The failure of abstinence

I’m not totally certain whether or not this is a can of worms that should be revisited, but the Palin family is in the news again.

Specifically, Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol has volunteered to thrust herself back into the public eye – and for what must be considered a good cause.

If you remember, Bristol was a brief campaign issue, when it was revealed that she was pregnant out of wedlock at age 18 and when she subsequently had the baby.

This was relevant because her mother was a supporter of the Republican party-line on sex education – abstinence only – with no room for education on safe sex practices that could prevent pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Bristol was a kind of standard for those who wanted proof that abstinence-only methods were ineffective.

And now, she may be joining that camp.

Bristol gave an interview for FOX News – which, evidently, is still Palin-obsessed – in which she said “everyone should be abstinent, but it’s not realistic.”

And her mother agreed, saying her previously held views sound “naive” and that “life happens.”

I never thought I would say this, but I agree with the Palins.

This country needs to wake up to the fact that people have sex before they are married, and no number of awkward presentations from adults about staying out of the “underwear zone” are going to keep them from doing it.

Failing to teach young adults about the proper methods of having sex (relatively) safely only seems to lead to unsafe sex.

Bristol Palin is a prime example of this. Her mother is a prominent politician who, in the past, was an advocate for abstinence. And even she didn’t listen.

It seems that the more conservative side of this nation should be able to get behind an expansion of safe sex education. Of course, the religious right doesn’t want unwed people to have sex ever, but that is just not going to happen.

They are quite opposed to abortion, as we all know. Contraception prevents pregnancy, and preventing unplanned and unwanted pregnancy prevents abortions by proxy.

As a free speech advocate and an American, I obviously have no problem with anti-abortion advocates protesting the practice and trying to get policy changed through the courts and Congress.

But you would think that in the meantime, while waiting for those measures to work (if they ever do), they would look to secondary measures as well. Birth control, which I’m sure isn’t the preferred route, would at least in some way accomplish that goal.

If Bristol Palin’s goal is to help rationalize American sex education, then I’m glad to have her – and even her mother – on my side. It’s been a long time coming and it could be a huge help to the health of our nation’s young adults.

We probably shouldn’t know as much about Bristol as we do, but it’s good to see her trying to use her fame to benefit others.