Should we care that Justin Bieber doesn't believe in abortion?

In the new issue of Rolling Stone, teen idol du jour Justin Bieber says he "really doesn't believe in abortion":

He isn't sure what political party he'd support if he was old enough to vote. "I'm not sure about the parties," Bieber says. "But whatever they have in Korea, that's bad." He does have a solid opinion on abortion. "I really don't believe in abortion," Bieber says. "It's like killing a baby?" How about in cases of rape? "Um. Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that."

There's all kinds of fail in that quote. Seriously. But Justin Bieber is a pop star -- a very young one at that -- not a lawmaker. Why should we care what his views (or lack thereof) on BIG ISSUES are? Guess why.

Initially, I wanted to write this off as the musings of a sheltered, naive kid who was probably caught off guard by interview questions that went a little deeper than "what brand of hairspray do you use?" But no. His words are out there now and they merit a larger discussion. Without trying to argue whether a sixteen-year-old is smart or politically aware enough to know what it means to say, "I don't believe in abortion," this particular sixteen-year-old has a metric ton of young female fans who listen to his every word. This, from tumblr bitterbufalo, is one of the most reasoned things I've read since Rolling Stone published the original story.

The motivation behind asking Justin Bieber what he thinks about abortion disgusts me more than his response. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that he is pro-life, I mean look at him. But why is a teen heartthrob who sings songs for a living being asked about abortion? …erm maybe because millions and millions of teenage girls hang on his every word, and therefore his response could be used as yet another way to shame and control young women.

The "everything happens for a reason," excuse disturbs me greatly, though I wonder how much he's parroting back whatever garbage he's heard in his short life, or maybe he's grasping for what he thought was "the right answer."I cringe at some of the things I said at sixteen, but my platform was my family (who knew well enough when I crossed the line), and my small group of friends, not the pop culture loving public at large.

Read more:
From the Mouths of Babes (Shakesville)
OMFG: Justin Bieber is Anti-Choice (Feministing)
Why under-educated pop stars should probably not try talk politics (Feministe)