Thoughts on a Barack quote?

[EbonNelumbo]

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby"

Okay, go!

 

[Bombila]

Sounds like a sane and practical father, who prefers his daughters not engage in sex until they are old enough, but wants them educated and prepared to make rational decisions about birth control and perhaps even abortion if, as young people often do, they make mistakes for which the consequences are more dire than they should be.

But that's just my interpretation.

 

[EbonNelumbo]

Thank you Bombila for your contribution!

 

[Autumnleaf]

He views babies as an undesirable punishment when it pertains to his daughters.

 

[Axioma]

Given how much of the rhetoric tends to be about "having an abortion is just avoiding responsibility for your actions", there is a sizable population of people who DO want to see women who dare to have sex (those HARLOTS!) punished with babies. I'm glad Obama isn't one of them.

 

[Autumnleaf]

Given how much of the rhetoric tends to be about "having an abortion is just avoiding responsibility for your actions", there is a sizable population of people who DO want to see women who dare to have sex (those HARLOTS!) punished with babies. I'm glad Obama isn't one of them.

I don't know if summary execution of the babies is a good solution, even if they happen to be Obama's grand children.

 

[BigBadWlf]

Two thoughts come to mind regarding the implied reference to Palin’s daughter.

The first is the fact she did not receive anything but abstinence only education. And now she and the mother who pushed the abstinence only agenda see the results. It has been shown multiple times that abstinence only education backfires, teens taught abstinence only sex ed have sex at younger ages, are unlikely to use birth control, are more likely to contract an STD and significantly more likely to become pregnant.

The second (and it is a related thought) did the Palin girl…whatever her name is…have any choice in the matter? Not in the getting pregnant part but in the what to do now that I am pregnant part. Is she being forced (pushed, coerced) into marriage and motherhood to further her mothers agenda and political career? Part of me says ‘defiantly’

 

[Redguard]

I think the word "punish" is conveniently being taken out of context.

Most of us here, having been teenagers at one point in time, must've had our parents sit us down and explain to us why they didn't want to have pre-marital sex.

Three main reasons come to mind.

1. Christianity doesn't promote it.
2. Risk of STDs
3. (Probably the most important) You don't want to know the challenges of having a baby before you're prepared.

Haven't we all heard #3 from our parents? Do I live in another universe than most people? Because my parents told me repeatedly.... "don't get any of your girlfriends pregnant!"

They may not have used the actual word "punish", but if they were to, I would know that it wouldn't be in actual reference to the baby specifically, but to the life challenges that I would face in the following aspects:

1. My education would be compromised as I (and my girlfriend) would probably have to drop out temporarily to raise the baby during the first few crucial years.

2. Finances - I don't even have to explain that one.

3. Your public image and integrity. Most Christian people look at teenagers (girls especially) who get pregnant out of wedlock as being loose.... unless your Bristol Palin, then it's okay.

It's funny to me how many people are trying so hard to pretend that they don't understand the context in which the word "punish" was used.

I'm sure that so many of these same people watched Juno and thought "Ooohhh, that's so cute!".

Yeah - it was cute because the baby was given up for adoption. Had we seen what Juno had to go through as a 16 yr old raising a baby, it wouldn't have been as cute. The baby would be cute... just not her situation.

 

[TooCurious]

I agree wholeheartedly with the quote in the OP. So often, I hear people talk about unplanned pregnancy and say things like "women who have sex before marriage deserve what they get," or "people need to take responsibility for their actions," as if pregnancy is and should be a punishment for perceived sexual immorality. Obama is right; no teenage or adult woman should be "punished" with pregnancy and the responsibility of caring for a baby when she is unwilling and emotionally-, physically-, or financially-unprepared to do so.

 

[Exhausted]

I think the word "punish" is conveniently being taken out of context.

Most of us here, having been teenagers at one point in time, must've had our parents sit us down and explain to us why they didn't want to have pre-marital sex.

Three main reasons come to mind.

1. Christianity doesn't promote it.
2. Risk of STDs
3. (Probably the most important) You don't want to know the challenges of having a baby before you're prepared.

Haven't we all heard #3 from our parents? Do I live in another universe than most people? Because my parents told me repeatedly.... "don't get any of your girlfriends pregnant!"

They may not have used the actual word "punish", but if they were to, I would know that it wouldn't be in actual reference to the baby specifically, but to the life challenges that I would face in the following aspects:

1. My education would be compromised as I (and my girlfriend) would probably have to drop out temporarily to raise the baby during the first few crucial years.

2. Finances - I don't even have to explain that one.

3. Your public image and integrity. Most Christian people look at teenagers (girls especially) who get pregnant out of wedlock as being loose.... unless your Bristol Palin, then it's okay.

It's funny to me how many people are trying so hard to pretend that they don't understand the context in which the word "punish" was used.

I'm sure that so many of these same people watched Juno and thought "Ooohhh, that's so cute!".

Yeah - it was cute because the baby was given up for adoption. Had we seen what Juno had to go through as a 16 yr old raising a baby, it wouldn't have been as cute. The baby would be cute... just not her situation.

Excellent post. I am sick of people assuming that referencing the difficulties of child rearing equates to thinking of babies as a bad thing on the whole.

 

[feral]

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby"

Okay, go!

It appears to me that Obama understands that -- in spite of the advocation of safe-sex practises and a thorough values-based sex education -- some women and young girls still do become pregnant before they are capable of raising a child. In this type of situation, the baby itself is not a punishment, but it's care can be such a tremendous burden that it would effectively punish the young woman in question. I agree with Obama that the choice to seek abortion should be available as one option for coping with unwanted pregnancy.

 

[quatona]

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby"

I don´t know the context of this quote nor the question that he answered with this statement.
One thing implied by the "but" I find a bit confusing, though: Unwanted pregancies are not the result of lack of values and morals, but the result of improper (or no) use of contraception.

 

[praying]

It's funny to me how many people are trying so hard to pretend that they don't understand the context in which the word "punish" was used.

Because demonizing is so much better. The Politics of fear.

 

[Stormy]

Because demonizing is so much better. The Politics of fear.

So how about we take out the word punish since people are misinterpreting it.

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want a baby"

Do you disagree that this is actually the meaning of his words? Its how I see it. He would encourage his children NOT to have the baby. He is pro-abortion.

 

[Everlasting33]

I agree wholeheartedly with the quote in the OP. So often, I hear people talk about unplanned pregnancy and say things like "women who have sex before marriage deserve what they get," or "people need to take responsibility for their actions," as if pregnancy is and should be a punishment for perceived sexual immorality. Obama is right; no teenage or adult woman should be "punished" with pregnancy and the responsibility of caring for a baby when she is unwilling and emotionally-, physically-, or financially-unprepared to do so.

That is why women need to fully understand and accept all the consequences of having unprotected and protected sex.

 

[BigBadWlf]

So how about we take out the word punish since people are misinterpreting it.

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want a baby"

Do you disagree that this is actually the meaning of his words? Its how I see it. He would encourage his children NOT to have the baby. He is pro-abortion.

Yes I do disagree. I think that most of the posteres here disagree. The “punishment” spoken of here is external.

On a related note do you really think that if it was Obama’s daughter, and not Palin’s that was pregnant that the Republicans would be saying that it is a private family matter and cheering on Obama because of the pregnancy?

 

[Ave Maria]

Personally, I totally agree with the quote. If I had children, I wouldn't want them to be punished with an unwanted pregnancy either.

 

[allhart]

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby"

Okay, go!

liberals ,in there any thing goes tack tics. If he becomes p I hope he has enough common sense to rule. 1) to do what is right for the good of the people. Not for his agenda. As our forefathers of this country established our country on integrity and ruled on integrity ,so should he consider integrity. In which views of the liberals conflict in ideas of integrity

 

[TooCurious]

That is why women need to fully understand and accept all the consequences of having unprotected and protected sex.

Certainly. There are risks associated with both, though with protected sex, those risks are greatly reduced. However, while an unplanned pregnancy is a possible consequence (in the sense of "result"), becoming a mother when one is not prepared to do so need not, and should not, be the consequence (in the sense of "punishment"). The responsible thing to do, at that point, is for the woman (together with anyone whose opinions she wishes to consider -- i.e., her partner, her parents, her religious beliefs, etc.) to determine what is the best and most responsible course of action for her to take. One such option is to keep and raise the child. Another is to give it up for adoption. A third is to abort it. For different women in different situations, any of these options may be the best choice for her situation.

 

[TooCurious]

liberals ,in there any thing goes tack tics. If he becomes p I hope he has enough common sense to rule. 1) to do what is right for the good of the people. Not for his agenda. As our forefathers of this country established our country on integrity and ruled on integrity ,so should he consider integrity. In which views of the liberals conflict in ideas of integrity

I'm having a bit of trouble puzzling out what you're tryng to say, but it sounds as though you're stating that some liberal positions conflict with the notion of integrity. If this is indeed what you're saying, how do you imagine this to be the case?