Rick Santorum, the latest anointed Anyone But Romney candidate for the GOP nomination for president, has been parroting the small government line for years. His campaign rhetoric is all about reducing the size of government. The New York Times picked up on Santorum's stump speech, indicating that it's small thinking and for the government to out of the way. It's a good op-ed on Santorum's position, but it doesn't quite go far enough.
Santorum also goes to the extreme position of being all for government intrusion into personal lives - it should be ever more intrusive into a woman's health and decisions about her own life.
So, Santorum (and most of the rest of the GOP for that matter) is all for small government, except when it comes to contraceptive rights, the right to have an abortion, and other reproductive health choices. When that comes up, the government must impose highly invasive procedures that are unwarranted, costly, and extremely burdensome. It's anything but small-government ideology. It's the most invasive kind of government intrusion.
Contraception shouldn't be controversial in this day and age. It's safe, legal, and access shouldn't be an issue either. People can choose to use it or not, and insurance companies cover those medical costs. However, because religious groups are complaining, it's become fashionable to go after contraception - and the access to such health care.
The end result of these latest attacks on contraceptive rights is that women who want to practice birth control will find themselves with potentially fewer options and unwanted pregnancies, complications, and other issues that are far more troublesome from an ethical standpoint.
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