The presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain announced today that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter is pregnant.

In a statement, Palin and husband Todd said, “Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We are proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby, and even prouder to become grandparents.”

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential hopeful and running mate of John McCain, has revealed that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five-months pregnant.

The couple said Bristol, 17, plans to marry the “young man” who is the father of her child. The Reuters news agency reported Monday that Bristol is five months pregnant.

“We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents,” Sarah and her husband, Todd Palin, said in a statement on Monday.

The news comes as the Republican National Convention is to open in St Paul, Minnesota.

“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,” the statement added.
Read
Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for McCain, said the Arizona senator considered the issue to be “a private family matter”.

“As parents [the Palins] love their daughter unconditionally and are going to support their daughter. Life happens,” he said.

Privacy plea

A staunch anti-abortionist who opposes gun control and favours the death penalty, Palin was announced on Friday as McCain’s vice-presidential choice.

However Democrats and the Obama campaign have criticised the move, saying Palin, 44, is inexperienced.

Officials in McCain’s election team said they were aware of Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy when they decided to pick her as the Arizona senator’s running mate.

Both McCain’s campaign and the Palins have asked the US and global media to respect the couple’s privacy.

McCain officials told Reuters news agency on Monday that the news was being released to rebut “lies” circulating on the internet about Palin’s children.

“Just like children should not pay for the sins of the parents, the parents should not pay for the transgressions of the children.”