Bristol Palin
Bristol Palin | |
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![]() Bristol Palin (right, holding her baby brother Trig) standing alongside her sisters and father at an August 29, 2008 rally in which John McCain announced that her mother was his choice for vice presidential running mate. | |
Born | [1] Wasilla, Alaska | October 18, 1990
Occupation | Spokesperson |
Children | Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston (b. December 27, 2008) |
Bristol Sheeran Marie Palin[2] (born October 18, 1990) is the eldest daughter of former Alaska governor and former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and Todd Palin. A teenage parent, she is now an advocate for abstinence and speaks out against teen pregnancy.
Early life
Bristol Palin was born and raised in Wasilla, Alaska.[3][4][5] Her mother named her after Bristol Bay and the city of Bristol, Connecticut, where the headquarters of ESPN are located.[6][7]
Palin is the second of five children: she has two brothers, Track (b. 1989)[8][9] and Trig Paxson Van (b. 2008), and sisters[2] Willow (b. 1995) and Piper (b. 2001).[10]
Palin began dating Levi Johnston in 2005, during her freshman year at Juneau-Douglas High School.[4][11] She lived in Anchorage with her aunt and uncle in 2008 to attend West Anchorage High School before graduating from Wasilla High School on May 14, 2009.[12][13]
Controversy
Pregnancy
Palin received some notoriety September 1, 2008, the opening day of the 2008 Republican National Convention, when it was announced that Palin, then 17, was pregnant and was planning to marry the father of her future son, Johnston. Palin's entire family, along with Johnston, appeared with her at the convention.
On December 27, 2008, Palin gave birth to her son, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.[14][15] Although her mother is pro-life, she denied claims that her mother's views influenced her decision to give birth to and raise Tripp, stating, "It doesn't matter what my mom's views are on it. It was my decision."[16][17] Palin and Johnston ended their engagement in March 2009.[18]
Abstinence spokesperson
Since the birth of her son, Palin has spoken out on a number of occasions against teens having sex and teenage pregnancy. In 2009 she worked with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and the Candie's Foundation to encourage young people to avoid teen pregnancy. Bill Albert, the Campaign's spokesman, said working with Palin made sense because "she's had the highest-profile teen pregnancy of the year."[19] In May 2009 Palin was named a Teen Abstinence Ambassador for the Candie’s Foundation,[20][21] a teen pregnancy prevention organization.[22] Her duties as a paid spokeswoman involved attending town hall meetings and giving interviews on morning talk shows. Palin said "Regardless of what I did personally, abstinence is the only ... 100% foolproof way you can prevent pregnancy."[23] Before becoming an abstinence spokeswoman Palin told Fox News that abstinence is "not realistic at all."[24]
Her role as a spokesperson has been controversial. Bonnie Fuller, former editor in chief of YM, has questioned whether the net effect of Bristol's presentations has been to glamorize or discourage teen pregnancy based on the visual imagery.[25]
References
- ^ Baxter, Sarah (September 28, 2008). "McCain camp prays for Palin wedding". The Times. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
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(help) - ^ a b Sobieraj, Sandra. "Bristol Palin 'My Life Comes Second Now'". People Magazine. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
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(help) - ^ Bristol Palin gives birth to a boy, Seattle Times, December 30, 2008
- ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (October 13, 2008). "Sarah Palin's Future Son-In-Law Levi Johnston Denies He's Being Forced To Marry Bristol". MTV. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ^ No Surprises From Palin, McCain Team Says, The Washington Post, September 2, 2008
- ^ Ryan D'Agostino (July 5, 2009). "Sarah Palin: What I've Learned". Esquire Magazine.
- ^ Monica Davey (September 2, 2008). "Palin Daughter's Pregnancy Interrupts G.O.P. Convention Script". New York Times.
- ^ Thompson, Derek (September 4, 2008). "The Sarah Palin FAQ: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Republican vice presidential nominee". Slate. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
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(help) - ^ Accurint (Lexis/Nexis) public records search for Track Palin, www.accurint.com
- ^ Quinn, Steve and Calvin Woodward (August 30, 2008). "McCain makes history with choice of running mate". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ "Claims by Palin in memoir raise local questions". Juneau Empire. December 20, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ "Bristol Palin Graduates From High School". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ "Bristol Palin Graduates from High School". People Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ Associated Press (December 29, 2008). "Palin's Daughter Gives Birth to Son Named Tripp". Fox News.
- ^ "A Baby for Bristol". People Magazine. January 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
- ^ Tan, Michelle. "'I Hope That People Learn from My Story'". People Magazine. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
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(help) - ^ Bristol Palin calls teen motherhood ‘hard work’ MSN. May 6, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
- ^ "Palin engagement over", The Age, Melbourne, Australia: Associated Press, March 13, 2009, retrieved 2009-05-14
- ^ USNews and World Report
- ^ Candie's foundation
- ^ Collins, Gail (May 6, 2009). "Bristol Palin's New Gig". The New York Times. New York: The New York Times Company. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
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(help) - ^ "history page". Candie's Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ Gibbs, Nancy (May 8, 2009). "In Defense of Bristol Palin, Abstinence Spokeswoman". Time. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ "Exclusive:A Visit With the Palins". FoxNews.com. February 18, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
But I think abstinence is, like -- like, the -- I don't know how to put it -- like, the main -- everyone should be abstinent or whatever, but it's not realistic at all.... Because it's more and more accepted now.
Text is a rush transcript from the February 16, 2009 episode of On the Record. - ^ Contessa Brewer, David Shuster, Bonnie Fuller (2009). MSNBC interview of Bonnie Fuller (Television). New York: MSNBC.