Bristol Palin engaged to Levi Johnston

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Teen mother Bristol Palin, the daughter of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, told a U.S. celebrity magazine she is engaged to her on-again off-again boyfriend before telling her mother.

The 19-year-old Palin, whose previous engagement to Levi Johnston, 20, was called off after giving birth to their son in December, 2008, told US Weekly they recently reconnected and got engaged two weeks ago.

"It felt right, even though we don't have the approval of our parents," Palin told the magazine in a statement released Tuesday. "It is intimidating and scary just to think about what her reaction is going to be. Hopefully she will jump on board."

No date has been set for the wedding.

Sarah Palin said in a statement on Tuesday to NBC news: "Bristol at 19 is now a young adult. We obviously want what's best for our children. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives."

Since giving birth Palin has been increasingly outspoken, urging young Americans to abstain from having sex to avoid pregnancy. She has been featured in entertainment shows and magazines and just last week made her acting debut on a U.S. television show that centers around teenage pregnancy.

Her own pregnancy caused a stir during the 2008 campaign of her mother, a staunch conservative who supported teaching abstinence in public schools as a form of sex education.

Her mother has recently fueled speculation she could be readying for a 2012 White House bid, raising more than $865,000 in political contributions over the past three months.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Patricia Reaney)