Brianne Ries

Teenagers get pregnant all the time, it’s not just Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears. Shocking, I know.

So why is it that when high-profile teenagers are expecting more than a high school diploma the media latches on and refuses to let go?

Thanks to the media coverage of these high-profile teenage pregnancies, misconceptions are created about how “easy” it is to be a teenage mom.

In the case of Palin and Spears, an odd fairytale is portrayed, showing that with pregnancy comes marriage and a happy family.

Don’t get me wrong; that can happen. But in reality, it is rare. The media doesn’t ever focus on teenage moms who are doing it on their own, barely making ends meet to provide a loving and stable environment for their baby.

Not to say that Palin and Spears haven’t had their share of difficulties, but at the end of the day their high-profile lifestyles make them pretty well off.

The whole fiasco surrounding Bristol is, quite frankly, ridiculous. As far as the hype in the media realm, she is not the one that is going to be governing the country, so let her be at peace and plan her wedding.

I seriously doubt that this will have that detrimental of an effect on Sarah Palin’s role if she is elected vice president. Maybe the fact that she has her own clan of kids makes it seem challenging, but parents balance career and family all the time.

I believe that questioning the parenting skills of young Palin’s or Spears’ wayward parents is not fair. You can’t have a leash on your teens 24 hours a day (maybe a tracking device, but that is a completely different story). You remember what it was like to be a teen: moody, angst-filled, waiting for every opportunity to defy your parents. That is what teenagers do.

What I do question is if in light of all of this, Sarah Palin’s views on abstinence-only education have shifted. Chances are probably not, and that is very distressing.

Sarah Palin has advocated abstinence-only programs and look how well that went. Her own daughter is the epitome of what happens when teens aren’t taught the basics of real sex education. Somewhat ironic, don’t you think?

Teens have sex. Teens get pregnant. A shotgun wedding is not going to cover up the fact that, gasp, kids have sex before marriage. That is just reality. If politicians could stop being so naïve and step up to the plate, our teens and our country as a whole would be a lot better off.