Bristol Palin's abstinence pledge

Oprah Winfrey has questioned whether Bristol's vow to say "no" to sex until marriage is "realistic" — provoking a storm of commentary

Bristol Palin.
(Image credit: Corbis)

Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol — whose out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy proved a key distraction in the 2008 election — has sworn off premarital sex, pledging on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to remain abstinent until she ties the knot. Oprah asked whether Bristol's vow (which Bristol first made to In Touch magazine two years ago) was a "realistic" commitment, prompting speculation about Bristol's sincerity. Is Palin, 19, serious about sexlessness or just fulfilling her obligations as the new face of the Candie's Foundation, a pro-abstinence charity? (Watch Oprah interview Bristol Palin)

Bristol's setting an example: Oprah likes to feed her "44 million" viewers a lot of "hogwash" about "empowerment and realising your dream," says Carolyn Plocher at Newsbusters — unless your dream is abstinence, in which case Oprah apparently thinks her fans should "throw in the towel." How sad that Oprah "couldn't find anything praiseworthy" to say about a "young teen girl setting an example."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up