Women in Athens County Survey question 7
October 13, 2008
“Governor Palin's relationship with her daughter IS NOT fair game for political discussion; regardless of the issue, family members aren't running for office and their personal lives are off limits.”
–Shawn Morris, 54, a retired registered nurse from Athens
“Of course it's fair. Sarah Palin is a big proponent of abstinence-only education and yet refuses to see that it DOESN'T work, even when confronted with the news of her own daughter's pregnancy. Teenagers will have sex. This is a fact that is as sure as the sun will rise. Giving children knowledge to protect themselves and others from unintended consequences is the best thing we can do as a nation. So much misinformation is spread when people are not given all of the facts. Does anyone remember 9/11 and the panic people felt when they couldn't get all the facts? It may seem like a trite comparison, but an STD or pregnancy can seem like the end of the world to a teenager. Much like 9/11 seemed like the end of things for many adults. Education is key.”
–Caitlin Seida, 19, an artist from Nelsonville
“Without being snarky, its interesting to imagine the media reaction if it were Senator Obama's 17-year old daughter. Hell, yes it's fair.”
–Niki Morris, 36, a non-profit program manager from Stewart
“Her daughter is the perfect example of ‘abstinence-only sex education.’ She probably was never taught about being safe with condoms and birth control. If kids want to have sex, they are going to regardless of what they may have been taught.”
–Molly Smith, 18, a freshman at OU, from Athens
“Here we go, how many more important issues are there. They WANT us to discuss this and not other, way more important things. Don't you get it? Any parent knows what happens happens. Sometimes it doesn't matter how good a parent or bad a parent you are. The same thing can happen to anyone anytime.”
–Barbara Six, 57, a business co-owner from Athens
“Sure, it's fair to discuss issues as they relate to a candidate's personal life. It wouldn't be fair, however, to vote one way or the other based solely upon this family situation.”
–Jody Stickel, 55, a retired teacher from Athens
“Why wouldn't it be fair to discuss Sarah Palin's active support of abstinence-only education as an issue? Abstinence until marriage is the best choice a teenager can make. The fact that Sarah's daughter didn't make that choice isn't likely to sway her in her stand on this. Even though the Palin family will love the grandchild and support their daughter, this difficult experience will likely only strengthen Sarah Palin's conviction that abstinence-based education is the way to go. I personally believe in abstinence until marriage because science has yet to invent a device that can protect your heart, your mind and your emotions.”
–Mary Della Harmison, 35, an administrative assistant for a financial and marketing director, from Athens
“It doesn’t matter what happened to her daughter. Her daughter is her own person. Palin is her own person. It is unfair to correlate these things.”
–Emily Figliomeni, 18, a freshman at OU, from Toledo
“It is fair to discuss her active support of abstinence-only education as an issue, but not in light of her unwed daughter's pregnancy. As she said, every family has its ups and downs. This could happen in any family. Barack Obama had it right when he said families are off limits in elections.”
–Lisa Eliason, 54, an attorney and chief Athens city prosecutor from Athens
“It is surely fair to discuss Gov. Sarah Palin’s active support of abstinence-only education as in issue, in light of the unwed pregnancy of her 17-year-old daughter. Why wouldn’t it be? Gov. Palin obviously did not do a good enough job of teaching her daughter the morals she considered to be correct, so she may not do a very good job enacting it into our schools. There is no reason why this should not be discussed. You can learn a lot by observing someone’s parenting skills.”
–Clare Conway, an OU sophomore from North Olmsted, Ohio
“YES! It MUST be discussed. This has nothing to do with Palin's daughter, singly, and EVERYTHING to do with daughters everywhere. Teens need to know what will happen if they do decide to have sex. They need to know how to protect themselves from not only pregnancy, but disease. If Palin can't see that teens are going to have sex no matter what they're taught, then she hasn't been paying much attention to her children's personal lives.”
–Tiffany Teofilo, 26, an OU Ph.D. student and senior accountant from Athens
“Yes, it is absolutely fair to discuss this abstinence issue regarding Palin, especially since her daughter is now a teenage mother-to-be. What kind of message are we sending to our young girls?”
–Ginger Gagne, 44, executive assistant for the president of an IT company, from Athens
“Yes, it is very important. The very fact that her daughter is underage, unwed, and pregnant only proves that abstinence-only education fails our youth. It does not teach them how to maturely deal with the topic of sexual intercourse. It is also important to discuss because this is another example of Palin pushing her own religious beliefs on the American people. People should have the option to decide because not everyone believes in God, which means that not everyone sees pre-marital sex or casual intercourse as a problem or moral issue. Sexual education should be just that; teach the basics about sex without regard to religious or moral beliefs.”
–Catia Carter, 25, an administrative assistant from Athens
“I have already indicated what I think of Palin as a vice-president; however, I think it is fair to discuss Palin's abstinence-only position, regardless of her daughter’s choices. I do not think family members’ choices are relevant. If we want to challenge abstinence-only on the basis that kids have sex and get pregnant in spite of their parents beliefs and desires, we need more than one instance to make our case — no matter how prominent the parent or child.”
–Cynthia Holliday, an OU university lecturer and administrator from Athens
“No. I don't think her daughter's situation should be brought into the discussion. Just because a mother supports an issue and voices her opinion doesn't mean children will agree or follow. NEWSFLASH – kids don't always listen to their parents, or support their opinions. I don't think abstinence-only education is a good way to go, but I respect Palin's right to have her opinion.”
–Angela Anderson, 43, a professional fundraiser for education from Athens
“I think there is no connection between the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter and the value of abstinence-only education.”
–Lisa Carson, 50, an editor from Athens
“Yes. It is a valid question that every candidate has been asked throughout recent history. Do I feel her daughter should be brought into it? No. Although, apparently, it did not work for her family. However, I am sure there is a case out there for sex education as well.”
–Laurie Gribble-McKnight, 36, a social worker from Athens
“Again, I think that's narrow-minded. It doesn't work for everyone.”
–Frances Gander, an acupuncturist and tai chi instructor from Athens
“I don't think we need to really bring up her daughter's situation in a discussion of this issue since really this is a personal family matter, but sex education in my opinion is very important for all teenagers to have. I have worked with children much of my life doing childcare for single parents and foster care. And one thing I am sure of is that we do not need any more unwanted children in the world.”
–Linda Hiller, 53, a house builder and rental manager from Athens
“Since she has pushed abstinence-until-marriage programs onto the taxpayers and education systems of Alaska, and science-based programs have been proven to reduce teen pregnancy, yes, the issue is relevant, especially since she has promised the anti-choice community to rearrange our Supreme Court with justices who will reverse Roe vs. Wade.”
–Susan Mitchell, 47, a marketing consultant from Athens
“Of course it's fair. She is supposed to be a vetted governmental candidate who has been very vocal in her pro-life position, her Christian/conservative background, and what she would want to teach in our public schools. She's sticking her head in the snow if she wouldn't acknowledge the need for reproduction education and medical services. Her children's problems really aren't my business.”
–Cheri Johnson, 56, a psychotherapist from Athens
“Yes, I think it very much is. Just because her daughter got pregnant does not mean she allowed and told her children it was OK to have sex before marriage. Many kids do the opposite of what their parents tell them not to do. Her daughter also gives her a real-life example to show kids the effects of not being abstinent.”
–Angela Haas, 21, an OU senior from Marion, Ohio
“I think if she wants to discuss it with people, regardless of the fact that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, then so be it. Let it reach as many people as it will. That would be like saying, ‘Don't let a past drug abuser preach to kids to stay off drugs.’ Some have been there and done that, or dealt with people who have, and because of that, they have a greater drive for the cause.”
–Sherrie Norman, 40, a deputy sheriff, mall manager and retail manager from Athens
“Absolutely fair. Studies show that abstinence-only sex education classes are less successful at reducing teen pregnancy. Perhaps this 17-year-old wouldn't be expecting a child if her sex education had been more comprehensive.”
–Heidi Wilhelm, 39, a mom and birthing instructor from Athens
“Yes, why not. Children are right up front. If you can't take the heat, don't run!”
–Laura Jordan, 52, a karaoke DJ from Albany
“I think it is fair to discuss Palin's support of abstinence-only education as a real issue, but not in light of her daughter's pregnancy. I believe the research that says abstinence-only education actually increases teen pregnancy rates, but I don't think that her daughter should be used as an example to support that research.”
–Johanna Mateer, 26, an independent provider of home health care from Athens
“No, the daughter chose to have sex. The mother, as far as we know, did not agree to the behavior. You can only control your children's behavior (especially teenagers) to a certain extent.”
–Janice M. Wright, 54, a clinical supervisor from Athens
“Did Sarah only give her daughter the abstinence choice, or did she say, here is birth control if you do choose to become sexually active? I have raised five children and think it is a personal issue for the two people involved. I believe sex education should be taught at home and school. Teens need to have guilt-free access to birth control and learn how to use it correctly.”
–Suzanne Borchard, 56, a children’s outreach coordinator from Athens
“I feel that to promote abstinence in today's world is unrealistic. Our children are too exposed to sex for that to be an expectation. We need to be realistic. We expect our kids to be responsible for matters at a much earlier age and then expect them to act differently when it comes to sex. Provide your children with all the information, talk to them, allow the to make good decisions based on their expectations.”
–Tabitha Bond, 38, a business owner from Coolville
“Her support of any kind of education program should definitely be taken into account. However, her personal life is really none of my business, nor is her daughter's.”
–Brandi Mullins, 34, an LPN from Athens
“You can discuss it, but to what end? Her family and her private life is her own affair, not ours. No one cared about the behavior of Bill Clinton or, for that matter, his wife!”
–Sandy Griffin, 67, retired, from New Marshfield
“I don't think it's fair to bring any political figure's family members into a campaign, no matter what the issue or what the circumstances.”
–Diane Scharer, 36, a stay-at-home mom from Athens
“Who cares!”
–Amanda Sharrai, 31, a non-profit program specialist from Athens
“This is a tough one. I do think Sarah Palin's daughter has privileges that automatically grant her more support than most pregnant teens (she's white, wealthy, etc.), and maybe we should be ruminating on those instead. If Palin's abstinence-only education plan relates mostly to her religious views, can we be supportive of allowing her to force others to follow what she believes? Honestly, I'd rather discuss the issue of her so solidly supporting war as a Christian.”
–Becca J.R. Lachman, 28, interim assistant director at OU, freelance writer and composer from Athens
“Of course, it's fair to discuss Sarah Palin's support of abstinence-only education as an issue. Why ever not? Just because she has a pregnant teenager doesn't mean her views on the subject are unimportant to voters.”
–Suzanne Fisher, 35, a recent ecotourism graduate of Hocking College, from Nelsonville
“That’s a hard question to answer, but, hey, younger teens get pregnant every day, and some on purpose. Teens getting pregnant is nothing new and not something to hold against Sarah, as her daughter is not the first, nor the last.”
–Billie Byers, 49, former junk separator, cashier, home health aide, wife, mother and homemaker from New Marshfield
“No, it is not fair that Gov. Sarah Palin supports abstinence-only education, especially after her daughter became pregnant at the age of 17. She obviously did not teach her daughter anything about safe sex, other than the fact to not have sex before marriage. Because she made her daughter ignorant of protection when having sex, her daughter went and not only had sex before marriage, but she got pregnant.”
–Stefanie Dimofski, 18, an OU freshman from Gahanna, Ohio
“Sure, it should be fair game. If she seems to think that abstinence-only works, all she needs to do is look in her own house to see how effective it really is!”
–Betsy Gosnell, 42, in professional development, from Amesvill
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