Once and possible future presidential candidate Rick Santorum hit the First Coast Thursday night, pondering a second bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. The former U.S.senator from Pennsylvania showed no signs of retreating an inch in his opposition to abortion and his fight for traditional values.
Santorum, one of the leading social and religious conservatives on the national stage over the last two decades, spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Womens Help Center in Jacksonville, founded by Catholics for Life in 1990 and advocates against abortion, urging pregnant women to find different solutions.
Santorum threw down the gauntlet, making no apologies for his pro-life stances.
America will never be whole, America will never be good if America continues to kill its children, Santorum said.
Asked by Sunshine State News if he was thinking about running for president in 2016, Santorum gave a timeline of late spring, early summer for his decision. But, if he runs again, all signs indicate he will continue to make social conservatism one of the cornerstones of his campaign.
Praising the work of the Womens Help Center as remarkable and important, Santorum said the pro-life movement is still going strong more than four decades after the Roe vs. Wade decision. Calling contemporary America a country that is struggling with the truth, struggling with what is right and wrong, Santorum insisted womens help centers across the nation are "performing Gods work," aiding women who need assistance.
We have seen it in our lives, the transformative love of Jesus Christ, Santorum said. This is a ministry, showing the love of Jesus, showing the love of each and every one of you, showing the love for those who are most damaged by our culture.
Santroum pointed to younger Americans, insisting Millennials are more pro-life than other generations. He called them witnesses for life who are visual, noting that they are very visual and impacted by ultrasound photos.
Despite praising Millennials, Santorum offered a harsher take on contemporary society.
We are slipping away into a more secular culture, denying truths, Santorum said. The impact of that will be profound.
Despite that, Santorum urged his listeners to remain active in the arena, fighting for the pro-life cause. While he generally avoided his potential presidential bid in his speech, Santorum told his listeners to remain focused on the pro-life cause.
You find lots of people who vote pro-life, Santorum said. The real question is, will they fight for life.
Pointing to his own experience and noting he represented Pennsylvania, a swing state, Santorum said during his time in the U.S. House and first years in the Senate, he was too silent in his opposition to abortion, especially against partial-birth abortion, which he called a horror.
Santorum, a Catholic, related that he grew more religious during his first years in the Senate and he applied it to his role in the public square, including attending Bible studies with his fellow senators and finding an excellent church in the Washington, D.C. area with a priest strongly rooted in the faith. Offering a moving and emotional account of the loss of a newborn and the birth and health struggles of his daughter Bella, Santorum related how they impacted his family and renewed his commitment to life. After those experiences, Santorum said he took a much larger role in fighting for the pro-life cause, including his 2012 presidential bid.
Noting members of the clergy were in the crowd, Santorum urged them to preach the truth and truly try to move people, saying the country needs religious leaders who can inspire their congregations.
I cant tell you how many masses Ive been to where the priest just mailed it in, Santorum said, pointing toward his efforts with Echolight, a company promoting faith-based entertainment. Ive decided to move the movies to the church.
Noting he has suffered some political losses as well as personal ones, losing his Senate seat in 2006 by a large margin and failing to win the Republican nomination in 2012, Santorum told the crowd that he was still fighting for the cause and urged them to do the same.
The cross is real and the splinters are painful, Santorum said. But it is so worth it. God will be faithful.
Quoting the great English Catholic writer G.K. Chestertons belief that he represented all that was wrong with the world, Santorum told his listeners there was a lesson there for Christians to remain active in the world. Santorum pointed to numerous factors weakening American culture -- politics, government, business policies, higher education, K-12 education, popular culture -- and urged his audience to continue the fight.
We have to give it all, Santorum said, insisting the Womens Help Center and other pro-life organizations are doing Gods work.
Despite his often somber message, there were some lighter moments in the speech. Santorum noted Thursday marked his brother Dans birthday and honored that University of Florida graduate. On his birthday, I wear an orange and blue tie, said Santorum to the applause of Gator fans in attendance.
Bishop Felipe Estevez, the 10th bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine, opened the event with a prayer in which he thanked Santorum for his defense of life.
If Santorum runs again, he has work to do in the Sunshine State, especially as some of his potential rivals are based in Florida, including former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Other potential rivals also have ties to Florida. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., moved to the Florida Panhandle after his try at the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. Dr. Ben Carson, who is expected to launch a presidential bid next month, also moved to Florida after finishing his celebrated medical career.
While he won the Iowa caucus and carried 10 other state primaries and caucuses, Santorum was not much of a factor in the Florida primary at the end of January 2012, finishing third behind former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Fla.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
