Pregnancy issue isn't black/white - or Brown

Not so much the sitcom of old, although I did watch it regularly and loved Candice Bergen 's sass and style as TV reporter Murphy Brown.

[Moon otter]

So much for family values. Apparemtly it is okay in the eyes of the Republican that a 17 year old is pregnant not married and say it is okay because she is marrying the father an 18 year old. I don't get this at all. Am I missing the point? As far as I am concern the Republicans need to take a good look at themselves. Sarah Palin's values are her values not anyone else values because apparently her daughter doesn't follow those same values. From a Republican, wake up and smell the coffee because either you accept it or not. Peolpe make choices bad or good and we shouldn't be judgemental about it. I have no right to force my views or standards another person. It is their personal choice and the Republicans need to figure this out. Let's follow the Constitution of the Uniteds States.

[MnS]

Right on! You tell 'em how we feel.

[Pam]

What I don't like is how the spouse and/or children are paraded around in front of us like whores at a slave auction during the good times but than we are told that when something goes wrong it is none of our business. It's all or nothing - if you are going to use your family as a marketing tool than we should be allowed to see all the 'not wearing underwear' moments as well.

[BaltoGal]

The rightwing Republican spin machine grinds on, heedless, and certainly shameless. The hypocrisy of these people is staggering.

[Fake-Name-Guy]

This would be a complete non-issue if Palin weren't a supporter of "abstinence only" sex ed policies. But she is, so it's a case of the stork coming home to roost.

Abstinence works.

[Mater]

Obama was born to a poor unwed white teen girl. He comes from my people. And I'm glad abortion was not so easy to come by back then, or we might not have an Obama to kick around now.

[christina]

I am surprised this women is aloud to write for a newspaper when she is not smart enough to figure out the difference between the vice president getting pregnant out of wedlock and a 17 yr. old girl getting pregnant out of wedlock. This comparison lacks common sense and I'm surprised they would even publish it. I think she needs to wake up and realize that teenagers are having sex and even with protection and being taught everything that is right they still mess up. This girl also is going through obviously a hard time and does not need to be talked about and exploited, it just makes everything more difficult for and she should be concentrating on becoming a mom not people criticizing her. The difference here is she is a child who made a mistake not a 40 yr. old women trying to make a statement about raising a kid without a father which everyone knows is more difficult and not the ideal situation for a child to grow up in. So I'm not really sure what is so hard to understand I don't know I guess when it comes to bashing people there is little common sense involved.

[Ava]

I would like to when the last time you were able to control every move your child made at 17, if you think you are your fooling yourself. It is not her fault her daughter got pregnant obviously she didn't follow her mothers advice or this wouldn't have happened. At least her daughter has been taught well enough to do whats right from now on. And no one ever said it was right, asking people to not say nasty things about a seventeen yr. old girl should be something adults should know to do I think we were all teenagers one and remember sneaking and doing things we weren't supposed to. I think we need to act like adults and realize it is not our place to judge and we have no right to criticize someone else when we all make mistakes on a daily basis.

[Hmmmm]

christina wrote:

I am surprised this women is aloud to write for a newspaper when she is not smart enough to figure out the difference between the vice president getting pregnant out of wedlock and a 17 yr. old girl getting pregnant out of wedlock. This comparison lacks common sense and I'm surprised they would even publish it. I think she needs to wake up and realize that teenagers are having sex and even with protection and being taught everything that is right they still mess up. This girl also is going through obviously a hard time and does not need to be talked about and exploited, it just makes everything more difficult for and she should be concentrating on becoming a mom not people criticizing her. The difference here is she is a child who made a mistake not a 40 yr. old women trying to make a statement about raising a kid without a father which everyone knows is more difficult and not the ideal situation for a child to grow up in. So I'm not really sure what is so hard to understand I don't know I guess when it comes to bashing people there is little common sense involved.

You do realize that Murphy Brown is the name of a character and show, not a real live 40-year old woman, right?

[Christina]

You do realize that people and children watch t.v. and mimic behaviors they see on t.v. don't you. People also judge what they think is acceptable by what there favorite characters do on t.v. or is that over your head.

[Bert Gore]

Jean says it's hard to cherry-pick which chapters are fair game and which are off-limits. Oh really, as Obama and Biden stated 'Children are off limits'. Go after Sarah but leave her kids alone. Jean also says she doesn't believe Bristol should be hidden away. But then complains when the family arrives together at the airport. Should she have stayed in Alaska or taken a separate plane?

Sarah Palin is tough and hopefully so is her family.

[Hmmmm]

Yeah, I'm sure the children today are really running out to Best Buy to pick up those copies of Murphy Brown to teach them everything about sex. It is TV's fault!

[Politics]

It's not a political issue, just a cheap stab. It's a necessary cheap stab for the Democrats to make. The founders and promoters of teen pregnancy are showing their true feelings on the subject because they can't get into a real political debate with the Governor they've never known existed. Nice job, separatists. Try unity for a change, its a great thing. Work together. You're civil servants of all American people. You should, based on your own policies, be asking what you can do to help her...not bashing her mother.

[Christina]

No I doubt they will since Murphy brown was on how many years ago. Whats on t.v. now is what affects our kids. And don't tell me that it doesn't because I have kids. Seriously I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that the subjects they put on show are to gain acceptance for that particular subject. Writers of shows and movies admit that that is there reasoning for putting certain things in there show or movie. Thank you for proving my point about common sense, Yes thats exactly what I said all the kids are going to go out and get Murphy Brown dvd please can't you come up with a more educated argument then that.

[Margie]

Yep. What's changed is it's a Republican daughter that's having the baby out of wedlock.

[eleanor ruskey]

Why is everyone is such an uproar? When people started to make fun of little Chelsea Clinton at the beginning of the Clinton era, people said that she is just a kid, leave her out of it. When people made fun of little Amy Carter at the beginnin of the Carter era, people said that she is just a kid, leave her out of it. But of course they were the children of Democrats. When the children of President Bush partied, the stuff hit the fan. It was all over the paper. Now we have a strong intelligent Republican woman running for Vice President and her children are put up for all kinds of nasty comments. Suddenly no one is saying they are just kids, leave them out of it. None of this has anything to do with being a Vice President. Her daughter is not running for office. However, pot smoking, coke snorting Barak is running for President of the USA. Let's have a colume about that Ms. Marbella.

[fed up with the mess]

Mater wrote:

Obama was born to a poor unwed white teen girl. He comes from my people. And I'm glad abortion was not so easy to come by back then, or we might not have an Obama to kick around now.

Long as you call him Mr. President...kick on. He will be YOUR president come this NOv. Like it or not...kick it or not. Hick!

[Margie]

eleanor ruskey wrote:

However, pot smoking, coke snorting Barak is running for President of the USA.

You didn't seem to mind when draft-dodging, alcoholic, coke snorting GWB was running for office.

[sciencelady]

Again it would be a non issue if the mother were not such suppoter of abstinence. Had she not so vehemently opposed sex education in the school system in her domain, I really believe there would not have been such an uproar. But what about underage drinking, I understand there pictures of this same daughter and her friends on the web drinking. But we know that in the grand scheme of things, the lack of morality and family values, only apply to certain groups of people(mainly minorities).

[Hmmmm]

You talk about educated comments and all you keep saying is how bad television is, and how children just mimic what they see on television. Yet, nowhere do you say that good parenting and guidance can help to counter a lot of that, from simply monitoring what a child views not only on the television but the computer, as well.

Instead, you blame television, the show writers, and movies for children not having the parental supervision and open communication to discuss such issues. Writers can write whatever they want, and networks are free to put it on the air.

The responsibility of making sure that children do not have access to it does not rely on the networks, no matter how long or hard you want to stomp your feet or weakly attempt to insult someone to protest that fact.

You're free to blame shows like Murphy Brown, and that's your right, just as it was Dan Quayle's, but that still doesn't mean that is where the responsibility lies.