Is it simply a French Tradition?

There are two unwed mothers-to-be in the news. The first is Rachida ati, France’s Minister of Justice who confirmed she was pregnant last eek. The 42-year-old divorcee had been attempting to keep herpregnancy under-cover because she feels at her age, she’s in the anger zone; the possibility of a miscarriage is still poses a threat. "Having a child has been a fundamental goal in my life." Dati states. he’s refused to reveal the name of the father and is adamant her ersonal life is off-limits to the press. "My private life is complicated and it’s no one’s business." The French Minister of Justice has generated more news in her professional role as she’s been attempting to overhaul France’s sudicial system. In doing so, Dati hasn’t won any popularity contests and has engendered the wrath of virtually the entire legal profession. The second unwed mother, who has upstaged Rachida Dati by a mile, is the 17-year-old daughter of the GOP’s vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The news that Bristol was five months pregnant emergedjust days presidential contender John McCain tapped Alaska’s female governor to be his running mate. The Palin family hastily issued a statement saying the couple will keep the baby and planned to marry. Governor Palin is a staunch opponent of abortion under any circumstances and denounces sexeducation being taught in schools. Her mantra is abstinence. Somehow it didn’t make an indelible impression at home. Governor Palin said her daughter and son-in-law-to-be, are simply following the French tradition where being a single mother doesn’t carry a social stigma. France’s 2006 census, which was recently released, documented that more children were born out of wedlock than to than to married couples. Some French find the tax system more advantageous when the mother is documented as the head of a household. Others opt to go the PACSroute since they’re disillusioned with marriage but want many of the same legal rights. These couples are older and the the most part, well educated. Many have been previously married.    While many core conservatives applauded the Palin family for standing by Bristol, the scandal has fueled further criticism that McCain was hasty in picking Palin, a first time governor from Alaska, as his VP. The thing that’s crossed many people’s minds is what the baby’s father, 18-year-old Levi Johnston and Bristol have in their futures. Neither has finished their educations and if they didn’t have the support of Todd and Sarah Palin, they’d inevitably be in a bad situation. If John McCain is elected, the American public will be welcoming a new President in the Vice-President’s mansion on Massachusetts Avenue in Northwest Washington DC. In the meantime, the entire Palin family will undoubtedly be campaigning until the day of the election. As France’s Minister of Justice said, "Being pregnant isn’t a disease," and she plans on working until she goes into labor. Will Bristol climb aboard her mother’s campaign wagon? And how about Levi? After all, it’s a school year. (c) Paris New Media, LLC