palin is a loving person who is trustworthy, at least in the eyes of her child.
- Gov. Palin’s response to the situation says even more about Gov. Palin. She did not make excuses for her daughter or herself. She said she was proud that her daughter came to her with the news and would have her love and support. But she also said that she would have to grow up quickly and that it would be difficult for her. It seems pretty clear that Gov. Palin feels like her daughter should have to deal with the consequences of her decision to have pre-marital sex, and that she (Gov. Palin) and her husband will have to deal with the part of it by helping her through it. Will part of Gov. Palin’s consequences be that she doesn’t become Vice-President? We will never know how much impact this has.
Now, from my standpoint, this situation has taught me a few things about Gov. Palin. Personally, some is good and some is bad, and it becomes a non-issue for me. Either way, that’s the end of it for me. Let’s allow this family to deal with the issue from here.