Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

http://ap.peninsulaclarion.com/pstories/st...328999692.shtml

I think that Palin needs to clarify some of her positions, although since the McCain campaign is relying on her to appeal to the RR, that might not be easy.

But as we see from this story, her positions aren't always in line with rigid fundamentalist church positions.

I would certainly hope she doesn't believe in "conversion therapy." We all know that it doesn't *really* work.


By Seema Mehta
Los Angeles Times

Teen pregnancy and sex education were thrust into the spotlight this week when Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant.

Palin’s running mate, John McCain, and the GOP platform say children should be taught that abstinence until marriage is the only safe way to avoid pregnancy and disease. Palin’s position is less clear.In a widely quoted 2006 survey she answered in her gubernatorial campaign, Palin said she supported abstinence-until-marriage programs. But weeks later, she proclaimed herself “pro-contraception” and said condoms ought to be discussed in schools alongside abstinence.

“I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues,” she said during a debate in Juneau, Alaska.

Such statements could raise concerns among social conservatives who have been some of Palin’s most enthusiastic supporters since she was tapped for the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket last week.

Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse and campaign manager of the Vote Yes For Life effort, said children must be given a “clear and concise” message on the benefits of abstinence.

Asked about Palin’s statement, Unruh said, “I don’t think it’s clear. It seems disjointed to me.”

Later, Unruh dismissed the comments as “old.”

“I support her in every way,” she said.

Other conservatives who have backed Palin, such as James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, declined to comment.

Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella said the governor stands by her 2006 statement, supporting sex education that covers both abstinence and contraception.

McCain’s campaign, however, did not respond to questions about whether Palin’s position is inconsistent with the Arizona senator’s. But in an earlier statement, a campaign spokesperson said McCain believes abstinence is “the only safe and responsible alternative.”

“To do otherwise is to send a mixed signal to children that, on the one hand they should not be sexually active, but on the other here is the way to go about it,” according to a statement provided by the campaign. “As any parent knows, ambiguity and equivocation leads to problems when it comes to teaching children right from wrong.”

Even before Palin released a statement about her daughter Bristol’s condition, teen pregnancy has been in the spotlight frequently this year. The teen birth rate, which has been declining for 15 years, showed an increase, according to new data released in July. One month earlier, 17-year-old starlet Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth to a daughter, distressing parents who worried about the message it would send to young fans. The year started with the film “Juno,” whose lead character is a pregnant schoolgirl, winning an Oscar, prompting critics to accuse Hollywood of glamorizing teen pregnancy.

Sex education varies widely across the nation’s school districts.

In California, the state education code does not allow abstinence-only programs in public schools; so if a school offers sex education, it must include discussion of contraception as well as abstinence. About 96 percent of the state’s schools offer sex education. All schools are required to educate older children about HIV/AIDS, and those discussions must cite both abstinence and condoms as methods of preventing infection.

The federal government has spent more than $1 billion on the abstinence-only message since 1996 under a program created by Congress as part of welfare reform. California is the only state to have declined to take part in the program since its inception, but in recent years more states that once accepted the funding have decided to forgo it.

Palin’s statements date to her 2006 gubernatorial run. In July of that year, she completed a candidate questionnaire that asked if she would support funding for abstinence-until-marriage programs instead of “explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?”

Palin wrote, “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.”

But in August of that year, Palin was asked during a KTOO radio debate if “explicit” programs include those that discuss condoms.

Palin said no, and called discussions of condoms “relatively benign.”

“Explicit means explicit,” she said. “No, I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti-contraception. But, yeah, abstinence is another alternative that should be discussed with kids. I don’t have a problem with that. That doesn’t scare me, so it’s something I would support also.”

She is Pentecostal...unique in their very own way.

It's hard to say where Palin stands on gay rights.

About the only thing she's on record on is being opposed to marriage/civil unions/domestic partnerships/state benefits. So I think it's safe to say she isn't pro-gay.

However, there is scant evidence that she is stridently anti-gay either. After some grousing, she did sign the bill allowing benefits in Alaska. But that's the only gay issue she's had to deal with. So she hasn't pushed an anti-gay agenda.

For the time being, I would probably just consider her standard-issue Republican on gay issues.