Newspapers Examine Reaction To GOP VP Nominee Palin's Announcement Of Daughter's Pregnancy

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<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090300488.html>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 <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5711359&page=1>: ABC
Newsexamined 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<http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/671263.html>:
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
Newsreports. 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<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/fashion/04marriage.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>:
Reporting on Bristol's plans to marry the father of her child, the
Timescites 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<http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20080904_Teen_pregnancy_s_new_twist.html>:
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<http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08247/908943-470.stm>:
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).