Hillary Clinton Says Pregnancies Are Burdens On Teenage Mothers

[slinkerwink]

"Teen pregnancy has damaging effects on teen parents and society. Teen parents are more likely to live in poverty, to drop out of high school, and to rely on public assistance. The sons of teen mothers are more likely to end up in prison; the daughters are more likely to themselves end up as teen parents. According to a report by Dr. Saul D. Hoffman and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teen childbearing in the United States cost taxpayers at least $9.1 billion in 2004.

"To address this important issue, my husband issued a call to action in 1995 to America's parents and leaders to join together to cut America's teen pregnancy rate by one-third over a decade. In order to help achieve this ambitious goal, I helped launch the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and we successfully achieved a one-third reduction by 2005. But the report released today indicates that under President Bush's leadership, we may be falling off track. As President, I will bring a concerted focus to breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy, and in doing so tackle the root cause of many social problems and help to give thousands of young people the opportunity to fulfill their hopes and dreams."

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4543

[slinkerwink]

1. *mock outrage* How dare she say that teenage pregnancies are unwanted?

[Oleladylib]

17. point me to the source where it's said they are wanted?

[cali]

80. She supports abortion. And if YOU think I"m going to forget that you

told me I should have been aborted because I had an abortion, you're wrong. You are not pro-choice. Go to freeperville.

[anonymous171]

2. HOW DARE SHE!!!!! CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING AND NOT "BURDENS"

:rofl::sarcasm:

[slinkerwink]

3. and from her own website!!!

[MADem]

46. Ooops--no. There's no BURDEN on her website. The OP invented it. NT

[Oleladylib]

22. yes, and teenage sexually active females/males shoud be "punished" with a pregnancy.

[anonymous171]

27. actually they are "burdened" with it.

[MADem]

51. Uh, no. That word isn't used. nt

[Blue_Roses]

82. did you forget something?

the :sarcasm: tag

[Megahurtz]

52. Tttthhwaahahaha!

:spray:

[Justitia]

4. Wow, she sure says lots of nasty things about teen parents & their kids.

I find that very offensive.

[slinkerwink]

5. highly offensive. *nod*

[Beaverhausen]

6. You really don't understand the difference between "burden" and "punishment"?

really?

[moriah]

Babies are not punishment. Unwanted pregnancy is.

Holding a woman hostage by her body and forcing her to remain in a condition that is potentially life-threatening against her will is punishment.

[Beaverhausen]

37. My sister had an unwanted pregnancy. She didn't think of her son as punishment

He was a burden, to be sure. But punishment? Hardly.

[Megahurtz]

71. It was obviously a "Wanted" Pregnancy

if she went ahead and had her child. :)

[Beaverhausen]

97. No, she didn't 'want' to get pregnant.

[moriah]

78. Was your sister forced to have her baby, or did she choose to?

[MADem]

59. Worse--Clinton did NOT use the word BURDEN. The OP must have "imagined" it.

Check the link; no BURDEN anywhere.




Just a little misstatement???? Or something else?

[OzarkDem]

7. Hillary is right, Bill was right

and his policies drastically decreased the rate of teen pregnancies. We need people in the WH who have tackled this problem before and fixed it.

On edit: Doctors agree - childbirth at an early age is also bad for young teen mother's health.

[slinkerwink]

11. yes, which is why I'm glad Hillary and Obama are pro-choice

Us attacking them for being pro-choice in a Democratic primary is silly.

[OzarkDem]

23. I hope so

My concerns about Obama is his tendency to bail out on controversial positions when the going gets tough. Its not his beliefs on this issue I question, its his willingness to defend them.

[slinkerwink]

28. He had a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood in the IL Senate

so I do think being pro-choice isn't a position he'd veer away from.

[OzarkDem]

55. Sorry, that's not enough

The pressure on this and other important issues is much greater for a POTUS. Obama has shown a willingness to cave on other important issues, some more important than choice.

[slinkerwink]

60. uh, ok. so you don't believe NARAL and Planned Parenthood?

and Obama's own senate record?

[OzarkDem]

68. Their rankings aren't enough

It depends on what action is being ranked on the scorecard.

Obama has already caved on health care reform, talking up universal health care, but backing down by presenting a weak reform plan that isn't sustainable and will collapse in a few years due to high costs. That one was a big litmus test for having the courage to push for good public policy.

He didn't pass the test.

[Nedsdag]

86. Let me get this straight.

You want him to beat the crap out of a pro life protester in front of Planned Parenthood in order for him to get your approval?

:shrug:

[Forkboy]

88. You're making Tellurian look sane.

[Hippo_Tron]

93. Mandates are a non-starter in Congress

John Kerry and Ted Kennedy who have been working on health care long before Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama were elected officials. They have both said that mandates can't pass congress.

Switzerland has mandates and you can face prison time if you try to defraud the government into believing that you have health insurance when you really don't. I can't wait for those television ads the first time someone mentions Switzerland as an example of why mandates work. That will set health care reform back at least another decade just like it did last time.

[Alexander]

69. Obama can't win with the Shillbots, no matter what he does.

[slinkerwink]

70. it's like they're closed off to reality

which has an Obama bias, I guess.

[Blue_Roses]

84. kind of like how Hillary caved on the Iraq vote?

:eyes: good grief...

[Catherine Vincent]

8. They can be a burden.

But they are never punishment.

[slinkerwink]

13. yes, they are viewed as a punishment AND as a burden

[Catherine Vincent]

36. I don't think so.

But I'm thinking Obama should have used the word "burden" instead of "punishment", then you guys wouldn't have to go searching google to find what Hillary said about unexpected pregnancies.

[GarbagemanLB]

16. Oh. My. God.

:rofl:

[endarkenment]

19. Suppose the state banned abortion and forced you to carry a child to term.

Would you consider that a punishment or just a burden?

[Catherine Vincent]

29. Neither. I wouldn't have gotten pregnant if I didn't want a child. nt

[GarbagemanLB]

33. Because pregnancies are always planned...you are sounding like a right-winger...

[Catherine Vincent]

39. Never.

I am pro life when it comes to my body but pro choice for anyone else. Deal with it, garbageman.

[endarkenment]

57. You do understand that they have gone after the rape exclusion

and after birth control, which they also view as an abomination? So you could be denied access to birth control and raped and forced to carry a child to term. And still that would not, according to you, be either a burden or a punishment? How far down the road toward rightwing looney toon land are you willing to go to defend this position of yours?

[slinkerwink]

64. conservatives want to ban birth control

[endarkenment]

47. You've crossed over to the dark side.

Congratulations. Have fun.

[Orsino]

50. "You should have thought of that before you got pregnant."

The endless, hateful cry of the values voter. We can do better than this.

[Megahurtz]

74. Wow. Ignorance Is Bliss.

[Blue_Roses]

85. you sure about that?

surprises happen everyday...

[Bonobo]

79. So what's your point?

[WillyT]

9. I Think All Teenagers Should Be Blessed With Babies...

:hide::evilgrin::hide:

:popcorn:

[Blue_Roses]

87. lol

...:rofl:

[DearAbby]

10. Burden = Punishment?

It seems Hillary is also Pro-choice, and Pro-education. Good on her.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. Clinton equates children with 16th century punishment devices.

SHAME ON YOU, HILLARY! SHAME ON YOU!

:rofl:

[merwin]

67. She called it a burden, not a punishment.

Burdens are not always a bad thing. My 2 year old son is a burden, but he is a burden that I am perfectly willing to bear because I love him.

To ignore the fact that a teenager having a child does not place a burden on the parent(s) is ridiculous and ignorant. Next time you think otherwise, attempt to take care of an infant while going to school and tell me that it's not a burden.

[MADem]

61. It seems she also did not USE the word BURDEN!

Really! Check the cite--the OP has an active imagination, or something.

[Maddy McCall]

12. Sure they are. She's right.

As long as she doesn't refer to the children produced by single parents as "punishment," I'll stand behind her on this.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. I'm an unwed teenage mother. My child is a blessing to me.

In the 14 months of my son's life, I've never considered my son anything but a blessing. It bothers me that teenage parents are stereotyped as loving their children less than older parents, as seeing their children as "burden."

My experience as a mother is no different than the experience of older mothers out there. We all love our children with every fiber of our being. We all go through situations that test us, but we don't blame our children's birth for those problems.

Even during the most trying moments of parenthood, I have never considered my son a burden.

[Cha]

54. But, you're a

"male"?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

58. My post history demonstrates my teenage unwed motherhood.

So kindly stop insulting TG DUers.

:P

[Cha]

66. Well, sorry, I always thought you

were a male hooligan and I just checked again and nothing's changed. :P

But, I must add that you certainly speak well for teenage spirit and motherhood.

[Blue_Roses]

89. you're a male...

or are you? :wtf:

[Bucky]

96. No one said your *son* was a burden. The point was that having a child at all is a burden.

To undertake such a heavy responsibility without adequate preparation, to forego one's education due to parenting responsibilities, is a tough thing to go through. No one is disparaging the children themselves. But as a teach I've gotten to know at least a dozen single teen moms--and every single one of them unplanned and every single mom among them would say it would've been better if they'd been able to put it off until after they'd finished their educations.

[napoleon_in_rags]

14. Yeah, its a symptom of the most impoverished places I have lived.

Teen pregnancy, and teen marriage, where the teens get divorced within months but their sex when married is sanctioned by their church. It just seems to go hand in hand with poverty.

[slinkerwink]

18. exactly, which is why I'm happy Obama supports comprehensive sex education

[napoleon_in_rags]

76. As he should, kudos for him. nt

[ellacott]

20. I don't see anything wrong with what she said

Teen pregnancy rates should decrease.

[slinkerwink]

24. I don't see anything wrong either which is why I'm surprised Clinton supporters

are attacking Obama for having the same position on teen pregnancy.

[ellacott]

32. Oh, I didn't know that

Thanks for the heads up. :)

[endarkenment]

38. The context is everything.

The clinton shit flingers here are propagatng Andrea Mitchell's (rightwing media troll) attack on Obama for using the phrase 'punished with a baby' in reference to reproductive rights, abstinence education, and in particular the right to have an abortion. They are now forced to defend 'burdened by a baby' without somehow also admitting that their attack on Obama was shit. It is a difficult position that they find themselves in, and a bit of an amusement to watch them gyrate.

Of course there is nothing wrong with Clinton's statement. That is the point.

[slinkerwink]

48. thank you for pointing it out

all I had to do was google, "Hillary Clinton on teenage pregnancies" and came up the answer.

[dionysus]

21. there you go bursting the shillbots daily bubble of false outrage...

[slinkerwink]

31. and it was from Hillary's own website

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

25. Just how many feet can Clinton supporters fit in their mouths, exactly?

Especially with all that crow in there? ;)

[JayFredMuggs]

34. Good one

Hard to know how many!

[apocalypsehow]

26. I AM OUYTRAGED!!!!!!!!!11!

:rofl:

:thumbsup:

[Oleladylib]

I don't think I have ever seen anyone OUYTRAGED!

[apocalypsehow]

62. Oh, yes - it's really the "in" thing these days in Hillaryland. See, the "Y" highlights my quivering

indignation by indicating that I typed this in ALL CAPS as fast as possible, as do the "1"'s where the "!" should be. It reflects my moral superiority as a Clinton supporter and, therefore, as just an all-around swell human being - much better than those nasty Obamatrons....*

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:hi:




*(do I really even need the "sarcasm" tag?)

[niyad]

35. somebody want to tell me exaqctly whqt is wrong with what she said?

I mean, seriously tell me where she was wrong? not just the usual hillary bashing bs, but refute what she said, with actual statistics, studies, etc

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

40. Nothing, we're satirizing clowns like this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5328633

[endarkenment]

41. Nothing at all. That is the point. Read explanations up thread.

[slinkerwink]

43. it's not what she said. I agree with what she said. I'm posting this to show the hypocrisy

of Clinton supporters attacking Barack Obama for having the exact same position on teenage pregnancies.

[JayFredMuggs]

45. Try reading some of the other threads where Hillary supporters are outraged

About Obama saying essentially the same thing yesterday.

They find the smallest little nits to pick in Obama's statements, and yet Hillary is of the same position on the issue.

[Oleladylib]

49. it's a defusion of what O said about pregnancy being a punishment.

just the usual crap...nothing more.

[MADem]

42. It's a better word than "punishment" certainly. But I don't see the word in your cite.

You'd probably be better off if you include a snippet that has the word BURDENS in it.

I see "breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy" and "damaging effects on teen parents and society" but I don't see that BURDEN word in your clip.

Then, I went to the website, and I didn't find that BURDEN word either on the cited page.

Oh, well.

[Orsino]

44. This is good, as far as it goes.

I have to know how she proposes to discourage teen pregnancy. Will she dare to promote sex education and birth control? Will she pander to the abstinence-only dreamers?

[Erin Elizabeth]

53. OMG you mean Clinton agrees with Obama?

What a non-issue this thing is.

[slinkerwink]

56. yep. They both know pregnant teens aren't good for society.

[redqueen]

63. Uh oh! Andrea Mitchell will be all over her for this!

:sarcasm:

[slinkerwink]

65. I want Andrea to talk about how Hillary thinks sons of teen moms are going to jail

[Coexist]

72. all the "burden" complainers must be on my Ignore list,

because I don't see any?!

Great OP anyway.

[slinkerwink]

75. yeah, one escaped my ignore list

[goletian]

73. a burden? HOW DARE SHE? i love my kid, i would never think of him as a burden!! OMGOMG - nt

[K Gardner]

81. I'm devastated *sniff*.. shame on her !!! My children are my LIFE !

[slinkerwink]

83. heh

[CreekDog]

77. Well, that's okay (unless the other dude says it).

:eyes:

[pnwmom]

90. No, she didn't hand the media a soundbite on a platter, the way Obama did.

Not on this topic, anyway.

I don't fault Obama for his thoughts, or what he said -- if it had been in a normal conversation. But the problem is that every candidate has to be on the alert for any statement that can be turned into a five or ten word soundbite that means the opposite of what they meant. I can't imagine having to be so careful with every word out of my mouth. I believe that any candidate will have these slips, from time to time -- but they should be on the alert for them, and try to avoid them.

I wish Obama hadn't made this particular slip, because I'm afraid it will come back to haunt us in the general election. But hopefully he's learned something from this. The Andrea Mitchells are out there and they aren't going away.

[dsc]

91. where is the word burden?

I have read your post three times and the word burden doesn't appear.

[Bucky]

92. If she said it, she's right. Teen mothers face all sorts of obstacles, some inherent, some unfair.

I like this proposal. I hope President Obama adopts it next year.

[Debi]

94. Hmmmmm there's someone missing from this thread....n/t

[DerekJ]

95. OMG

"The sons of teen mothers are more likely to end up in prison" !!!!!!
WTF?!!!

[slinkerwink]

98. I know. That was really astonishing