Sarah Palin's teen mom-cum-dancing sensation pro-abstinence daughter Bristol will be the keynote speaker at St. Louis' Washington University's Sexual Responsibility Week. Then, in a game of "one of these things is not like the other," she will serve on a discussion panel with members from Missouri Right To Life, the university's Catholic Student Center — and Planned Parenthood.
Reactions from the rest of the University were mixed. Daniel Bernard, a student representative from the Treasury department commented that Bristol was sure to fill Graham Chapel (the venue they're holding the panel in), thus bringing the student body together, while Sherveen Mashayekhi, the president of the College Democrats was more worried about Bristol's credentials:
"While she is obviously an experienced person on the matter of teen pregnancy, she is an extremely polarizing presence in social and political terms and does not provide the right type of balancing, sensitive, well-rounded force to an issue as hot as sex on campus."
The event is being put on by the Student Health Advisory Committee. In the past, SHAC has been criticized for being "too liberal," specifically during Sex Week, and SHAC President Scott Elman felt having Bristol as a speaker would highlight the "often forgotten about, 3,000, maybe 4,000" members of the student body who have not yet engaged in sexual activities. According to the University's website, the school serves 11,396 full-time students and 2,200 part-time students. You do the math.