Pregnant Teen Keeps Baby

September 1, 2008 permalink

Yet another unmarried teenaged girl, Bristol Palin, is pregnant, but unlike Sam Thomas in today's other story, she can keep her baby without fleeing her country. The difference is that her mother is governor of Alaska and the Republican candidate for vice-president of the United States. Child protectors are too publicity-shy to intervene in a high-profile case like this. Bristol will marry the baby's father and keep the child.

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BBC NEWS

Palin's teenage daughter pregnant

Mrs Palin has brought her family on stage for several campaign events

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Sarah Palin (left) with daughter Bristol and husband Todd, 30 Aug

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, newly picked as Republican John McCain's running mate, has revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

Mrs Palin, a social conservative who is opposed to abortion, said in a statement her daughter Bristol would keep the child and was to get married.

The Alaska governor, a mother-of-five, was presented three days ago as her party's vice-presidential candidate.

The news comes as the Republicans' national convention gets under way.

The McCain campaign and Palin family asked for respect for the young couple's privacy.

Mrs Palin and her husband Todd said in a statement: "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realise very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family."

Bristol is reportedly five months pregnant and would be due to give birth in late December.

Advisers to the McCain campaign said they had known about the pregnancy before offering Mrs Palin the vice-presidential nomination.

"Senator McCain's view is this is a private family matter," said McCain spokesman Steve Schmidt.

"As parents, [the Palins] love their daughter unconditionally and are going to support their daughter. Life happens."

The announcement of Bristol's pregnancy followed rumours on internet blog sites over the weekend suggesting that Mrs Palin's youngest child, Trig, born in April, had actually been born to Bristol. The boy has Down's Syndrome.

[material relating to the political consequences omitted by Dufferin VOCA.]

Source: BBC