In his commentary on MSNBC.com, Brian Alexander suggests the pregnancy of Governor Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is irrelevant to her candidacy. “Political issues, not candidate’s private choices are what should matter,” argues Alexander. He explains:
Bristol’s pregnancy says nothing about Sarah Palin’s suitability to be the next vice-president just as Obama’s youthful cocaine use, or his middle name, says nothing about his suitability to be the next president…
It is none of my business that Bristol Palin is pregnant or what sexual prescriptions Sarah Palin chooses in her own household. It is my business what prescriptions McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden want to give me.
For the most part, I agree with Alexander. Coverage focusing on the details of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy should be relegated to the National Enquirer and similar tabloids, not mainstream news coverage. However, while the privacy of Palin’s family should be respected, the issue of teen pregnancy is fair game.
When the story broke today, like many people, I immediately wondered whether Governor Palin, a radical social conservative, favors abstinence only sex ed in schools. Given Palin’s extremely conservative positions on other social issues, I was not surprised when I learned that in 2006, Palin supported abstinence only education during her campaign for governor.
As anyone with a handle on reality might guess, abstinence only education is much less effective at reducing teenage pregnancies than comprehensive sex education. Of course, we do not need to guess, we can look at the evidence.
Alexander notes:
Data has debunked the abstinence-only approach as wishful thinking
Texas, for example, which strongly endorses abstinence-only, and demands parental consent before teenagers can get contraception, leads the nation in its rate of teen pregnancies, dropping only by 19 percent from 1991 to 2004 while the rest of country dropped by over 30 percent.
Meanwhile in California, where comprehensive sex-education is mandatory in public schools, the teen pregnancy rate dropped by 47 percent.
But what about Bristol Palin? Isn’t she — as some bloggers suggest — an example of the failure of abstinence only sex education? Possibly. Does this teach us anything meaningful? Not really. Even if one assumes Bristol Palin received abstinence only education, she is only one person; a sample of one is not statistically meaningful.
In contrast, analyzing a large sample data — like the statewide figures listed above — is an appropriate way to evaluate a policy’s effectiveness. And make no mistake, the data clearly shows that abstinence only education is not effective.
MSNBC First Read points out that, like Palin, McCain also supports abstinence only education. Beyond the issue of reducing teen pregnancies, the McCain-Palin position on sex education shows a disturbing willingness to make policy decisions based on religious beliefs, not statistical evidence. That sounds an awful lot like a certain unpopular guy from Texas.
Although her credentials are extraordinary light for the office she seeks, we should judge Palin by her policy positions, not her parenting. The pregnancy of her daughter will naturally draw people’s attention to Governor Palin’s flawed position regarding sex education; the discussion should remain fixed on Governor Palin’s out of touch policies, not her daughter.
