Santorum wins three states, paints election as battle over rights

Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 10:59 am

As Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum swept three Feb. 7 contests in the GOP race for the nomination, he stated that this election is about whether rights come from God or the government.

Santorum said at a rally in Missouri on the evening of Feb. 7 that “freedom is at stake in this election,” and that he would defend religious liberty and listen to the American people as president.

“This is the most important election in your lifetime,” he said.

On Feb. 7, Santorum won the GOP caucuses in Colorado – where Mitt Romney had recently been leading in the polls – as well as the Minnesota caucuses and the non-binding Missouri primary, a symbolic contest that serves as a straw poll before the state’s official caucuses in March.

Although Romney is still ahead in the delegate count, Santorum has now surpassed Romney’s three state victories with his trio of recent wins, in addition to his late win in Iowa.

In his Missouri speech, Santorum emphasized the importance of the 2012 election in determining the future of America.  

After thanking God for “the grace to be able to persevere,” he also thanked his wife, Karen, for being “a rock through these last few weeks.”

“We have had more drama than any family really needs,” he said. “And she has just been an amazing rock and a great blessing to me.”

When his three-year-old daughter, Bella, was recently admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, Santorum briefly left the campaign trail, just days before the Jan. 31 Florida primary to be with her.

Bella, who is now recovering at home, has a genetic disorder known as Trisomy-18. Because of this, illnesses can quickly turn serious and even be fatal for her.

Santorum sent his love to his youngest daughter and promised to be home soon.

“I love you, sweetie,” he said. “Thank you so much for getting healthy.”

Santorum then turned his attention to the election and said, “Americans understand that there is a great, great deal at stake.” In his assessment, this election “is about a country that believes in God-given rights, and a Constitution that is limited to protect those rights.”

But President Obama “does not believe that,” and has shown over the last three years that he thinks “the government can give you rights,” he said.

This is a problem because when the government thinks it is the source of your rights, then the government can also “tell you how to exercise those rights” and can even “take them away.”     

Santorum pointed to a recent mandate issued by the Obama administration that will require virtually all employers to buy health insurance that covers sterilization and contraception for free, including the drug Ella, which can be used for early abortion.

The administration has refused to allow exemptions for most religious organizations, despite strong objections from groups that say the mandate will force them to violate their consciences and the teachings of their religion.

Santorum said that in issuing the decision, that Obama administration has told Catholics that “you have a right to health care, but you will have the health care that we tell you.” In this worldview, the government has the ultimate authority over what you “give your people, whether it is against the teachings of your church or not,” he explained.     

The former Pennsylvania senator said that he is “a first-generation American, whose parents and grandparents loved freedom and came here because they didn't want the government telling them what to believe and how to believe it.”    

But he never imagined that America would have a president “who would roll over that and impose his secular values on the people of this country.”

“When the majority of Americans oppose these radical ideas and they speak loudly against them, we need a president who listens to them,” Santorum said.