In a story about the ACLU’s lawsuit against Catholic bishops, former Senator Rick Santorum was quoted as saying something that struck me as…well kinda un-Santorum-ish. Pewsitter caught it first and put it up pretty high. And rightly so, I think.
Here’s what Newsmax said:
Most Catholic hospitals are located in major cities that offer other options for patients or workers who may not agree with church doctrine, according to Santorum, a practicing Catholic who has been outspoken about what he believes are unconstitutional mandates barring biblical teachings in the public arena.
Should there be a situation where a Catholic facility is the only option, accommodations should be made, he added.
Accomodations should be made? What?
Here’s the video of the interview. He says it at about the 4 minute mark. He speaks a bit offhanded. It seems like this “accommodation” business is a bit aside the point he’s trying to make so he dismisses it casually in order to put it aside for his main point about the infringement of religious liberty. But that seems a pretty dangerous point to stipulate.
I know that some of you will point to Santorum’s endorsement of Arlen Specter over pro-life Pat Toomey as proof that he’s some sort of yellow-belly part-time pro-lifer. But I truly don’t think that’s the case.
Is there another sort of “accommodation” that I perhaps am not seeing? Something other than forcing a Catholic hospital to perform an abortion because there’s not another hospital within twenty miles or whatever distance they deem far enough? Is there something I’m not seeing?
