As a strict Catholic, Santorum does not support artificial contraception. Last October, he told the website CaffeinatedThoughts.com that he would make 鈥渢he dangers of contraception鈥� an issue if elected president.
鈥淥ne of the things I will talk about that no president has talked about before is the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea,鈥� said Santorum.
鈥淢any in the 海角大神 faith have said, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 OK. Contraception鈥檚 OK.鈥� It鈥檚 not OK because it鈥檚 a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be,鈥� Santorum continued.
His views might have stayed obscure if the Obama administration had not teed up the contraception issue by announcing that insurers must provide free birth control to employees at religiously affiliated institutions 鈥� a violation of religious liberty, critics said. Santorum jumped into the debate and backed the so-called Blunt amendment, an effort in the Senate to expand the conscience exemption in the Obama health-care reform. The amendment did not pass.
But questions have lingered over whether a President Santorum would seek to limit access to birth control. In a CNN interview on March 19, Santorum鈥檚 wife, Karen, said he would not.
"Women have nothing to fear. When it comes to contraceptives, he will do nothing on that issue," Mrs. Santorum told CNN talk-show host Piers Morgan. "I think the real issue was, what I said, about the religious freedom issue and not allowing the government to be intrusive in our lives."
