In 2008, Bristol Palin - daughter of Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin - was one of the most talked about pregnant teens in the United States. In late December, she gave birth to a son; days later, she and the rest of the Palin family released a statement to the media in which she discussed her pregnancy and cautioned other teens.


As was reported in the Telegraph

In a statement issued by the family, Bristol said she “obviously discourages” teen pregnancy and understood her previous plans had now been changed forever.

“Teenagers need to prevent pregnancy to begin with – this isn’t ideal,” she said.

“But I’m fortunate to have a supportive family which is dealing with this together. Tripp is so perfectly precious; we love him with all our hearts. I can’t imagine life without him now.”

Ultimately, this statement brings up an extremely valid point: preventing teen pregnancy is the key to enabling teens to reach the goals that they set for themselves. Even in the most supportive families, taking a step back and making an effort to talk about what can be done to prevent pregnancy and to help teens focus on their goals is essential.