Santorum doesn't back down from controversial comment

From NBC's Catherine Chomiak
In an appearance yesterday on FOX, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) was asked about his earlier comments that appeared to compare slavery to abortion.

Referring to President Obama's pro-choice stance, Santorum told Christian News Service: "I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, 'We're going to decide who are people and who are not people.'"

When asked point-blank by FOX's Greta Van Susteren if his comments were racially charged, Santorum responded, "This is one of these great taken-out-of-context [moments]." He added, "When I use the word 'black,' all of a sudden it gives people a reason to say, 'Ah, he's trying to make some sort of racial comment.' I was not. I was trying to talk about a historical fact about how the Constitution was interpreted and how it’s interpreted today," he continued.

Santorum maintained he was arguing a fetus should be considered a person under the 14th Amendment, and given the same protections as people under the Constitution. "This is an argument that has been made by the pro-life movement for as long as I've heard the argument," he added.