In announcing on Monday that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant, Sarah Palin, John McCain’s choice for a running mate, added a quick qualification that might, in another era, have eliminated the potential for embarrassment: The 17-year-old girl was to be married to the 18-year-old father of the baby.
He would be the gentleman, she would be the lady, and with the backing of a strong family they would do what was expected of them. That would, of course, be consistent with the views of Ms. Palin, a mother of five children (including one with Down syndrome) who opposes abortion.
Bristol’s impending nuptials to Levi Johnston (no date has been given) did not stir up nearly the same hullabaloo as the revelation of her pregnancy, on the eve of the Republican convention. But it is teenage marriage today, not teenage pregnancy, that is the rarity. And, statistics show, teenage marriages tend not to endure.
Discussion Starters
1.) People typically are waiting longer before deciding to marry than they have in previous generations. People use to marry young, in part, due to necessity, but in recent decades, young couples tend not to stay together. Given Bristol Palin’s situation, do you think it’s appropriate she should marry the father? Why or why not? Do you think she will be held up as a role model for other teens who find themselves in a similar circumstance?
2.) How do you counsel members of your youth group on the subjects of becoming sexually active, dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, whether or not they should marry, and making the necessary decisions once the baby is born?
3.) Numerous biblical stories deal with pregnancy, praying for children, and handling family relations once babies are born. Scholars say Mary, mother of Jesus, was about 14 when she gave birth to the Messiah. Have you found students trying to justify sexual activity based on this data? How do you explain the uniqueness of her situation? Based on
