Santorum Vows to Protect the Unborn and the 'Soul of America'
GOP candidate Rick Santorum, considered by many to have the most conservative views regarding abortion, continues to push his pro-life agenda in an article published Monday in the Wall Street Journal, vowing that, as president, he would work tirelessly to protect the lives of the unborn.
In his article, Santorum cites the importance of the 14th Amendment, which states "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
"The Constitution is clear. The meaning is inconvenient," Santorum adds, evidently acknowledging the moral struggle that accompanies the legality of abortion.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Santorum's campaign platform calls for a constitutional ban on abortion. The former Pennsylvania senator also personally opposes abortion on moral grounds. He has affirmed that he does not see cases of rape and incest as grounds for abortion, arguing on Fox News' "Business Insider" that an innocent life should never be sacrificed.
His abortion stance proves the strictest in comparison to his GOP competitors. As Fox News contends, Mitt Romney calls for the reversal of Roe v. Wade while allowing individual states to decide their own abortion laws. Ron Paul argues that federal government should have no say in the legalization or criminalization of abortion. Lastly, Newt Gingrich calls for conservative judges but no constitutional ban.
Santorum's article proves timely, as Sunday marked the 39th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, which resulted in the legalization of abortion.
The married father of seven goes on to claim that his fellow GOP candidates "simply check the box" when it comes to abortion, rather than passionately defend the lives of the unborn.
"I know that life is a right endowed by our Creator, that it is inalienable, laid down in the Declaration of Independence, and should be guaranteed under the Constitution. The right to life is the first right. Without its protection, no other rights matter," Santorum declares in the op-ed.
Santorum's conservative views on social issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage, won him an Evangelical endorsement in early January, as previously reported by The Christian Post.
Prominent Evangelical leaders, including James Dobson and Gary Bauer, gathered at a Texas ranch on Jan. 14 to vote for which GOP candidate to endorse. Santorum won the Evangelical endorsement also due to his strategies on national debt and his promise to repeal President Barack Obama's health care bill.
Social conservatives have criticized the Obama administration for protecting abortion rights. In December, Obama refused to provide Texas a budget plan unless the state promised to provide funding to Planned Parenthood, one of the leading purveyors of abortion in the U.S.
The Obama administration is also under fire for allegedly violating the Siljander Amendment in 2010, when officials aided Kenya in drafting a new constitution. The administration is being accused of using federal funds to lobby in favor of abortion when advising Kenya's constitution drafters.
In his article, Santorum calls Obama's abortion policy "radical and extreme," saying: "I am disappointed that President Obama, who rightfully fights for civil rights, refuses to recognize the civil rights of the unborn in his country."
Santorum ends his WSJ article by vowing to protect the lives of the unborn, and to continue protecting "the soul of America," contending that the combination of a pro-life president and originalist judges "will turn the tide for life and human dignity."
