Santorum: Prenatal testing is to ‘encourage abortions’

I am confused - someone posted that Rick's wife was given a drug when she was only 20weeks along to induce labor. Since there was likely no way the child could live at that point of development, is that not a form of abortion?! Second issue - I have studied the Crusades in detail. Someone needs to ask Ricky boy if he feels that the church he quotes so freely had the right to commit mass murder in the name of God. Does this sound familair to anyone that follows the news today? He seems to have some of the same views that the church had in the crusade days and that the jhaidists have now - if you do not believe as I do, you should not be alive.

I can't argue with his assertion that prenatal screening can lead to abortion. Yes, this is what it's for. His religion blinds his reality to his daughters plight. I really feel for her and the family. NO ONE should have to go through pain and suffering like his family is. Many times it is not preventable and a child is born with a life threatening or altering condition. But, when we can test especially older mothers who are at higher risk for birth defects or genetic mutations then women must consider options.

I'm sure his justification of his daughter's disease and eventual death is it is gods will. This is where the "god theory" and religion goes off track. If a god is omnipotent then there would be no reason for us to not understand "his" will or purpose. The god would just make sure everyone was healthy and happy and no one killed or hurt one and another because he was all powerful.

It's really that simple. Until he makes things right I guess rational people have to test for genetic anomalies.

I'm sure they asked him a gotcha question,like... "good morning Mr. Santorum,how are you feeling"

ls it right to bring a child into this world that will suffer. Many deformed children are required by sciciety to undergo taunting and bullying for much of thier lives. I heard a man in a school board meeting say that bullying was a needed sorting tool to make sure those that were not fit to be in a certian circle were put in their place. Probably someone that is as religious as Santorum thinking they have that right because god told him so.

Well if all of us made nearly a million dollars a year for the past 4 years, then we could afford to have special needs children. For those few us who do not have access to such resources, I guess the free market will care for them.

150,000 babies with Down Syndrome are born every year. 90% of all babies diagnosed with DS by amniocentesis are aborted. If Santorum has his way, an additional million and a half special needs children will be born in the ICU, run up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical costs, and most of them will die despite everyone's best efforts. Those who survive will need expensive special care, much of it taxpayer-funded, for the rest of their lives.

Last time I checked, Down Syndrome was a BIRTH DEFECT. This is NOT about selecting out babies for gender or eye color! And yet, there are groups being formed, such as KIDS - Keep Infants with Down Syndrome, whose objective is to "challenge the misinformation that often leads a mother to abort her child diagnosed to have Down Syndrome". What "misinformation" could that be? That raising a mentally disabled kid is a fucking nightmare? That they will never be contributing members of society? That the DS kids who outlive their parents will likely wind up in an institution, drugged and neglected or abused?

To the mothers who love their disabled kids- it's great that you're devoted to your child, but I have to question your ethics in knowingly bringing someone into this world who is guaranteed to suffer tremendous hardships. It's pointless to pretend a BIRTH DEFECT is anything other than a life-altering burden for everyone involved. It's horrendous to force such a tragedy on other babies, their mothers, and their families. And to join forces with the anti-choice movement, who'll take allies wherever they can get them, is nothing short of unconscionable.

America's infant mortality rate has been climbing. We should be focusing on ways to make pregnancy and childbirth safer, and keep all reproductive choices, including abortion, safe and legal, and at the sole discretion of the woman.

I wish these men who are pro-life would just stfu.. I'm sick of hearing this kind of BS.

I have no respect for a person that feels superior to me, or anyone else because their religion is the only true religion. Setting out the moral rules for others is, in my opionion, evil. Any religion that harms anyone is not a religion, it is an excuse to discriminate, persecute, wage war, and kill. Seems to me we are in a race to out religion each other. Shameful.

Santorum is a freak of Religion!

Ok, here's how I understand this and I encourage anyone with better knowledge to straighten me out.

1. ACA mandates coverage. It does not mandate procedure.
2. Amniocentesis is not an "exploratory" procedure. It is a "confirmatory" procedure. The doctor should have very compelling reasons to perform it because of well-known risks.
3. Amnicentesis does result in more abortions than not, precisely because the doctor knows there's a major problem before he decides to do it.
4. Findings are discussed with the parent(s) and a decision made.

This is exactly what happened with Santorum's wife and the lost child. In her case the problem was an infection. Oxytoxin was given at 20 weeks to induce birth. In the absence of treatment both mother and child would have died.

He is speaking as a man who doesn't know what he is talking about. Of course, he likes to twist everything to make it look like the Health Care Bill harms rather than helps.

Here are some facts: Prenatal care is to ensure that the mother is taking proper care of herself and her unborn baby. It is when the doctor will provide proper vitamins needed to make sure the baby remains healthy during gestation. It is also important to make sure no major medical problems arise. This is most important for the poor and underprivileged who lack the resources to ensure a healthy pregnancy. It helps reduce the early death rate in babies because of lack of care.

It also is to used to detect if a woman is having an ectopic pregnancy. I can tell you from personal experience that it is worse than giving birth.

Most women have an amniocentesis for different reasons. It is either because of their age, a history of fatal diseases in their family, or if their child might have down syndrome. It is to prepare them, however, not everyone automatically aborts because of this. But what if the child didn't have a brain stem or is so badly deformed? Shouldn't they be able to make an informed decision?

Abortions are legal. It is not up to the government to force a woman to go to term if there is something seriously wrong with the baby. If there is no quality of life isn't it up to the family to decide if they want to abort or not?

We definitely need more women in office. Only women can truly understand what child birth is like. Men would be singing a different tune if they were the ones that gave birth.

This man is insane! What Ricky is saying here is that parents do not have the right to know that their baby will be born with a severe birth defect. Why would the parent not have that right to know? These Reps are all for rights but not for the living.

I hope he keeps on talking and talking and talking. The rethugs are looking for a fiscal conservative but as time passes and he talks more, they'll become more aware that this man is delusional; too much religion can do that.
Talk on, Rickie. Tell us "ALL" you "know" to be "true."
We'll have the butterfly-net ready for you.

Serous deform babies that can be prevented from being born are
let to live who will support their cost if existence ?
the bad drugs from a major drug manufactures
bad food products imported from major suppliers
toxic bugs spray
bad water from fracking ,from wholesale dumping, sewage run off, flood contamination , air pollution from out law polluters, abandon mines.vacant Hospitals with asbestos
Are just going to blame the female that has the POWER to conceive thru sin and other appropriate methods and let her deal with the condemnation form the contributing sex partner, mother ,father of the daughter ,mother, father of the son and also the shame from the neighbors ,fellow church members and tax payers?
say upon take this upon this burden that was brought upon you as a gift of GOD. which God I ask ? while I place my mother or father that is old and need love and patience thru their existence into a nursing home because : someone messed their pants on my new chair .
LET THE OTHER STATE PEOPLE PAY FOR THE SIN OF MESSING THEIR PANTS.

OK so for the sake of argument let's say that Mr. Santorum is right and we should not try to determine if babies will be born with abnormalities so they cannot be aborted. If the government wants to stop this practice then they need to be prepared to take care of the babies born when parents do not have as much money as Mr. Santorum has.

“Look, people have the right to do it,” Santorum admitted. “But to have the government force people to provide it free just has to me — is a bit loaded. … I think the president has a very bad record on the issue of abortion and children who are disabled, who are in the womb, and I think this is simply a continuation of that idea.”

This man has given the Democrats so many sound bites that can be used against him in a general election that no one should be concerned about this fool in the slightest. His own wife and daughter will be voting for Obama once they are alone in the voting booth.

Santorum is loaded, loaded on the quest for power or he's literally drunk on booze or pills or something. The man makes no sense, a complete crackpot. They should hand out vomit bags with TV's these days, at least have a warning that following political dialogue could induce mass spewing. The circus of politics is scraping the bottom of the barrel these days and it's all crud and goo down there. The conservatives seem to have tapped the bottom and seem to believe muck is gold or something. Maybe that's their plan, batter our sense with pure waste until most people completely tune out.

Mud fight on the hill. DERP :P

I am going to go get sick right now, I am so disgusted! Google Santorum indeed!

Santorum: Prenatal testing is to ‘encourage abortions’

"Wow, I am not sure what to think of this interview, what do you folks think???"