"punished with a baby"

Some squirrelly words from Obama-- as discussed by David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network. This has has received some coverage as a sound-bite, but deserves fuller context and the caveat that people make mistakes when they speak. Still...

A lot has been made (by both sides) in this Democratic primary race that "words matter". Well, The Brody File brings you this:

At a town hall meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, Barack Obama told the crowd that he didn't want his daughters, "punished with a baby". Watch the comments here and read the transcript below:

"When it comes specifically to HIV/AIDS, the most important prevention is education, which should include -- which should include abstinence education and teaching the children -- teaching children, you know, that sex is not something casual. But it should also include -- it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at the age of 16. You know, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information."

I understand Obama was talking off the cuff and these were not prepared remarks. I also know that when you're on the campaign trail 20 hours a day you will say something you wish you hadn't. But still. "Punished with a baby?" That just doesn't sound right. Why use the word punished? I would think that word would be alarming to people and possibly offensive to those who have had babies out of wedlock.

Later on, when speaking about abortion he did refer to his daughters as "miracles" when he said:

"This is a very difficult issue, and I understand sort of the passions on both sides of the issue. I have two precious daughters - they are miracles."

The Brody File contacted the Obama campaign for a response regarding the "punished" word. Bill Burton, his national spokesman sent the following to me:

"What Senator Obama said and what he believes is clear -- children are "miracles," but we have a problem when so many children are having children. As Senator Obama said on Saturday -- and on many other occasions -- parents have a responsibility to teach their children about values and morals to help make sure they are not treating sex casually. And while he understands the passions on both sides of this difficult issue, Senator Obama believes we can all agree that we should be taking steps to reduce the number of teen pregnancies and abortions in this country."