... she would resign NOW, saying her eldest daughter and the rest of her children need her support more than the country does, that she can be replaced on the ticket, but no one can replace her as MOTHER. She has two other daughters and a Down Syndrome son to raise. From what I understand her oldest son had some troubles before he joined the service. Combined with Bristol's teen pregnancy, Palin doesn't exactly have an ideal resume as parent, but all people can do is praise her support for her pregnant daughter. How exactly can she be supportive if she is gallivanting abroad to attend state funerals and across the country for meetings? Maybe she figures her husband can be a full-time dad. And what's with revealing her daughter's pregnancy to prove her own, instead of providing medical documentation? That is just off-the-wall and makes this observer wonder what sort of veep or prez she would be. Sort of wacky.

This family is a walking set of poster children for the unreliability of abstinence-only sex education. How the Obamas would be criticized if they were in the same situation. Which they are NOT.

Thank you for sharing your personal story. Very important and relevant to this article thread. I wish you and your child all the best. You've clearly done well for the both of you.

Go to McCain's web page. They are directing supporters to go to websites seen as Dem leaning and post disruptive things.

They crucified that Spears girl, but nothing here? Yeah right. The National Enquirer crowd is far less kind that many here. They had better pray that socially conservative Republicans are as kind as the people here.

Feminists for Life is deeply committed to all women's pregnancies. -Tina

Right. That's why they have a whole page dedicated to "Voices of Women Who Mourn". While I appreciate that they support women that choose to give birth to their zygote eventual fetus, scare tactics are horrific.

I too, was a 17 year old, white, unmarried pregnant girl from a rural community. My family had very similiar religious (Assembly of God) and political views as the Palins. My church and school were supportive in the public eye, but in reality, I was ostracized.

I was pressured into marrying the father(also a church member and 4 1/2 years older). We lived with my family and the marriage didn't even last a year. I was told by church and family members that his physical and emotional abuse was justified, because he was the head of our household. after the divorce, I continued to have to attend church 3 times a week until my son was almost 2. I told my parents that I would not go back even if they decided not to help my son and I anymore. The church members would call my child and I names and talk visciously behind my family's backs. We were all relieved of any church duties(Sunday school teacher, assistant musical director, children's church teacher) because of my sin. The decons 16 year old daughter got pregnant right after I did and she was given a church baby shower! LOL I went through a long period of turning my back on religion. To this day (21 years later), I still have problems with organized religion. My faith in God has returned, but my trust in people has been seriously damaged.

I did get a BS in Education before my son turned four. I have moved to another state and live in a metropolitan community. I have volunteered and donated to our schoool district's program for young mothers. I would not wish for any young woman, no matter their ethnic, religious, or political views, to have to endure what I and many others have had to experience.

Please remember that Bristol is still very young, and under a tremendous amount of pressure from her family and community. I hope for Bristol's sake the Assemblies of God have reread the Bible(he who is without sin cast the first stone). Now she has to be able to hold her head up while facing national scrutiny. If I had been her mother, I don't think I could have put her in such a position. Personal ambition would never come before my family's well being.

I have been a supporter of Sen. Obama for almost a year. I agree that this child should not be scrutinized by the American public.

McCain/Palin and the Republican party need to rethink abstinence only sex education. Teen pregnancy effects people of all ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Don't be lulled into thinking that just because you are a Christian, middle class, white suburbanite that it can't happen to your family. My prays go out to Bristol Palin.

@ prytania

I'm sitting at home in Kentucky too, and I live right next door to hillbillies. There are hillbillies all over town -- and it's a town the western flatlands.

You don't have to live in the hills to have hillbilly values, and the Palin clan prove you don't have to live in Kentucky either.

I'd say, "If the shoe fits..." but that test doesn't really apply to the barefoot and pregnant.

Has anybody considered the lack of concern for a 17 year old girl's feelings in the matter? How do you resolve this? Did Bristol Palin, at 17, convince her mother to go ahead? What judgment do you suppose played in the decision to subject this young woman and the father of the baby to the inevitable international attention?

You know, I do see your point about Sarah Palin and I must agree that there is no inconsistency in her actions regarding this whole affair.

I suppose I just really detest her position on these matters and I wish her ill will in that I hope she loses the election and her job and disappears from public life. The people of Alaska do not deserve her positions, nor does the rest of the country. I think I strongly dislike all politicians who hold her Fundamentalist, right-wing positions because when they hold power, they adversely affect my life and deny my right to exist (I'm a fag), even though I am very productive, and I pay taxes, and obey all laws.

I have fought really fucking hard for gay rights and I've paid a high price for my actions, but I don't regret it. I hate to see this type of person's views unleashed on young people, especially as regards to sex, because I've seen first-hand the destructive consequences of reckless, clueless people engaging in unprotected sex.