in and of itself, should not become a campaign issue. But she and Britney Spears' younger sister have become this year's poster children for teen pregnancy. And teen pregnancy is something the government needs to address. The website Womenshealthchannel.com states that:

"Teen pregnancy rates in the United States declined steadily from 1991 to 2005—from 60 out of 1000 teenagers in 1991 to 40.5 out of 1000 in 2005. In 2006, however, the teen pregnancy rate increased to about 42 out of 1000. Approximately one-third of young women in the United States become pregnant during their teens. More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended and unintentional. The highest teen birth rate occurs in Hispanic women (83 out of 1000 in 2006).

Declining teen pregnancy rates are thought to be attributed to more effective birth control practice and decreased sexual activity among teens. The most dramatic reduction in teen pregnancy—23%—has occurred among African American teenagers.

Still, teenage pregnancy rates remain high and approximately 1 million teenage girls become pregnant each year in the United States. About 13% of U.S. births involve teen mothers and about 25% of teenage girls who give birth have another baby within 2 years. To lower teen pregnancy rates, older children must be educated about sex and about the consequences of pregnancy."

I think good sex education includes abstinence, not out of some religious notion of right and wrong, but as the most reliable way of avoiding pregnancy and STD's. And it's cheaper than pills, IUD's and condoms, etc. I was abstinent in my teens and it didn't kill me. It really is the best choice for teens and for post-teens who are not ready psychologically or economically for the responsibilities of parenthood.

But teens are not always going to make the best choices for themselves, so they all should have scientifically-sound education about the various means of contraception, (including which methods are ineffective against STDs). They should also have easy access to good contraception.

That easy access will not make teens more prone to being sexually active. If you want to be sexually active, you will do so for reasons other than the availability of contraceptives. That is how unplanned pregnancies happen!

So both the Republican and Democratic camps should be asked about government policy regarding teen pregnancy and sex-education. (Studies have shown that virginity pledges and abstinence-only education do not prevent teens from becoming sexually active). The media can do it without mentioning Bristol Palin. The Obama-Biden ticket has to answer as much as McCain-Palin because Sen. Obama himself was born to an 18-year-old mother, seven months after his parents married. Obama has talked about fatherhood during the campaign, and fatherhood is mentioned in the Democratic platform.

The issue of teen pregnancy is too important NOT to address on the grounds that candidates' children are a "no-go" zone. Bristol Palin may have accidentally rendered a service to all those pregnant teens who don't have supportive parents and who can't or shouldn't marry the father of the baby.