Murphy Brown revisited

Family | Ten years after the speech that launched a thousand sneers, former veep prepares anniversary address to journalists

Elite media stars ridiculed Dan Quayle's Murphy Brown speech in 1992, and wouldn't let him forget it. After he was swept from office and the laughter died down, serious analysts examined Mr. Quayle's central point—single motherhood is bad for mothers and bad for children—and declared "Dan Quayle was right." Ten years later, it's Mr. Quayle who doesn't want to let journalists forget it.

For a May 9 appearance at the National Press Club, Mr. Quayle planned an anniversary speech, "Ten Years after Murphy Brown: A Mother's Day Progress Report on the American Family." The former vice president's original speech criticized the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown for presenting single motherhood as "just another lifestyle choice."