Bristol Palin Interview: Hardly the Typical Teen Pregnancy Hardship Story

Boohoo.. This is a good article though, read it. Poor little Bristol should read up on little Alfie Patten for advice on teen pregnancies, or not. And 50 out of 1000 births is not considerd low in europe where the UK has one of the highest with 28 and low and behold Sweden, one of the most unreligious (and therefore imoral) countrys in the world has 7 teen pregnancys per 1000 births.
In fact the US has one of the highest in the developed world. Why

The New York Times blog, the Caucus, noted today that Bristol Palin sat for her "first interview since giving birth to Tripp" last night when she went on the air with FOX's Greta Sustern. Bristol Palin is the 18 year old daughter of former vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin created a public stir when she announced during the presidential campaign that her teen daughter was pregnant.

But back to the Bristol Palin interview. First interview? Since when do we expect teens whose only public "accomplishment" is becoming pregnant out of wedlock and giving birth to give series of interviews? Do we expect that teens like Bristol Palin who make the mistake of unintentionally becoming pregnant become some sort of instant experts on teen pregnancy?

Other than the tabloid factor, why should anyone care what this one particular teenage mom says about teen pregnancy? Bristol Palin is one of hundreds of thousands of teens who experience teen pregnancy each year. Is there anything that makes her story compelling?

And what sort of expert is Bristol Palin on the occurrence of teen pregnancy? In her interview with van Sustern, Bristol Palin says abstinence is the best policy but it's not realistic. When pressed for a reason, Palin finally said that it [having sex] is so accepted now.

Perhaps Bristol Palin did not get the word that teen pregnancy is in fact near a historic low although it did increase slightly in 2006. According to the Centers for Disease Control, of the 41.9 live births per 1000 women ages 15-19 in 2006 (435.427 total), 80% were unintended.

Is Bristol Palin even close to typical? No. The typical pregnant teen- unlike Bristol Palin- receives minimal prenatal care. The typical pregnant teen- unlike Bristol Palin whose mother is a governor- lives in poverty. And Bristol Palin has a large network of extended relatives to help her care for her baby so she can continue her schooling, unlike the average pregnant teen who drops out of school. Smoking, low birthweight, these are issues associated with teen pregnancy- issues off Bristol Palin's radar.

Bristol Palin may be losing some sleep and be adjusting to her new identity as mom first, teen second, but she is hardly the face of teen pregnancy in America.

The Bristol Palin interview added nothing to the national discussion of causes or prevention of teen pregnancy. Greta van Sustern of FOX may believe she attained a quasi celebrity coup by interviewing Bristol Palin, but if she wanted to know the true hardship of teen pregnancy, she should have chosen a more typical pregnant teen to interview.