An excerpt from Bristol Palin’s new book, Not Afraid of Life, was circulated online after the book was leaked to the press. In it, Bristol recounts how she lost her virginity to Levi Johnston after he got her so drunk that she had no idea what she was doing. The next morning, she writes, she couldn’t even remember what had happened, until a friend told her.
Naturally, Bill Maher finds this hilarious:
Bristol, just admit it. You were horny, and while we’re at it stop claiming that you were on birth control pills that didn’t work when you got pregnant. Here’s a tip, hon: They’re not birth control pills if they’re shaped like Fred Flintstone.
As Dr. Timothy Dalrymple comments in a deeply insightful column at Patheos.com, “I cannot confirm the veracity of [Bristol’s] account. No one can, in part because it depends on private communications between Bristol and Levi.” (Bristol herself shies away from calling it “date rape.”) But Dalrymple goes on to add, “Anyone who excuses the kind of behavior alleged of Levi should be ashamed of himself (or herself).”
As should anyone who turns the story into an opportunity to make fun of Bristol. One of the few hard-and-fast rules of our enlightened society is that a woman who reports a sexual assault should be taken seriously and treated with consideration, as efforts are made to verify the crime.
But increasingly, it seems that when it comes to conservative women, all bets are off.
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