Santorum Questions Prenatal Test Coverage

(Wall Street Journal) - With polls showing him leading in Mitt Romney's home state of Michigan, former Sen. Rick Santorum fielded questions Sunday about a series of recent statements on social issues, from prenatal testing to public schools.

Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, has put his conservative social stances front and center in his presidential bid, while also playing up his working-class roots as he competes with Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul for the Republican nomination.

On the campaign trail, Santorum has criticized a requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul that insurers cover prenatal testing, saying that would lead to more abortions.

"A lot of prenatal tests are done to identify deformities in utero, and the customary procedure is to encourage abortions," Santorum said on CBS' "Face the Nation," singling out the amniocentesis procedure in particular.

When host Bob Schieffer questioned whether the senator would oppose any kind of prenatal testing, Santorum said he supported sonograms and other prenatal care, but he said parents should not be forced by the government to get procedures.

Santorum cited his family's own medical history in making the argument, particularly his daughter who has trisomy 18, a genetic disorder that impairs a child's development and usually leads to an early death.

"I have a child that has trisomy 18. Almost 100 percent of trisomy 18 children are encouraged to be aborted so I know what I'm talking about here," he said.

Santorum also defended remarks he made campaigning in Ohio Saturday when he charged Obama is motivated by "some phony ideal, some phony theology, not a theology based on the Bible."

He said he was not questioning the president's Christian beliefs, but his world view and environmental positions, which "elevates the earth above man," in Santorum's words.

The former senator also said the education system would be improved by restricting the roles of federal and state governments.

"Public education should be a dynamic process that's locally run ... not what the federal government or the state government says you should have," he said.

Read more: Wall Street Journal