The pregnancy of 17-year-old Bristol Palin may be off-limits, but as the 9/6 Editorial noted, it brings up the concern of teen pregnancy in America.
Every year I read about the purity ball that’s held for fathers and daughters at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Though I find the ritual rather quaint, I agree with its founders that a close relationship between fathers and daughters greatly diminishes the temptation for early sexual behavior in young women.
My father was hardly religious, yet of all the influences in my own life, I’d have to credit the unconditional love I received from Dad for giving me the sense of self worth to say “no” to men before I felt emotionally ready for a sexual relationship.
Some statistics show the rate of teen pregnancies is particularly high among evangelical Christians like the Palins. Liberals might argue that this is because the abstinence-only sex education evangelicals support doesn’t work. Conservatives might argue liberals are more likely to have an abortion, and thus aren’t reflected in teen pregnancy statistics. Whatever the cause, teen motherhood is not only accepted by young people of all political backgrounds, but appears to be somewhat revered.
This is a big change from when I was young. When my freshman college roommate became pregnant in high school, her Christian parents sent her away to a home where she had her baby and gave it up for adoption. Though I appreciate the increased societal acceptance of teen mothers, the media parading of something that was once kept secret to protect a young woman’s feelings troubles me.
In particular, the public spectacle made of Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears makes America look not so much like a Christian nation as a fertility cult, with a whole generation of young fertility goddesses.
The good news is that a young woman who doesn’t receive unconditional love from her earthly father can still receive that love from her Heavenly Father. The bad news is that evangelical Christians, in their zeal to win elections, have dumped that loving Heavenly Father for a god of “values.”
Every year I read about the purity ball that’s held for fathers and daughters at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Though I find the ritual rather quaint, I agree with its founders that a close relationship between fathers and daughters greatly diminishes the temptation for early sexual behavior in young women.
My father was hardly religious, yet of all the influences in my own life, I’d have to credit the unconditional love I received from Dad for giving me the sense of self worth to say “no” to men before I felt emotionally ready for a sexual relationship.
Some statistics show the rate of teen pregnancies is particularly high among evangelical Christians like the Palins. Liberals might argue that this is because the abstinence-only sex education evangelicals support doesn’t work. Conservatives might argue liberals are more likely to have an abortion, and thus aren’t reflected in teen pregnancy statistics. Whatever the cause, teen motherhood is not only accepted by young people of all political backgrounds, but appears to be somewhat revered.
This is a big change from when I was young. When my freshman college roommate became pregnant in high school, her Christian parents sent her away to a home where she had her baby and gave it up for adoption. Though I appreciate the increased societal acceptance of teen mothers, the media parading of something that was once kept secret to protect a young woman’s feelings troubles me.
In particular, the public spectacle made of Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears makes America look not so much like a Christian nation as a fertility cult, with a whole generation of young fertility goddesses.
The good news is that a young woman who doesn’t receive unconditional love from her earthly father can still receive that love from her Heavenly Father. The bad news is that evangelical Christians, in their zeal to win elections, have dumped that loving Heavenly Father for a god of “values.”
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