Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - May 27, 2005
"Bearing babies irresponsibly is, simply, wrong," he said piously.
But wait, it gets better:
"It doesn't help matters when prime time TV has Murphy Brown, a character who supposedly epitomizes today's intelligent, highly paid, professional woman, mocking the importance of a father, by bearing a child alone."
Now it seems followers of Quayle's screed have found a new pop-culture icon to blame for teen pregnancies and the country's moral demise -- American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino.
The 20-year-old single mother's hit song, "Baby Mama," has struck a sour note among many social conservatives. "Baby mama" is slang for a young, single mom.
From bloggers to columnists to NPR guests, critics have blasted the singer for one particular line:
Nowadays it's like a badge of honor to be a baby mama.
Online columnist Gregory Kan called Barrino a candidate for the "Stupidity Sweepstakes."
"Now we have one of these marginally talented 'winners' running around the country extolling the virtues of making a mistake," he wrote.
Another editorial said single motherhood should not be encouraged by celebrities.
Obviously these critics -- who many, ironically, are against abortion - - were too upset to actually listen to the song, in which Barrino describes paying bills, working, doing schoolwork and waiting for support checks that barely cover half the cost of daycare.
Barrino doesn't glorify being a young mom, she merely talks about it -- and there's the rub.
Yes, there are a growing number of teen pregnancies, HIV cases and sexually transmitted diseases.
But neither Murphy Brown nor Fantasia Barrino is to blame.
Programs such as abstinence-only education in schools that prohibit talking about sex outside the context of marriage only exacerbate the problem, as a recent study has shown.
Rather than shun the issue and condemn those who talk about it, it's high time that everyone pull up a chair, take responsibility, listen to Fantasia's unsentimental message and join the conversation.
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