What to say about Bristol Palin

“Whatever its political implications,” said the New York Daily News in an editorial, “the out-of-wedlock pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is emblematic of a truly lamentable social phenomenon.” Far too many American girls are getting pregnant before they are equipped for parenthood.

Bristol Palin has the same right to privacy as any pregnant teen, said the Baltimore Sun in an editorial. But it’s fair to point out that abstinence education, which Gov. Palin advocates, is “among the least-effective strategies for helping teens avoid unplanned pregnancies.”

Any parent knows that teenagers are a challenge, said the Salt Lake Tribune in an editorial. It doesn’t matter whether you’re liberal or conservative, religious or secular, pro-choice or pro-life. “All you can do is teach them the best you can and try to catch them when they stumble.”

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