THE revelation that Sarah Palin will become a grandmother at the ripe old age of 44 adds a bizarre twist to a story that was already more than sufficiently improbable.
John McCain's campaign claims it was aware that Mrs Palin's 17-year-old daughter Bristol was pregnant, but Miss Palin's hastily arranged marriage promises to be just as surprising and sudden an affair as the political marriage between her mother a
nd Mr McCain.
The news about Bristol's pregnancy at least puts an end to the shabby rumours swirling around the internet that suggested that Mrs Palin's fifth child, Trig, had in fact been born to her daughter. Spread initially by liberal blogs, the innuendo focused on photographs in which Mrs Palin did not look obviously pregnant while Bristol did.
Bristol's pregnancy – and her refusal to countenance an abortion – will also increase the high regard in which the Palins are held by the religious wing of the Republican Party. James Dobson, leader of Focus on the Family and one of the most influential evangelical Christians in the United States, said that despite earlier reservations, Mrs Palin's nomination meant he could heartily endorse Mr McCain's candidacy.
Mrs Palin's vehement opposition to abortion – even in cases of rape and incest – is one thing; her decision not to abort her fifth child even once the infant had been diagnosed with Down's syndrome was quite another. More than 90 per cent of mothers terminate their pregnancy in such situations. Mrs Palin's decision not to made her a heroine to the pro-life movement.
Equally, many Christians will see Bristol's pregnancy as a gift from God, not the actions of an irresponsible teenager. Her determination to have the child and marry its father will also be considered a courageous example of making the best of the situation. For many evangelicals, Bristol Palin just gave them another reason to donate money to and vote for the McCain-Palin campaign.
The full article contains 326 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
