I had my daughter at 15 years old and now my daughter is 16 and I am 31. When I heard of the Palin story I was moved, because of my own experience and I believe this can be bring some much needed attention to the rising rate of teen pregnancy. I too, had the option of ending my pregnancy, but with support from my mother decided to keep my daughter. Being a teen mom is not easy and depending on the support, maturity, and socioeconomics of the mother-to-be this can determine a negative or positive outcome. I disagree it is a private matter, because of the nature of the job her mother is running for and it brings this issue once again to the public arena. I am a conservative democrat and this is a social issue that remains taboo in our country, and if brought back into dialougue can help other teen moms as well.