Amniocentesis for pregnant women? Forget it, says Rick Santorum. Such prenatal testing only results in more abortions, the candidate says. Santorum reiterated views he first expressed over the weekend in Ohio, where he ripped President Obama's support of insurance coverage of the test "because it ends up in more abortions" that "cull the disabled in our society." The president "has a very bad record on the issue of abortion and children who are disabled who are in the womb," Santorum repeated on Face the Nation yesterday. "This simply is a continuation of that idea."
The "bottom line is that a lot of prenatal tests are done to identify deformities in utero and the customary procedure is to encourage abortions,” said Santorum, who also charged that the test results in miscarriages. "I know what I'm talking about here," added the candidate, who has a daughter with the genetic disorder Trisomy 18. A 2006 study found no difference in the miscarriage rate among women who had the test, which draws amniotic fluid from the womb to check for abnormalities. Santorum supports other prenatal tests, such as ultrasounds, even though they are also used to detect fetal abnormalities. But he doesn't back health insurance coverage for amniocentesis. "People have the right to do it, but to have the government force" employers to "provide it free is a bit loaded," he said. Santorum opposes all abortions, even in cases of rape, and finds birth control "dangerous." (More amniocentesis stories.)
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