Anti-Gay Rick Santorum Family Man } Abandoned His Sick Daughter

It is amazing how Americans will forgive things like infidelity, but abhor hypocrisy. Former President Bill Clinton had extra-marital affairs, and the bulk of America did not care. Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain had an extra-marital affair and it sank his candidacy. The why has to do with the hypocrisy level. The difference between the two is that Clinton does not belong to a party that espouses “family values” and Cain does.

Right now, Rick Santorum should be glad that he is not the front runner. It means that his hypocrisy is being overlooked.

Santorum is one of those people who has been pushing the idea that they support the ‘American’ family, often by claiming to be worried about children and bashing lesbians and gays for wanting the same rights as everyone else. He often portrays lesbians and gays as bad parents. He is often heard saying how children need a mother and a father.
Let me say that I feel sorry for Santorum. Having a child who is dying is difficult on anyone. If I was in a similar situation, I would want to be at her side as much as possible. I would be there every night. I would be there reading to her and helping her. I would want her to know that my love for her is more important than anything else in the world- including the world. This is my daughter we are talking about, and I would want to spend as much time with her as possible.
Yes, I feel sorry for Santorum. I feel sorry for him right along side the anger and disgust I feel at him for being on the campaign trail all the while pretending that it is alright because he goes home to be with his daughter occasionally.
Bella Santorum has Trisomy 18. It is a genetic disorder where a third 18 chromosome is present in the cells. Of the ones who are born with it, only about 1% survive to the age of ten. Chances of her living to adulthood are lower than 1%. She is now three-and-a-half. The clock on her life is ticking down fast.
Of course, all Santorum can do is say things like this:
“Yes — no, I understand. Well, I don’t worry about the polls. I worry about what I’m trying to do to be the best father and the best husband I can be. And obviously a big part of that is making sure that we have a country that respects her life, and a country that is free and safe and prosperous for all of my children. And I just felt like given this, this is really, I believe, the most critical election in the history of the country, that I had to step up and make sacrifices, like everybody does, to make our country a better country.”
What is more, Santorum has to resort to lying in order to justify abandoning his daughter. He stated that “we see with every socialized-medicine country, which is absolutely where we’re headed, those on the margins of life are treated differently… They’re not given the care, the resources aren’t allocated because it is very costly, and my little girl would probably be seen as– I hear, not only from anecdotal but actual evidence from other countries — that children like this simply do not get care.”
Actually, children like her are given extraordinary care in other countries. Here in the United States, you have to be a former Senator and pretty rich to afford the lifestyle that lets your daughter live to be this old with this particular disorder.
Santorum told both of those to Christiane Amanpour of ABC.
The thing is, when you campaign for President as a longshot candidate and are likely to never make it to the nomination, it is the height of hypocrisy to campaign on family values and protecting children when your own daughter’s life is measured in hours and days not years and decades. What is more, those who suffer from Trisomy 18 suffer from heart issues. Santorum may not get a chance to rush home to say goodbye as his daughter’s life fades. Rather, she may just suddenly die.
Former Senator Santorum has shown that he is lacking in heart. By campaigning while his daughter’s life may come to an abrupt end Santorum shows that he cares more about power than about children, love or family.
I say this to Santorum, you have a choice. You can stand for everything you claim to believe and quit the race to go home to your family and help take care of your daughter, or you can prove that your beliefs are hollow and worthless and stay in the race.
It is your call, Senator. Just know this, if you stay in the race, you will show yourself to be a hundred times worse than anything you have portrayed lesbians and gays as being when it comes to being a parent.
Drawing by Creative Commons, Flickr

Video in which Santorum Justifies abandoning Bella:



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