Palin, Prejean and Pre-Marital Ambivalence

David Waters
WashPost

Unwed, single, teenage mom Bristol Palin was being lauded on talk shows Wednesday -- National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy -- for encouraging other teenagers to abstain from sex. Meanwhile, Carrie Prejean (Miss California) was defending her title -- and her advocacy of "traditional marriage" -- because of sensual and revealing photographs taken of her when she was a teenage model.

I'm confused. Are we in favor of teenage sexuality or not? Are we OK using teenagers to model lingerie until they become public figures? Are we not OK with unwed teenage moms until they admit their mistakes on national TV?

I ask because teenage sexuality is one of the leading causes of illegitimacy, which believe it or not is more pandemic than the swine flu and more damaging to the institutions of family and marriage than any same-gender commitment ceremony in California or Iowa.

You've seen the stats on pregnant teens:

• They are far less likely than adult women to receive timely and regular prenatal care.
• Their babies are more likely to be born prematurely and at low birthweight, much more likely to live in poverty, and twice as likely to suffer abuse and neglect.
• Fewer than half of teen mothers age 17 and younger graduate from high school, and fewer than 2 percent earn a college degree by age 30.
• Eight out of 10 fathers don't marry the teen mother of their child, and daughters of teenage mothers are more likely to become teen mothers themselves.

(More here.)