Time For Bristol Palin To Admit That Abstinence Education Is A Failure
Ana Kasparian has a message for Bristol Palin, and it’s a good one:
I don’t really care to get into the gossipy details of Palin’s personal life. Insulting her and taking a tabloid approach fails to achieve anything substantive. Sure, Dan Savage made a great point about how the right-wing would tear the Obama family apart if one of their daughters had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. But that doesn’t mean the left has to do the same.
Instead, I want to focus on the failure of abstinence-only education, and how states like Mississippi still refuse to equip teens with the knowledge necessary to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. It’s a much larger problem than most people realize, especially when considering that red states tend to have the highest rate of teen pregnancies and STIs…
When a very public pro-abstinence spokesperson like Bristol Palin fails in practicing what she preaches, it’s time for much-needed self-awareness. Palin has an opportunity to use her life experiences for positive changes in society. It would be extremely difficult to stand up to her family and the political party she has sided with for so long. But I would argue that it’s even harder to keep advocating for failed policies when you’re a perfect example of their shortcomings.
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
43 responses to Time For Bristol Palin To Admit That Abstinence Education Is A Failure
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Fred Pine June 27th, 2015 at 11:12
Did she lose her credibility on the subject?
Derrik Pates June 27th, 2015 at 19:45
Did she ever have any credibility on the subject?
Fred Pine June 27th, 2015 at 21:47
No, but some gullible people paid her to make some speeches on the subject, which she obviously never followed.
KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker June 27th, 2015 at 11:14
Abstinence only education is just another failure in a long line of failed conservative ideologies…and Bristol profited handsomely from it.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
AQSWDEG June 27th, 2015 at 13:25
$#$#$#$#$^@$@%DAVIS
–>> LIFE TIME chance <<—
<-MAKE SOME sensible cash BY FREELANCING WORK WITH GOOGLE
. JUST FOLLOW THIS LINK to examine additionalEEarn MMoney OOnlinee
————————————————————–
Important—>Hit any link for more additional in LINK–>>
———————
William June 27th, 2015 at 12:36
Of course it works, but not as well as wearing clogs or a Justin Bieber T shirt. https://youtu.be/UyWKlxNAh30
AnthonyLook June 27th, 2015 at 12:50
No one cares; congrats and good health.
Dwendt44 June 27th, 2015 at 12:54
Conservatives admitting to reality? You’re kidding right?
Obewon June 27th, 2015 at 12:57
‘See! Ya don’t even need sex to get knocked up two or three times’-Palinbrawler miracle virgin birth double mom Bristol is the perfect very public pro-abstinence spokesperson.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 14:32
If one member of a young couple wants to initiate sex and the other partner does not, we all believe that the first partner is capable of honoring the second partner’s wishes. In fact, if they do not honor those wishes and initiate sexual activity anyway, we all consider this to be a crime.
Furthermore, if the couple agree to have sex and the male partner is ten seconds away from a climax when his partner asks him to stop, we all believe that he is capable of immediately stopping, and we expect him to do so. Failing to do so is considered to be a crime.
Clearly, we expect young people to exercise a great degree of self-control in these situations, despite the fact that they may be sexually aroused to a great degree.
How can anyone believe that young people are capable of this level of self-control, but are not capable of abstinence? How does the following sentence make sense?
“I provided my son with condoms because I don’t think he can control his sexual urges. But if his girlfriend says ‘no’, I expect him to control his sexual urges.”.
Ganymede425 June 27th, 2015 at 15:08
TL|DR – “If you have the self control to avoid the degrading, destructive, and societally harmful act of sexual assault, you have the self control to avoid engaging in the rather benign act of mutually consensual sex.”
It doesn’t take a great deal of self control to avoid sexually assaulting someone.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 15:15
Glad to know you agree with me that young people are perfectly capable of abstinence.
Ganymede425 June 27th, 2015 at 15:26
But why would they? You get mutual pleasure with someone you like alongside the other health benefits and mood-enhancing aspects of consensual sex. Sure, there are risks including unwanted pregnancy and the possibility of STDs, but those risks are generally low for any one specific instance of intercourse.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 15:51
“…those risks are generally low for any one specific instance of intercourse.”
You are woefully misinformed. The risk of pregnancy from a single act of sexual intercourse is 9% on day 11 of a woman’s cycle, and slightly less in the days immediately preceding and following day 11.
A woman’s libido is greatest between days 11 and 21, which is when the risk of pregnancy is greatest.
It should not be surprising that libido and fertility go hand-in-hand. These are the attributes that allowed our evolutionary ancestors to successfully reproduce.
In short, young women get horny on the days when they are most fertile. This is why “accidents” are common, not rare.
But none of this changes the fact that humans have the ability to override these natural forces. We hold people accountable for their actions when they make unwanted sexual advances because we all believe that they are capable of self-control. So we all agree that self-control is possible.
The issue is not self-control, but motivation. Would you allow your child to drive a car whose brakes had a 9% chance of failing? Of course not.
Telling a young person that the risk of pregnancy from one sexual encounter is “generally low” is factually incorrect and flat out irresponsible.
Abstinence education that provides young people with the facts (see my references below) will significantly increase their motivation to exercise the self-control that we know they are capable of.
References:
http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/risk.html
http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/understanding-ovulation/
Ganymede425 June 27th, 2015 at 17:26
Wow, I guess teaching teens information about safe sex, fertility cycles, and family planning services is a good idea after all! Thank you for opening my eyes.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 19:32
I never meant to imply that I supported abstinence-ONLY education. I do NOT support that. I strongly support giving young people ALL of the facts that they will need as adults.
But what concerns me is that many people seem to have low expectations of young people. Many people seem to think that they are not capable of controlling their behavior. When we communicate this message to young people, we undermine their confidence in themselves.
My message would be: “Here is the information you will need as an adult (birth control, std’s, etc) But you are not yet an adult, and at this time you need to abstain from sexual intercourse, and I am fully confident that you can do it.”.
That is the message I gave my children. And I also added this “Never have sex with someone you would not want to marry, because every child deserves two loving parents in a committed relationship.”.
I am a big believer in equipping young people with the tools they need to succeed in life. There’s no question that abstinence is best for teens, and there’s no question that they can achieve it. But it isn’t easy, and it doesn’t help them to be strong when adults question whether they can do it.
We need to communicate our confidence in their ability to succeed, not provide them with excuses for failure. Kids need to know about birth control and avoiding std’s. But these should always be described as things they will need in adulthood, not in teenage years. Give them the knowledge, but never imply that you are giving them permission. That’s my advice.
Ganymede425 June 27th, 2015 at 19:46
I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
A teen that is capable of abstinence is a teen that is capable of having sex safely and responsibly. After all, we don’t want to communicate to teens that it is somehow beyond their abilities to enjoy sex safely and responsibly, would we? That’s just setting them up for failure and excuses.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 22:57
All teens are *capable* of abstinence. Some choose not to abstain. It is a choice. Nature does not *compel* them to have sex. Nature only makes them *want* to.
If anyone ever told your child that they were not *capable* of something that many others have already achieved, would you consider that person to be a good influence on the child?
Ganymede425 June 27th, 2015 at 23:10
Exactly, which is why I look askance at your suggestion we essentially tell teens that they are incapable of having sex safely and responsibly.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 23:19
Okay, now I get what you’re saying. (Sometimes it takes me a while!)
Hmmm… I hadn’t thought about it from that angle. It reminds me of the time in college when I complained to the landlord about the fact that my parents had to cosign my lease, even though I was in my twenties. I said that parents shouldn’t have to cover debts for their grown children. The person behind the desk replied that if I really felt that way, then my parents didn’t have anything to worry about.
That’s what I like about these interactions. I’m not ready to agree with you, because we’re talking about teenagers. But you’ve definitely got me thinking. Am I being hypocritical? Maybe.
Good dialogue. Thanks.
Ganymede425 June 27th, 2015 at 23:22
Have a good one.
infojunkie June 28th, 2015 at 06:16
Glad I read enough of your comments to finally see one that helped me to understand your viewpoint. This last I can agree with, although your prior comments did seem to emphasize only abstinence. I can agree with your statement provided that young people are given the other necessary information in a timely manner. Obviously abstinence is best, but they do need to know what to do I case they decide against it. And abstinence only programs aren’t working.
Robert M. Snyder June 28th, 2015 at 11:39
When I was in high school, many of the guys who were “doing it” with girls did not respect them, and the girls they were doing it with did not respect themselves.
If you want a young man to learn respect for women, and a young woman to learn self-respect, teach them to become friends before they become lovers. Teach them to take their time and really get to know one another. Encourage them to cherish the simple pleasure of walking, holding hands, kissing, and having deep heart-to-heart conversations.
Avoiding unwanted pregnancy and STDs is vital. But learning how to find deep satisfaction in personal relationships is also essential. Young people don’t grow up all at once. They grow up in stages. We live in a society that encourages us to see ourselves as consumers. It is all too easy for young men to objectify women, and all too easy for young women to see themselves as sexual objects.
Give them the information about birth control and STDs. By all means. But don’t encourage them to start having sex. Encourage them to wait while they learn how to love.
infojunkie June 28th, 2015 at 13:12
Agree.All great practices. We just know that some are not going to listen, so they need to be prepared so that if they do get a chance to wise up they are not saddled with a bunch of kids already. Or an STD. Frequently the girls giving it up have low self esteem, pick bums, and get stuck raising baby alone. We need to arm them until they find their way forward, so that if and when they do come to their senses, they still have a shot at bettering their lives. It can always be done, but is infinitely harder with a child, and the presence of a child often narrows your chance of finding a suitable mate. Self esteem is an inner feeling not easily instilled or conveyed, some are born with it and some are less sure of themselves. As a woman, and the mother of a woman and a girl, as a daughter, I know for sure this can’t be taught. You feel it. Or you don’t. Sometimes it takes awhile to find it. I just want to give them time.
bpollen June 27th, 2015 at 17:53
Like with every other social group, some of them are capable of resisting their desires, and others are not. Some can resist only temporarily. There have been teen pregnancies throughout my lifetime, so “abstinence” has YET to prove it’s efficacy. Cuz it’s been telling people for a long, long, long time to abstain.
I can teach people all the reasons why not stealing is the best choice, but I still lock my doors at night.
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 19:16
“I can teach people all the reasons why not stealing is the best choice, but I still lock my doors at night.”
Sounds like you’re advocating chastity belts for teens!
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 19:38
“Like with every other social group, some of them are capable of resisting their desires, and others are not.”.
I could not disagree more strongly. Show me the young person who is not capable of resisting their desires. Stand in front of that person and say it to their face: “You are not capable of resisting your desires.”.
I doubt whether you could actually say that to an actual person. And if you did, it would be the greatest insult imaginable.
People *choose* to give in to temptation. They are *capable* of resisting. To believe otherwise is to believe that they are made of lesser stuff than you are; that they are part of a lesser class of people.
bpollen June 27th, 2015 at 20:18
You obviously have reading comprehension problems. I am stating a statistically observable phenomenon. You seem to feel that, if only you could teach them, they would BE ABLE, with no other assistance, to resist temptation. Please show the data that SHOWS that abstinence only education ACTUALLY results in a decline in unwanted pregnancies where there are no other possible factors to account for it. You can look at the statistics on teen pregnancies in those states that mandate abstinence only sex-ed. They are NOT lower in teen pregnancy rates. In fact, in 2007, a federal report found that abstinence only sex-ed had “no impacts on rates of sexual abstinence.” Whereas, comprehensive sex-ed (not abstinence only in case you are confused) reduces the likelihood of pregnancy by 60%.
As far as my locking my doors is concerned, my point was that it is better to deal with REALITY than to rely on humans being perfect. They have never been perfect, they will never be perfect, and to promote an agenda that ignores the real world these teens exist in is foolishness²…
Personally, I have a lot less problem with teens having sex than I do with teens having unsafe sex. “Don’t do it” really doesn’t provide the tools to make informed decisions, and if you have children, you would know that saying “Don’t” makes some teenagers (and adults) even MORE likely to “Do” instead of “Don’t.”
Robert M. Snyder June 27th, 2015 at 22:53
I never meant to say that abstinence ONLY was smart. Please see my response to Ganymede425, just below this one.
bpollen June 28th, 2015 at 02:24
However did your repeated emphasis on abstinence – and how thinking that not everybody complies is insulting – give people the impression that you are talking about COMPREHENSIVE sex-ed?
burqa June 27th, 2015 at 20:47
Robert M. Snyder: “Like with every other social group, some of them are capable of resisting their desires, and others are not.”.
I could not disagree more strongly. Show me the young person who is not capable of resisting their desires.
I used to see it all the time at college keg parties. This was back when the drinking age was 18 and one reason I began taking classes at the local college the summer before my senior year in high school.
Students get all caught up in the excitement of the loud music, the atmosphere and the various intoxicants and sleep with someone they would not have otherwise. There was a stereotype about freshmen being away from home for the first time being particularly susceptible to this. I also knew students who would keep on partying even as their grades dropped and they eventually dropped out.
In other aspects of life we see people doing things they know are not in their best interest. Alcoholics and drug addicts, for example, are often unable to do what they know they should. People who are obese will sometimes go out and buy, then eat a gallon of ice cream.
Look at all the people who drink and drive. Don’t you think they all know they should not do it?
Psychologically it is quite common for the emotional part of the brain to dominate the logical part and for people to do what they know is not in their best interest.
This is human nature.
We have come up with various standards we repeatedly fail to uphold and we have systems of logic that we regularly fail to adhere to because humans are innately illogical and we drive ourselves and everyone else crazy because of it..
whatthe46 June 28th, 2015 at 03:22
“I can teach people all the reasons why not stealing is the best choice, but I still lock my doors at night.” what a fk’n awesome analogy.
bpollen June 28th, 2015 at 06:56
I’m like Sheldon Cooper – was that snark or sincerity?
fahvel June 28th, 2015 at 02:14
is there any one or thing in that bubble with you?
infojunkie June 28th, 2015 at 06:06
Probably some poor girl in his dungeon. He had to go and get all rapey because he just couldn’t control his urges.
tracey marie June 27th, 2015 at 15:41
twisting his words, he said capable of not sexually assaulting someone. Did you teach your son that?
burqa June 27th, 2015 at 20:22
Bristol Palin:
“everyone should be abstinent or whatever but it’s not realistic at all.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2015/06/25/bristol-palin-is-pregnant-again-and-doesnt-want-a-lecture-about-it/
BigDumbWhiteGuy June 27th, 2015 at 18:26
Of course children are capable of abstaining from sex, but it is ridiculous to assume that all will simply because someone tells them to do so. While the promotion of abstinence certainly has it’s place within sexual education, so does teaching kids how to protect themselves should they decide to engage in sex. Abstinence-only programs promote a religious view of when sex is appropriate, in addition to the outright lies they tell with the aid of federal tax dollars.
burqa June 27th, 2015 at 20:18
Robert M. Snyder: “How can anyone believe that young people are capable of this level of self-control, but are not capable of abstinence? How does the following sentence make sense?”
I think realistically, these are more goals or ideals rather than things everyone, especially young people, can do every time.
Bristol Palin said as much in 2009:
“everyone should be abstinent or whatever but it’s not realistic at all.”
I used to be pretty nasty posting about the Palins and would drop the word “bastard” in post after post because I remember when the issue of finding ways to help single mothers came up in the late 80s and early 90s. The conservatives, of course, were against giving any help at all, figuring it would be inviting more behavior they wanted to discourage. They were quite hard on young single mothers and would drop the word “bastard” frequently.
One of their major arguments was giving any sort of assistance would not only encourage more girls to get knocked up, but that this was destroying our society.
Am I the only one here who recalls Dan Quayle’s Murphy Brown fiasco?
One wonders if he has commented on Bristiol Palin.
jasperjava June 27th, 2015 at 21:17
The time Dan Quayle took on a fictional character, and lost.
Classic.
It’s frightening to think that we spent four years with that moron only a heartbeat away from the presidency.
I always wondered why George Bush chose him to be his VP. Then we learned that it was because he reminded him of his eldest son.
burqa June 27th, 2015 at 21:30
an it was a fictional GURL character he lost to, too…..
I’ve not heard that Quayle reminded GHW of his eldest son, but it doesn’t surprise me. I think Bush was trying to shake things up and figured Quayle would help the GOP attract more young voters.
The whole thing was a debacle, beginning with the announcement of Quayle as Veep and the absence of any preparation for the poor guy.
Now that I think of it, I can’t recall Quayle ever addressing a GOP convention. One would think as former veep he would get a prime speaker’s slot, but shoot, the last couple times they didn’t even have Bush Jr. speak….
infojunkie June 28th, 2015 at 06:00
Yes, we expect our significant other not to rape us. Is that too much too ask? I would say your logic is convoluted, but in fact, it isn’t even logic.
Warman1138 June 27th, 2015 at 20:37
Knowledge is power and denial of knowledge disempowers. To deny young people knowledge is to deny them better lives and the ability to better the lives of others.