Today Rick Santorum issued the following pro forma statement denouncing last night’s Planned Parenthood clinic bombing.

“Violence is never the answer, and I will always condemn any and all violent attacks against our fellow Americans.  In this country, we resolve our differences through political discussion and free and fair elections – never by violence. This upcoming election is about restoring freedom and liberty in America, and a key part of that is to restore a culture that values human life and the dignity of all Americans.  While we can and should work to defund Planned Parenthood and push back against government mandates that force Americans and religious institution to violate their faith, violence against our fellow citizens has no place in a freedom-loving America.”

But at the same time, Santorum has been one of the most rabid and irresponsible of all the GOP politicians on this subject, equating abortion with murder, genocide, and the Holocaust. Nobody should be surprised when the more extreme followers of this crazy rhetoric commit violent acts; if they accept Rick Santorum’s (and every other GOP politician’s) statements at face value, violence is justified to prevent atrocities of this magnitude.

The people who bomb Planned Parenthood clinics and kill abortion doctors in church are simply following their own twisted moral doctrine, and the irresponsible rhetoric of the religious right gives them logical reasons to act this way.