Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Pregnancy politics

Over the weekend, I tried to do a weekend news blackout. Unfortunately, the first thing I get when I finally turn on the news is the Palin pregnancy issue.

A couple of thoughts.

1) If Palin's daughter had decided to have an abortion, no one would have known and all would have been A-OK. Right? Can you imagine the feminist outrage if the media had disclosed an abortion for someone exercising her "choice"? Why shouldn't the daughter have the same protection for having the baby?

Yet, because she decides to have a baby, she get to have the whole issue spread all over the media. Today, on Drudge, is a picture of the boyfriend.

2) Even if the Palin VP choice doesn't work for an election victory, I think the social lessons of the Palin will be profound. Basically, it sends the message to women that pregnancy, no matter how "inconvenient", doesn't have to be a liability for the mother. Why make a baby pay with death for one of life's "inconveniences".

3) A lot of people on the left are crucifying Palin for both of these pregancies. I believe many who will criticize don't like the mirror that Palin puts in front of them. For instance, how many women have had abortions knowing their child would have Down's Syndrome or when an unplanned pregancy would interupt a great career path, etc.

Seeing the Palin family forces people who have exercised their choice to deal with the consequences of that choice. Something many are not willing to do.

After all, misery loves company.

2 comments:

Eric said...

i never knew righties were so into baby daddies. be nice if they supported programs for teens who have kids. maybe this palin thing will wake them up to the fact that not all teen mothers will be in bristol's economic position.

gordon gekko said...

First, that's the biggest pile of BS I've ever read. My mother was a teen mother who married my teen father because it was a necessity back then. There were no government programs to bail them out.

What was the outcome?

Despite parents with no high school diplomas, we have three college graduates and two others with post high school education.

While my parents marriage was far from perfect, the fact that I had a father at home in lieu of a government check to my mother probably allowed me (or my four siblings) the opportunity not to continue the legacy of crime & poverty which was so ingrained in the neighborhood we lived in.

Second, overcoming adversity is what develops character. When families are dealt a crisis like this, they often become closer as a result; and people actually step up.

All the government does is enable people to live their lives as ding dongs, douche bags and derelicts.

Third, you showed once again to get a snarky dig in on a republican but you still haven't grown a set of balls. When will you show up and justify how all these gov't programs you love? Those very programs that have allowed our cities to devolve into the cesspools they are today.