The main focus of Rick Santorum's opposition to pre-natal testing, specifically amniocentesis, is his claim that it leads directly to abortion. There is certainly a problem with his position - he is clearly trying to deny abortions to women by denying them the information they need to make their own decision. Quite the opposite of the "informed choice" rhetoric claimed by conservative politicians when they want to stick ultrasound probes up women's vaginas in the name of "information."
But there is another aspect that is being overlooked: his repeated use of the word "force" to shape the narrative in two ways. First, by loading his speech with this word, is he trying to leave the impression that it will be women who are forced to have an amniocentesis? It reminds me of the way the build-up to the Iraq war was done – you won’t find a clip of then-President Bush actually saying “Iraq was behind 9-11” yet polls during that time show repeatedly that this was the message being received. Likewise, when Rick Santorum says “I'm not for any of these things to be forced” and “the government [should not] force people...,” it requires a look at the transcript to know he isn’t saying that women will be forced to have the test.
In his interview with Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation February 19th, Rick Santorum said:
Look, people have the right to do it but to have the government force people to provide it free, just as to me, has a has is-- is a bit loaded. There are all sorts of prenatal testing which should be provided free. I have no problem with that if the-- if the insurance companies want to. I'm not for any of these things to be forced. Just let me-- just step back and say I don't believe any of these procedures, anything in insurance should be forced. So let me-- let me just start from there.
Which brings me to the second issue – since when should insurance companies have more freedom than women? He doesn’t want insurance companies to be required to provide uniform comprehensive health coverage for women, even though women (most people) have no freedom of choice when it comes to what insurance company they get. Insurance companies should have "the freedom" to decide what coverage will be included in their policies. So where does this leave women's freedom to equal access of medical care?
Mitt Romney may have been the Republican candidate that came right out and said “Corporations are people” but Rick Santorum clearly agrees.