Palin backed abstinence-only education

Posted: Monday, September 01, 2008 1:27 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Sarah Palin

From NBC's Katie Primm and Mark Murray
By the way, as has been pointed out, Palin backed abstinence-only education during her 2006 gubernatorial race. In an Eagle Forum Alaska questionnaire, Palin gave this response to the following question:

Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

Palin: Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.

*** UPDATE *** NBC's Abby Livingston adds that a McCain spokesperson in May 2007 said the Arizona Republican supported abstinence-only education, too. "Sen. McCain believes the correct policy for educating young children on this subject is to promote abstinence as the only safe and responsible alternative. To do otherwise is to send a mixed signal to children that, on the one hand they should not be sexually active, but on the other here is the way to go about it. As any parent knows, ambiguity and equivocation leads to problems when it comes to teaching children right from wrong. Sen. McCain believes that there are many negative forces in today’s society that promote irresponsible and dangerous behavior to our children. The public education system should not join this chorus of moral equivocation and ambiguity.”

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Comments

Well, I guess we see how well that worked...

Debbie Murphy, Little Rock, AR (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:32 PM)

Why is it considered a "smear" to ask the very simple question "Did Gov. Palin give birth to her fifth child?"

Why is that question so hard to answer?

What does her 17 year old daughter being currently pregnant have to do with anything? Just another distraction.

Save all the "appalled" posts, and just answer the simple question - is the baby yours Governor? This should be an EASY rumor to refute . . . so why hasn't the McCain campaign produced any SOLID evidence?

P.S. Barack Obama has been asked to "prove" he loves America . . . so don't act like being asked questions is something new . . . it's part of running for President.

Nashville_fan (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:34 PM)

So you would assume that if she wanted abstinence education in school, she certainly taught it to her daughter.

How'd that work out?

Steve (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:34 PM)

So how did that work out for her daughter.........

Graig, NY (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:35 PM)

guess her daughter missed all the classes.........

grace, san jose, california (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:35 PM)

She should really rethink her position considering her daughter's current condition...

SEB (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:35 PM)

When we live in a world with so much info available for our children (yes, sometimes too much), I want my children and grand children to have these available to them. That's the choice we have today. People like Todd and Sara don't have the kind of openmindness I am will to support. I respect their opinions tho!

cindy, Las Vegas, Nv (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:35 PM)

Abstinence statistically does not work. Here is another example.

Jane, Kansas (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:35 PM)

Baked Alaska the gift that keeps on giving!No I will change it to Half Baked Alaska.

RENEA (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:35 PM)

Well perhaps she should have enrolled her daughter in a more comprehensive sex education course. What kind of MOTHER is this-- not that she has a teenager that is facing a major life challenge and that she has a 4 month old with Down's syndrom and all of the issues facing her family. But that when asked to join McCain on a grueling campaign, open her family to scrutiny and certainly NOT be there for her family during this time is ridiculous!

This is embarrassing and I now wonder if John MCain has Dementia..... does he really want to be President?

Roberta Durham, NC (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:36 PM)

Of course she did. She is a republican!!
Further proof the the republican party is
totally out of touch with reality.
Unwanted pregnacies happen to many, so am
not saying anything to hurt, point fingers
at her daughter.
But, perhaps a condom could have prevented this?
Whoops, sorry pubs, used a dirty word.

katiec Pekin, IL (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:37 PM)

...and see how well that worked in real life, Sarah. I tell you, my parents did a great job raising me, but nothing kept me safe more then the sex-ed pictures in 8th grade of STD's. That was in Alaskan public schools, I might add. You can preach abstinence, but that other stuff works too.

I'm one of that 90% approving Sarah's job in Alaska, but she never presented herself to us as a strict social conservative, we liked her for other reasons. Now she's doing nothing but preach how religious and holy she is and it's making me kindof nervous. I guess Alaskan politics don't translate well to the national stage. Can't we ever just talk about our fat federal budget and how 8% of it is interest on our national debt for a change? We could cut income taxes in half if we had no national debt... I'd say that's a bit more important then whether you go to church 4 times a month or 3.

Brian Fleming, Anchorage AK (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:37 PM)

If Barack Obama had a daughter of child bearing age who was pregnant but unmarried during this campaign, we can only imagine the horrific commentary the right would be ginning out at this time.

Katy Cannady, Alexandria, Virginia (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:38 PM)

Husband DUI, abstinence, daughter pregnant, Sarah Palin fired trooper or trooper boss ..... vs obama mentor jeremiah wright, obama friend TERRORIST and board member bill ayers, obama fund raiser and close friend tony rezko ...... WOW.... GEE.. GOSH.. Who's more un-American.
IS THIS THE OFFICIAL OBAMA/BIDEN CAMPAIGN SMEAR PALIN NETWORK AND BLOG.
C'mon guys, surely you can be more BLATANT in your preference for obama than this.
Mark I always thought you and Chucky T were the sane voices at msnbc so don't muck it up with this obama talking points.

Stewart, Bethesda, MD (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:38 PM)

And we see how successful this is!

Sandra, Chicago, IL (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:38 PM)

Babygate, bridgegate, DUIgate, troopergate: it all adds up to vettinggate. When did the GOP become so incompetent?

Ron in Reno (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:39 PM)

Where there's smoke, there's fire.
BabyGate
TrooperGate
Bridge to nowhereGate
Hillary's a whinerGate
18 month's in officeGate
McCains's an old foolGate
Where does it end?

Lyn, MD (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:39 PM)

This hurrican is the ultimate for the Republicans. It gave them a weak excuse for Cheney and Bush not to speak or appear. It allowed them to bring out the news of Palin's high school daughter being pregnant and her husband having a DUI (while blaming the liberal bloggers) and the press does minimal reporting on it.

David St Louis Missouri (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:40 PM)

**HeadDesk** idiot, idiot, idiot. Also note her response on the pledge of allegiance as DailyKos as already pointed out. She doesn't realize that the pledge was not created by the founding fathers.

IDIOT!

Mark Smith, New York, NY (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:40 PM)

Gee, I am shocked. A republican supporting abstinence only. What next...The Sun Will Rise In The West?

Marty in Kansas City (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:40 PM)

That didn't turn out so good now, did it? What kind of selfish mother would put her daughter in the national spotlight like this? And what kid of presidential candidate would knowingly apooint a VP like this on the basis of "conservative family values"? She clearly failed as a mother. If she couldn't take care of her own kids, how is she going to take care of this country? Is the msm going to ask these questions or are they too scared?

wow (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:40 PM)

Worked like a charm for her family...daughter pregnant now...hmmm....the more I find out about this person the more I am thinking she is a kook....nice job of vetting by the old senile guy.

John Williams, Murrietta, California (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:40 PM)

Not only does she promote 'abstinence', but it looks like she also promotes TEEN MARRIAGE.

Getting pregnant can be an in-the-moment mistake. But getting married too?????

Now, that's a terrible, terrible mistake.

-----------------------------------------------------

Now, go check out how Sarah Palin did NOT say 'no thanks' to the bridge to nowhere.....After the funding (from Washington) was drastically reduced--(and 'the bridge to nowhere' had plenty of bad press)-- the bridge could NOT be built.

There was not enough funding to do the damn bridge!!!

jmp, northern MN (Sent Monday, September 01, 2008 1:40 PM)

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