Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum further his commitment to the pro-life cause recently while campaigning in the state of Oklahoma. There, he signed a draft version of the Oklahoma Personhood Amendment petition calling for the state legislature to approve a state measure signifying human life begins at conception.
Santorum took time to meet with pro-life advocates at a campaign stop and, at a volunteer’s request, Santorum signed the form and demonstrated his strong support for the inherent right to life of every human being.
The state amendment petition campaign is well under way, with over 13,000 volunteers collecting signatures across the state. Organizers must submit just over 155,000 signatures by the end of May to reach the November ballot where voters can decide whether they support a statement that human life begins at conception, or fertilization. The amendment ballot title describes the amendment as defining “a human being for the purpose of equal protection under the law.” The word “person,” as used in the Oklahoma Constitution, would include every human being, from the beginning of our lives, at fertilization “regardless of place of residence, race, gender, age, disability, health, level of function, condition of dependency, or method of reproduction.”
Santorum participated in the National Presidential Pro-life Forum, a tele-town hall event sponsored by Personhood USA in December leading up to the Iowa caucus, and the South Carolina Presidential Pro-life Forum, also a live event with the presidential candidates.
At the Iowa event, Santorum explained, “When politicians say ‘I believe life begins at conception,’ that is conceding ground, and the ground that we concede is by using the term ‘believe.’ Life beginning at conception is not a ‘belief.’ It’s not an article of faith. It’s an article of fact. It’s biological fact that, in fact, that life begins at conception.”
When asked what similar personhood legislation at the federal level would look like at the Iowa event, Santorum said, “The act would be a very simple one that would recognize life from conception to natural death as what it is, a human life. We do not differentiate stages of development, or mental capacity, or capacity at the end of life, as being any less of a person. Personhood is defined as an entity that is genetically human and alive–it is a person as contemplated under our Constitution. The legislation would be one that is simple, and brief, and to the point.” When asked what his response would be if the Supreme Court were to strike down the law he commented, “You do what you always do in every case when the Court strikes it down, you fight.”
Personhood Oklahoma Director Dan Skerbitz complimented Santorum for signing the draft amendment petition — even if Santorum can’t legally sign it as he is not a state resident.
“While symbolic, naturally, due to Oklahoma’s petition residency requirement, Santorum’s signature on the Oklahoma Personhood Amendment is welcomed emphatically,” he said.
“Oklahomans value God’s precious gift that is the lives of our children, and we appreciate Rick Santorum’s uncompromising position on this issue.”
