NBC/The Today Show
Despite saying in a taped interview before the appearance, “If I can prevent even one girl from getting pregnant, I will feel a sense of accomplishment,” Bristol, 18, tiptoed around how to avoid pregnancy. In past interviews, she said abstinence is not realistic for many teenagers, but today she said: “Abstinence is the only 100-percent-foolproof way to prevent pregnancy.” When Matt Lauer asked if promoting abstinence is a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do way to go for Bristol, she said people should learn from her example, but agreed practicing safe sex is necessary. "Yeah, definitely, if you're going to have sex, I think you should have safe sex."
Her dad didn't say the same: "It's a fine line we're definitely walking on, but sharing Bristol's exerience with other teenagers, you know the mistake that she had here over a year ago, if she can prevent one teenager from getting pregnant that would be great." Earlier in the show, Bristol said her son is not a mistake. "He's a blessing. But it's just a lot of hard work, a lot of responsibility."
Asked about the Palin family’s disappointment in the media appearances by Levi Johnston, four-month-old Tripp’s dad, Bristol said she was not there to talk about her personal life. She said she’d “love for Levi to be a part of his life,” then said, “Yeah, he’s an active participant,” when Lauer pressed her on whether he is involved in Tripp’s life. To every other question came the “I’m not here to talk about my personal life.”
Sitting on The Today Show couch with a sleeping baby on her lap, talking about teenage pregnancy--it really doesn’t get more personal than that.
She will finish high school, she said, and as for what’s next: “Hopefully I’ll be starting college classes and just get my basic education out of the way.”
Out of the way? The best way to help girls avoid pregnancy at a young age is to talk about the importance of goals. Admirably, she said her main goal right now is that Tripp be a happy and healthy baby. Yet, if she were to talk about a goal for herself—work she’d like to do beyond high school, what she’d like to major in in college, give an inkling of how she will be a successful working single mom, that would go a long way to getting teen girls’ heads off of the image of her being a beautiful, successful young woman with a beautiful baby—on The Today Show.
As Lauer noted, the very image of Bristol with her peacefully sleeping baby (and earning money talking about teenage pregnancy) may send the wrong message to teenage girls, that teen motherhood is not something to avoid. (The Candie’s Foundation told The Today Show that Bristol is being paid for her appearance, but did not disclose how much.)
“I’m here to say this is hard work,” Palin said. “It’s a real job. It’s a 24-hour-a-day job. It’s not like an accessory on your hip. It’s a real job.” Today, for one rare teenage mom, it is a job that pays.
