Bristol Palin (daughter of everyone’s favourite Tina Fey impression, Sarah Palin) has announced on her blog the birth of her second child. Which is lovely. Birth. Life. Great times. Except for the fact that she has become the face of the Candies Foundation, which pays her $262,500 a year to advocate abstinence.
Palin became an advocate against teen pregnancy way back in 2009, when at the tender age of 17 she became pregnant with her first child. She did a bunch of interviews and public service announcements as well as speeches at town halls and schools, preaching the message of abstinence and warning others away from the path she took.
Furthermore, she told young couples to avoid practising safe sex completely and instead, take up abstinence as the most sure-fire means of contraception, presumably for all the fun and gratification that it offers. Sadly, she was unable to heed her own advice.
If you have ever watched MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, you’ll know that being young and having a baby isn’t exactly a stroll in the daisies. That shit is tough, and I don’t mean to make light of that struggle for anyone. But, the Palin situation is a different kettle of fish. Here’s why:
The not-for-profit abstinence charity she works for spent seven times what they spent on actual pregnancy prevention, on her fucking wages in 2010. Seven times! They were far more concerned with putting minks on her back than stopping sperm in her crack.
She followed that up with a solemn vow on national television that she wouldn’t have sex until after marriage. She has then proceeded to have her second child outside of wedlock.
Now look, everyone breaks promises here and there, just ask the Liberal government. But if you’re a public figure and you break a televised promise, you have to expect to be held accountable for it, if not by your electorate then at least by the internet.
Finally, if you spend your time touring the conservative states of America telling the young and impressionable/horny as shit teenagers to throw away their condoms, ditch those contraceptive pills and flush that spermicide down the toilet because just-not-fucking is a better idea, after your second child, you have to ask the question: is abstinence really the way to go? Maybe safe sex isn’t such a bad idea after all? Maybe I should’ve kept those condoms…
Palin said on her blog that, ‘I know this has been, and will be, a huge disappointment.’ Which, given her situation, is understandable, but is also a pretty devastating way to bring a life into the world.
For more insight into the wonderful world of Bristol Palin you can read her blog here.
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Words by Patrick Cullen.
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