Conservatives rally round Palin after pregnancy revelation

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2008

ST PAUL, Minnesota (AFP) — Conservatives rallied round Sarah Palin Monday over her unmarried daughter's pregnancy, but the revelation exposed John McCain's risky Republican running-mate pick to fresh scrutiny.

Vice presidential nominee Palin electrified social and religious conservatives, who often take a hard line on pre-marital sex, when she was named to the Republican ticket last week.

And the Alaska governor's powerbase seemed intact on Monday after she announced her 17-year-old daughter Bristol would keep her baby, rather than have an abortion, and marry its father.

"Unfortunately, teenage pregnancy has become all too common in today's society regardless of a family's economic or social status," said Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, an...