COMMENTARY | Sarah Palin is known for her strong beliefs against sex before marriage. She is staunchly opposed to sex education for teenagers as well the distribution of contraceptives in schools paid for by tax dollars.
In September 2008, Sarah's 17-year-old daughter Bristol announced that she was five months pregnant while her mother continued to support beliefs that obviously do not work within her own family. That year she also voted to cut funding to a program that helped support teen mothers, according to the Washington Post.
In the ultimate hypocrisy, Bristol went on to earn more than $260,000 in 2009 as an advocate against teen pregnancy while at the same time admitting that abstinence was not realistic.
In a not so surprising turn-of-events, the news that Sarah's son Track is expecting a baby with his wife Britta was just released Thursday.
Pictures of the new bride posted on Facebook show that she is rather obviously expecting, while her marriage took place just two months ago.
The quick ceremony prompted many to ask whether Britta was pregnant, but supporters of conservative Sarah became extremely upset, continuing to argue that the new couple was not expecting. It certainly seemed like a shot-gun wedding, and today it was finally confirmed that the pregnancy came before the marriage.
Track apparently did not listen to his mother's or sister's advice, and I wonder how long it will be before the rest of the Palins are multiplying faster than a calculator.
People said the family has not responded to a request for a comment in regard to the pregnancy.
Rosie Pope, star of the Bravo show "Pregnant in Heels," said of Britta's posted pictures, "In my opinion it looks like she is more than four months along, as it is not customary to have a baby shower so early in a pregnancy and first-time moms usually take longer to pop," according to the New York Daily News.
The Palins make an excellent example for the latest research on abstinence education. The National Sexuality Resource Center's Sexuality Research and Social Policy completed a recent study that showed abstinence-only education does not delay or prevent teens from having sex. These same programs that Palin and many other conservatives support have received $1.5 billion in federal funding.
The editor of the academic journal of SRSP, Brian Devries, stated, "Sex educators know. Teens know. Parents know. And the research shows it. When will our policies and interventions reflect what science, research and best practices demonstrate? We need comprehensive sexuality education that is truly comprehensive."
With a second premarital pregnancy in the Palin family, how much more proof do our hypocritical politicians and ultra conservative right-wing Christians need?