JAMIES SPEARS'S PREGNANCY: A "TRAGEDY?"

In my previous column, mainly devoted to John McCain's, I wrote about Mike Huckabee's unfortunate comment that Jamie Spears's pregnancy was a "tragedy." Now, my comments seem to be controversial with some Huckabee supporters (of whom I'm not one). Here's my additional comment.

I wrote a column today with two parts, one about John McCain, the other about Mike Huckabee's criticism of Jamie Spears, who is pregnant at age 16.

Mike called the pregnancy a "tragedy," which is a rather wild misuse of that word. He then apparently complimented Miss Spears on not choosing to have an abortion. Which is it, Mike? A good thing or a bad thing? Is she being irresponsible -- or is she demonstrating real courage.

Later, I heard that Nikolodeon (which run Jamie's show directed to pre-teens and young teens) was planning to have a special (with Linda Ellerbee) on teen pregnancy. I wish Mike had suggested something like that approach, rather than being the clueless Southern Baptist minister we all have come to know and love.

I've been on the scene with several teen pregnancies (including two in my own family) and the very last thing you should say to any mother-to-be is that being pregnant is a "tragedy" or even the the result of "bad behavior." Frankly, most young girls who are "with child" don't regard it as a tragedy but more like a blessing from God. That's the way members of my family looked at it, and abortion was never a consideration.

Why does Mike Huckabee regard it as some terrible developing? Characterizing a teen pregnancy or any kind of pregnancy as some awful, tragic event is a great way to induce young women to have an abortion.

Frankly, when a woman (or a girl) is pregnant, the "horse" has left the barn, and decent people (even Baptist ministers) have to move into a supportive role. If Mike is this easily horrified by something that happens 800,000 times per year (teen pregnancies), he needs a basic course in reality. The time to condemn Miss Spears ended at the moment of conception.

Parents and friends who tell pregnant children that it will be the ruination of their lives are a major cause of abortion in the U.S.

Pregnancy is NOT a tragedy. So, wake up, Mike.

What I hope Jamie Spears will do is to advise other teens to avoid becoming pregnant when they are 17 or younger. At the same time, I hope she'll urge those teens who do become pregnant to carry their child to term -- and to bring him or her up with the support of family and friends. I also hope she'll take courses in parenting.

In the past, she's been the rational, practical member of the Spears family, and I hope those qualities manifest themselves in the future.

As always, comments are welcome.
steve maloney

Addition on Abortion:

I've written a couple of times on the issue of abortion (and the related issue of embryonic stem cells), and I'm very impatient with candidates, like Huckabee, who are members of what I call "Pro-Life, Inc." Those who people who identify themselves as "pro-life," but propose no practical solutions to the problem.

Huckabee proposes a constitutional amendment, apparently to overturn Roe v. Wade. There will never be such an amendment in our life. The last serious Human Life Amendment (see Wikipedia) was in 1983. It needed 67 votes to pass, and it got 49. It's doubtful that such an amendment would get more than 40 votes.

There are practical ways to reduce the number of abortions -- and increase the number of adoptions -- in America. The candidates who seem most likely to do such things are Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.

Mike Huckabee's comments about Jamie Spears irritated me. He seems to have little understand of WHO gets abortions and WHY. Until we grasp such facts, little will be done to confront the conditions (such as poverty and parental pressure) that cause women and girls to have abortions.

What has happened -- see Christopher's perceptive comments -- is that abortion is for many people, including Hollywood starlets, the approach with the fewest consequences. Some evangelical (not all of course) with a highly judgmental approach actually encourage pregnant women to have abortions.

If women, especially teenagers, are told that the worst possible thing that can happen to them is get pregnant, then they'll "take care" of that in short order. A child is either a gift from God -- or not. I choose to believe that "is" is the correct answer.

LAST WORDS:

My experience has been that when girls get pregnant at a young age, they need support -- sometone to turn to who won't judge or verbally attack them. Often, they get the opposite from family and "lovers." Learning how to take good, basic care of a child isn't brain surgery or rocket science, but it's not something people know by instinct.

Many of the problems with teens in our society -- abortion, crime, poor performance in schools -- are not beyond solution. Most young people appreciate someone who's there to listen to them and to answer questions. They need a friend, not a persistent critic.

I believe Jamie Spears's mother loves her -- and that she loves her sometimes irritating older daughter. However, the evidence suggests she probably won't win the Parent-of-the-Year Award.

Teenagers like people to listen to them, although they often don't reciprocate. I wish parents and teens spent more time talking to each other -- and not at each other.

Anyways, I wish all mothers well. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it, and they're that "someone."

Christmas Stories: McCain & Spears

Picture of downtown Pittsburgh, with the Monongahela River on the right and the Allegheny River on the left. The two come together at Point State Park to form the Ohio River.

My Christmas Story

As a POW, my captors would tie my arms behind my back and then loop the rope around my neck and ankles so that my head was pulled down between my knees. I was often left like that throughout the night.

One night a guard came into my cell. He put his finger to his lips signaling for me to be quiet, and then loosened my ropes to relieve my pain. The next morning, when his shift ended, the guard returned and retightened the ropes, never saying a word to me.

A month or so later, on Christmas Day, I was standing in the dirt courtyard when I saw that same guard approach me. He walked up and stood silently next to me, not looking or smiling at me.

After a few moments had passed, he rather nonchalantly used his sandaled foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas, even in the darkness of a Vietnamese prison camp. After a minute or two, he rubbed it out and walked away.

That guard was my Good Samaritan. I will never forget that man and I will never forget that moment. And I will never forget that, no matter where you are, no matter how difficult the circumstances, there will always be someone who will pick you up and carry you.

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and Happy Holidays,
John McCain.


As many of you know, I'm giving John McCain another look. I continue to believe that he and Rudy Giuliani would be outstanding presidential choices. I'm also hopeful that both of them would lean toward Gov. Sarah Palin when they're considering vice-presidential choices. Finally, on the basis of their past performance, both McCain and Giuliani would be willing to campaign for Melissa Hart and William Russell in their efforts to win congressional seats.

Mike Huckabee and Jamie Spears

I heard on CNN that candidate Mike Huckabee described the pregnancy of 16-year-old Jamie Spears (Britney's younger sister) as a "tragedy." Frankly, that's a misuse of the word "tragedy," which is not a synonym for every unfortunate event that occurs in the world. The sad thing is that there's no solid evidence that young Miss Spears is ready to have and care for this child. Huckabee did salute her -- and wisely so -- for apparently never considering an abortion.

I wonder if her responsible behavior in choosing to have the child doesn't over-ride the irresponsible part: getting pregnant at age 16. At this point, all we can do is wish her and child well -- and provide whatever support we can for this young-mother-to-be.

The untold story in this event is what steps, if any, Miss Spears and her family are willing to take to ensure the child is loved and well-cared-for. Is she, like her older sister, intends to continue "partying" and devoting her life to a series of pointless activities, then the child truly will need our prayers.

I hope Jamie decides from this point on to be a role-model for the 800,000 American teenagers who become pregnant annually. In avoiding the easy way out of having an abortion, she may in fact be off to a good start.

As for Mike Huckabee, he needs to read up on the concept of tragedy. I suggest he start with Aristotle's "Poetics." Also, as a Christian minister, he needs to emulate Jesus Christ in staying away from judgmentalism. "Nor do I condemn you . . . Go and sin no more."