Bristol Palin and Abstinence Programming

So Bristol Palin (obviously) has said that abstinence-only programming "isn't realistic." Though she said she "didn't want to go into detail" it's pretty obvious that she had some, uh, firsthand experience about how abstinence has failed for her. Does this mean she wishes she had learned more about condoms and birth control? It's hard to say. The clip from the interview is short and it seems that the interview itself didn't, in fact, "go into detail" about what Bristol Palin believes is and isn't acceptable to teach in schools.

Of course, Bristol Palin isn't the one making policy for our policies on sex ed. It's a combination of funding through Congress and the way various departments distribute the funding for this kind of education. But Bristol is high-profile living proof that abstinence as a form of policy if you want to prevent teen pregnancy doesn't work. She has become an unlikely posterchild for a failed policy that can dramatically affect someone's life.