ELECTION 2008 | Newspapers Examine Reaction To GOP VP Nominee Palin's Announcement of Daughter's Pregnancy
[Sept. 4, 2008]

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Wednesday accepted the vice presidential nomination for the Republican Party at the party's national convention in St. Paul, Minn., the AP/Washington Post reports (Espo, AP/Washington Post, 9/4). Several print publications recently reported on the reaction to the nomination, as well as the announcement that her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. Summaries appear below.

~ ABC News: ABC News examined how the announcement of Bristol Palin's pregnancy has "reignited" debate over whether abstinence-only education programs, which Palin supports, are effective in curbing teenage pregnancies. According to ABC News, sexual health experts "overwhelmingly" agree that comprehensive sex education programs are a more effective strategy in reducing teen births than abstinence-only programs (Childs, ABC News, 9/3).

~ Miami Herald: The Herald examined views of teen pregnancy among South Florida teens, of whom 7,000 become pregnant annually, as well as parents in the region. According to the Herald, the presence of teen pregnancy in the news has provided an opportunity for parents to discuss sex and pregnancy with their children (Kaleem, Miami Herald, 9/4).

~ New York Daily News: The "unwed pregnancy" of Bristol Palin "has been spun" by Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's (Ariz.) "message-managers as an example of strong family values," the Daily News reports. According to the Daily News, the "muted, nonjudgmental" reaction of social conservative leaders lies in contrast to conservatives' praise of former Vice President Dan Quayle's (R) criticism in 1992 of the show "Murphy Brown," in which the title character had a child out of wedlock (DeFrank, New York Daily News, 9/4).

~ New York Times: Reporting on Bristol's plans to marry the father of her child, the Times cites studies that show teenage marriages today are two to three times more likely to end in divorce than marriages between people ages 25 or older. According to the Times, even some experts who "acknowledge that teenage marriage is a risky proposition" said that marriage is a "healthier choice" for the pregnant woman than single motherhood (Kershaw, New York Times, 9/4).

~ Philadelphia Inquirer: The Inquirer examines whether the public's perception of teen pregnancy has changed in light of Palin's daughter's pregnancy and other recent high-profile teen pregnancies (Pompilio, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/4).

~ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The "'Mommy Wars' -- the seemingly endless debate over whether mothers should work or stay home with their kids" -- has "erupted" over the choice of Palin as McCain's running mate, the Post-Gazette reports. According to the Post-Gazette, many women can relate to Palin's situation, considering that the most recent government statistics available show that nearly two-thirds of mothers in the country with preschool-age children were in the work force in 2003 (Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/3).

Broadcast Coverage

~ NPR's "Tell Me More" on Wednesday included a discussion on the media and public reaction to Palin's vice presidential nomination. The segment includes comments from women's rights advocate Swanee Hunt, conservative commentator Janice Crouse and abortion-rights advocate Ellen Moran ("Tell Me More," NPR, 9/3).





The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

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