Bristol Palin: Best Option is Abstinence
After becoming a young mother in December, Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, wants to be an advocate to prevent teen pregnancy.
During her first interview since giving birth to her son Tripp, Bristol Palin said having a child is not "glamorous" and repeatedly advised teens to "just wait 10 years" to have a baby because it is "so much easier."
"I wish I had the baby in 10 years so I could have had an education, job, time to prepare and my own house," Palin said to Fox News' Greta Van Susteren. "It is so much easier if you are married, have a house, a career. It is just so much easier."
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Despite the difficulties, she repeatedly spoke about the joy her son Tripp brings to her and that she "doesn't regret it at all."
"I just wish that it would have happened in 10 years and not right now," she said.
When Van Susteren asked her about the use of contraceptives in her case, Palin said she didn't want to talk about specifics. But she said abstinence is the best option.
"Everyone should be abstinent," she said, "but it is not realistic at all," Palin quickly added.
Abstinence is not realistic because premarital sex has become more acceptable among teenagers nowadays, she explained.
To change that, Palin said she wants to share her story with others so they can see that it's much easier to wait.
"It's just, like, I'm not living for myself anymore. It's, like, for another person, so it's different," Palin said.
"And just you're up all night. And it's not glamorous at all," she added. "Like, your whole priorities change after having a baby."
Her mother, Gov. Sarah Palin, stopped by during the interview and shared her thoughts on her daughter's situation and teen pregnancy in general.
The governor said that while the situation is not ideal "certainly you make the most of it."
While the ideal is abstinence and not to get pregnant, the elder Palin said once it happens then the family needs to "get beyond that" and "deal with it."
Both mother and daughter emphasized the importance of family support for young teenage mothers and their baby. Bristol Palin said she gets help in caring for Tripp from her mother, grandmother, cousins, and other family members.
Bristol Palin became the face of teen pregnancy when her maternity status was disclosed after her mother accepted to run for vice president with Republican nominee John McCain. Her pregnancy came under heavy scrutiny by the media because of her mother's conservative Christian values.
