Teen pregnancy has been a hot issue this summer.
First, there was the uproar in Gloucester over a supposed "pact" among high school girls to get pregnant. Last week came the disclosures regarding the daughter of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Teenage mothers should be supported, not shunned. But it's also important not to glorify the idea of bearing a child in or out of wedlock before one has reached adulthood.
Given what they are exposed to in the media and at school, our children grow up too fast already. It's unfortunate when any of them have to spend their last years of adolescence caring for a child of their own while their friends are out enjoying their freedom before they take on the responsibility of raising a family.
Dealing with pregnancy is not easy at any age. Rather, it's an awesome obligation one assumes whether it was intentional or by accident.
The two dozen Gloucester girls who reported becoming pregnant over the course of the last school year, along with their parents, must deal with the consequences of their actions. It won't be simple, but we trust most will find a way to meet the challenges that face them.
Those challenges are even more formidable for 17-year-old Bristol Palin, whose mother's nomination as John McCain's running mate suddenly made her pregnancy the subject of worldwide debate.
For his part, Democratic nominee Barack Obama, whose own mother was 18 when she gave birth to him, has wisely urged supporters to tread carefully and with compassion in discussing this matter.
All candidates and their families, regardless of the office they are seeking, deserve a measure of personal privacy. The focus of voters properly belongs on their political philosophies and ability to do the job for which they are running.
