Dear Governor Palin,
I understand that you want to be the VP of a party that thinks no one should ever be able have an abortion no matter what. And you don’t believe in teaching kids about sex and STD’s and birth control. AND your 17 year old daughter is pregnant, still in high school and not married. AND you don’t want us to talk about it because it is your family.
Well Mrs Governor, it doesn’t work that way.
You see, your policies and your republican platform are terrible! They don’t work! Here are some examples:
Abstinence-only sex ed defies common sense. Education policy spreads ignorance, sends confusing message to teens
“One in eight youth are sexually experienced, having engaged in intercourse, oral sex or both before the age of 14,” the Journal of Adolescent Health reported in 2006. According to the Project Connect study, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: * “9 percent reported ever having sexual intercourse…and 8 percent ever had oral sex (active or receptive).” * “Of those who reported intercourse, 36 percent were age 11 or younger at first sex, 27 percent were 12, 28 percent were 13, and 9 percent were 14 or older.” * “Alarmingly, 43 percent of sexually experienced participants reported multiple sex partners.”
Kate Walsh: Abstinence-Only “Not Working.” Cites One-In-Four Teen Girl STDs Rate In U.S. As Proof Fed-Sponsored Sex Ed Needs Broadening
So we do get to talk about your policies. And we do get to talk about hypocrisy. You asked us to repect your family’s privacy, but you won’t respect my family’s privacy to make our own decisions!
“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that, as parents, we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned,” said Palin, 44, and her husband. “We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.” They asked the media to respect their child’s privacy.
How come she gets to make a decision but the rest of the girls and women in America don’t! You won’t even let me learn in school about all the decisions I might need to make!
Governor Palin, when I had my first boyfriend, my brother talked to me and to him about why we shouldn’t have sex. Actually, we had to sit down in my boyfriend’s living room with his parents and my brother and hear all about STD’s and love and all the reasons we were too young for sex. AND they told us about condoms and other ways of preventing pregnancy even though we promised to keep all hands above the waist until at least 16.
Did you have a talk like that with Bristol and her boyfriend? Did anyone show him how to use a condom? These are fair questions because of the policies you advocate for.
I am glad that Bristol decided to have her baby. Will she and her boyfriend raise it? Will they give it up for adoption? Who is going to pay for her to give birth? And for all the other doctor visits?
If you want your family life to stay private, the please don’t bring your family on stage with you when you campaign, and please stop being a hypocrite.
Sincerely,
Cassie
September 2, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Great letter; excellent observations and points of principles and convictions.
This letter comes to us at a critical time; the Republicans are insisting on “that double standard policy”… just in time for elections…
Remember Vice President Cheney’s lesbian daughter CAN get pregnant and raise a child in a LESBIAN FAMILY but you can’t, it’s highly frowned upon??
September 2, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Thank you for weighing in on this. Your viewpoint has a greater need to be heard than 99% of all the newsfolk who have opined on this matter.
I remember having “the talk” with my daughter. I gave her all the info I knew and said “I won’t be there to help you make the most important decisions of your life. Do your thinking now about where the boundaries are”
I’m so proud of her.
September 2, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Thanks for sharing, Cassie. This is a really good letter, well written, and well reasoned.
Bravo!
Regards,
Tengrain
September 2, 2008 at 10:41 pm
[...] Dear Governor Palin [...]
September 3, 2008 at 3:02 am
[...] Dear Governor Palin [...]
September 3, 2008 at 5:55 am
Outstanding! Great writing and you make excellent points from the teen POV.
Thank you!
September 3, 2008 at 3:29 pm
[...] Judging from this open letter to Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain picked the wrong woman. So we do get to talk about your policies. And we do get to talk about hypocrisy. You asked us to repect your family’s privacy, but you won’t respect my family’s privacy to make our own decisions! [...]
September 4, 2008 at 7:02 am
This is a very well-written letter. You seem to have a good handle on the issues, and an even better handle on your own personal responsibility.
I think some adults underestimate the ability of Emerging Adults to learn the basics of how their bodies, minds, emotions, and logic work in relationship to sex. My definition of Emerging Adults is: young people not yet ready to be completely responsible for themselves, yet too old to treat like babies. We should teach our E.A. how things work, and instill in them a sense of personal responsibility.
Abstinence only programs don’t work because the human animal is pre-conditioned to procreate. It is only by virtue of our intellect that we are able to reason our way through to responsible behavior. We need to teach our children and young adults how to use reason to achieve responsibility.
September 4, 2008 at 11:14 am
Dear Cassie,
This is going to be a very long comment because this is something I feel very passionately about.
Are you saying that teens should be allowed to have sex as long as they use some kind of device to control the girl getting pregnant? To me it also sounded like you were saying a condom would prevent STDs. Well, such diseases can’t be blocked that easily.
On the topic of Palin’s stance on abortion and a woman’s “choice”, this is something I have studied for a couple years.
Tell me, what is abortion? It’s when a woman becomes pregnant, decides she doesn’t want to be or doesn’t want the baby, goes to a clinic, and the doctor does the procedure. Just so you know, he takes a little, highly-powered vacuum cleaner, basically, and sucks the baby out, tearing it to shreds. Really, does that sound right to you? Maybe.
But, then, what is your stance on when a baby is an actual person?
There are four differences between an unborn child and you. One, size. At the beginning, an unborn child is very, very tiny, but quickly forming. Well, so is a toddler. A two-year-old is smaller than you and is not yet fully formed. Is he less of a person because of his size? Or, is the 500-pound man more of a person than you because of his size?
Second, development. In the womb, a child is rapidly developing everything he needs to live. A toddler has all these parts, but is still growing and devoloping. New teeth soon push their way in, new skin grows, their body grows. And an adolescent, such as a girl, develops what she needs in order to one day have a child of her own. So, is a toddler less of a person, or even an adolescent less of a person because they are not yet fully developed?
Developement also involves the brain. As we age, we gain more knowledge, we learn more things. Does this mean that the unborn child is less of a person than the preschooler, or the preschooler less of a person than a high schooler, or a high schooler less of a person than the wisest person on earth? And what about the mentally disabled? If a second-grader knows more than someone with mental problems, does that mean the disabled is less of a person than the elementry child?
Third, environment. An unborn child only knows his mother’s womb. That’s all he’s been exposed to so far. Let’s say you’re eating dinner with your family at some fast food place. At the same time, there’s a guy in the Space Needle eating a very fancy dinner. Is anyone more of a person because of the place they’re in?
Fourth, and final, dependency. An unborn child is very dependent on his mother. He eats what she puts into her system. He lives inside of her, so without her, he wouldn’t be living. A toddler is also very dependent. He needs guidance, food, clothing, shelter, education, love, things he looks to his parents for. Then, a teenager is trying to find his independence, but still relies on his parents for things as well. Then the adult isn’t totally indepenedent, but doesn’t depend on someone day after day. And as we age, we soon lose abilites and need to depend on people day after day again. Is the toddler less of a person because of his need for his parents? Or is an elderly person less of a person than the 40-year-old?
An argument that I’ve heard is that women have the right to choose what to do with their body. Okay, I get that, but is the child her body? The baby may be living inside of her, but that doesn’t make it her body. From day 1, all the baby’s chromosomes are there; the baby has his own DNA. Doesn’t that make him his own person? Isn’t it a scientific fact this if something has all the human DNA, it is in fact human, making it also a person? So, what makes a baby, that has all the human DNA from day 1, not a human and legal to kill? At day 22, the baby’s heart is formed and pumping blood through the tiny body. But this blood is his own, not his mother’s. So, it wouldn’t be her body with different blood, would it?
Let me also tell you some interesting facts about the American law. When a person decides to kill a pregnant woman, then killing the baby, and he is convicted, he is charged with two murders. And yet, if a woman simply doesn’t want the child she can go to a clinic and kill it without any charges.
In school, I have had a headache before and I was not allowed to take a simply Tylenol until I called my mom. But, if a girl becomes pregnant, the school can send her to the clinic and her parents never have to know.
Back to Sarah Palin. Yes, her 17-year-old, unmarried daughter is pregnant. But, what does that really mean? That Sarah Palin is a failure as a mom? That she didn’t teach her children properly? All it means is that her daughter made a mistake, but is bravely making the right choice to keep this child. Many times parents try to teach their kids what they believe to be right, but that doesn’t mean their children are going to obey. But, when her children have made a mistake, she encourages them and stands by them.
About learning about STDs, sex, and such in school. I personally don’t think it’s the school’s responsibility. The parents need to be teaching their children the decisions you’ll one day face, and train you to make the right decision. My mom and I, when I was 13, we went out one weekend and she explained everything to me and told me mistakes she’d made and how to make a right decision.
Birth control and condoms are not the answer. It’s actual sex among jr. high and high school students that needs to be dealt with. Do teens that young really need to be doing that?
I have been taught, and have chosen, to wait for marriage. Why not save such a precious gift for one person. I’ve heard some people say, “Well, why not be experienced in it?” Well, I just got a cut. Can I borrow that Band-Aid you have on your finger? No, that’s gross! But, guess, what it’s experienced! Why not use it? It’s the same way with sex.
Bristol and her boyfriend have made the right decision to have the baby and get married. Who cares how they’re going to pay for the hospital or doctor visits? It will be taken care of, I’m sure.
And about Sarah bringing her family onstage. What the heck are you getting on her about? She is very proud of her family. Why not bring them onstage to show the world? What would you say if Obama brought his family onstage? Isn’t he for keeping a girl’s life about abortions and such private, too?
These are my thoughts, and you may not agree with them, but I wanted to bring them out in the open.
Messenger
September 4, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Dear Messenger,
When I was five, my mom did not want me to cross the street by myself. But she taught me to look both ways and cross at the corner just in case I ever did cross. And guess what? One day I did. My kindergarten teacher taught me to look both ways also.
I am not saying they shouldn’t teach us abstinence in school. I am just saying that shouldn’t be ALL they teach us. Of COURSE we should wait, but some kids won’t. And some may get raped and should know about Plan B. And some may get married a week after high school ends and then they will have sex, but they may not be ready to be parents.
Are you in favor of teaching teenagers all the other things we need to know to be safe adults? Driver education? How to use a checkbook? How to dress for a job interview? How to write a college essay? Guess what? I am going to have adult relationships one day too! Maybe just one after I get married, but I need some sex ed for that one as well.
An abortion is not sucking a BABY out. It is not a baby yet. It might be a group of cells or an embryo, but not a baby.
But the point is, that if it is inside my body, then it should be my decision. Or my decision with my family and my doctor. It should not be the government’s decision. What if a pregnancy or a delivery would kill me? What if I have cancer and have to choose cancer treatment or a safe pregnancy? The fact that the president is Christian should not be the thing that decides which I pick. And what if I am just not ready to be a mom yet?
I don’t want Sarah Palin to hide her children. But if she wants to bring them on stage all the time then she can’t say that talking about them is off limits. And if she wants to talk in public about abortion and sex education, then those are topics that are open for talking about her also.
Cassie
September 5, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Messenger
So many points to debunk, so little time
“Are you saying that teens should be allowed to have sex as long as they use some kind of device to control the girl getting pregnant?”
Teens have sex whether adults “let” them or not. My high school–in a conservative church going community, where we opened football games with prayers and Jesus was invoked during our graduation–had so many pregnant students they opened a nursery. I lost my virginity at 17, not because someone “let” me, but because I wanted to. Sarah Palin probably wasn’t “letting” Bristol have sex, but it happened. Seeing things as you want them to be instead of how they are is never going to lead to a sound conclusion.
“To me it also sounded like you were saying a condom would prevent STDs. ”
A lot of STDs are stopped by proper condom use. A few are not. You know how kids can know which are which? Education.
“Many times parents try to teach their kids what they believe to be right, but that doesn’t mean their children are going to obey.”
And yet when teens know the actual dynamics and consequences of their actions, such mistakes happen much less often.
“The parents need to be teaching their children the decisions you’ll one day face, and train you to make the right decision.”
A lot of parents don’t, or even aren’t educated on the topic themselves. One of my friends, raised in a fundamentalist Christian home, was told that her period was a symbol of Eve’s sin and was taught that you can get AIDS by kissing.
“Birth control and condoms are not the answer. It’s actual sex among jr. high and high school students that needs to be dealt with.”
Teens have always had sex. Teens will always have sex. But you know what actually is statistically proven to lead to less teen sex and fewer pregnancies resulting from the reduced sex? Sex education! You know, not encouraging ignorance.
Birth control and condoms are not “the” answer, but they are “an” answer.
“Who cares how they’re going to pay for the hospital or doctor visits? It will be taken care of, I’m sure.”
Well, goodie for them. of course, the same ignorance merchants who push all this nonsense have made it way harder for working people to take care of such bills.
“And about Sarah bringing her family onstage. What the heck are you getting on her about? She is very proud of her family. Why not bring them onstage to show the world?”
You’re not very bright are you? the point isn’t that she can;t bring them on stage, the point is that she can’t play them as a photo op and advocate things that affect others’ families, and then say that their life is private and leave them alone.
“Isn’t he for keeping a girl’s life about abortions and such private, too?”
He’s not trying to ban abortions/birth control, so it’s not relevant.
September 5, 2008 at 2:58 pm
If Sarah Palin did not want the whole world talking about Bristol being pregnant and 17, then maybe she should not say yes to John McCain and agree to run for VP.
September 21, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Hey freckles,
Read your post, thought I should come up with a rejoinder to your claims, but… meh. I don’t think all the truth and logic in the world could convince you to see things past your point of view, soooo….
Feel free to say whatever you want. Hey, it’s constitutional. Oh, and with you being a “political” TEEN, it’s not like your opinion’s gonna count come election day… eh?
Just a thought.
Anon
October 2, 2008 at 8:56 am
Sounds like Mrs. Palin is hardly qualified to be a parent, let alone a legislator.
Add that to the list of jobs she never should have had (or have in the future).
October 4, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Trackback from my blog:
Odds and Sods – post Veep debate edition
Excellent post, indeed!
October 5, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I just wanted to say I thought your letter (and follow-up post to Messenger) were both extremely well thought out and well written. Somewhere here on this interweb thing there’s a great argument for the pro-choice side of the equation by likening it to a kidney transplant – just because my body (kidney) can save someone else does not mean that I am responsible for or required to do so. Just because my body can and may house a pregnancy does not make me required to continue with it especially at the expense of my body. You might like it, of course I don’t have the link for it.