Babies as “punishment” redux
David Brody is likewise troubled by Senator Obama’s characterization of an out-of-wedlock baby as a ”punishment”:
I understand Obama was talking off the cuff and these were not prepared remarks. I also know that when you’re on the campaign trail 20 hours a day you will say something you wish you hadn’t. But still. “Punished with a baby?” That just doesn’t sound right. Why use the word punished? I would think that word would be alarming to people and possibly offensive to those who have had babies out of wedlock.
And as I previously noted here, the problem with Senator Obama’s statement is that it is entirely consistent with his radical proabortion views.
Btw, you can see Senator Obama making the statement in question here.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I have no problem with appropriate
sex education in school. It is the emphasis on sex as an acceptable activity for young teens that is the problem.
We send such mixed messages, such as sentancing an 18 year old (for 10 years and making him a sex offender for life) for engaging in consensual sex with a 16 year old–yet at the same time telling students 14-18 (or younger) how to have safe sex (with the emphasis on the sex not the safe part).
Frankly the burdens of teen pregancy and the resulting economic damage of having a birth at that age sould be communicated to children (because ironically young teenage mothers often refuse to put their infants up for adoption). That should be combined with advice towards abstenance, followed by safe sex advice available to older teens (with parents having the right to have their children opt out for home instruction).
I recognize in a perfect world we could get teenagers to wait to have sex until they were out of high school and preferably married or in committed relationships, but the practical reality is a sizable group of them will not pay attention. Reasonable eduction should be made available with the emphasis of doing no harm in the process.
Of course, has anyone asked Jeremiah Wright what he thinks about this? Perhaps sex education is really just a plot to keep African Americans from reproducing? Really not that crazy an assumption on my part given Wright’s other insane statements over the years.