Santorum says Obama not enforcing Internet porn laws
Updated 11:09 PM ET
(CBS News) ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Campaigning in this Chicago suburb on Friday, Rick Santorum accused President Obama of failing to enforce an anti-Internet pornography law he worked to pass in the Senate and said that as president, he would do more to protect children from inappropriate online content.
The issue came up when Santorum was questioned by reporters about a Daily Caller article that quoted his website decrying the evils of pornography in American society and accusing the president of favoring pornographers over children.
"The Obama administration has turned a blind eye to those who wish to preserve our culture from the scourge of pornography and has refused to enforce obscenity laws. While the Obama Department of Justice seems to favor pornographers over children and families, that will change under a Santorum administration," the statement on Santorum's campaign website says.
Santorum said the criticism of Obama was posted on the site about three weeks ago. "We'll enforce the law. I don't know what the hubbub about that is. We have a president who is not enforcing the law, and we will."
His website also says, "A wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in widespread negative consequences. Addiction to pornography is now common for adults and even for some children. The average age of first exposure to hard-core, Internet pornography is now 11. Pornography is toxic to marriages and relationships. It contributes to misogyny and violence against women. It is a contributing factor to prostitution and sex trafficking."
In recent days, Santorum has been trying to maintain his focus on core issues like expanding domestic energy production and repealing the Obama health care law. He's been frequently sidetracked by social issues, like the flap over insurance coverage for contraceptives, his remarks about fetal development testing and his assertion that English be a condition of statehood for Puerto Rico.
In an evening rally in the gym of the Christian Liberty Academy, Santorum got back on message by focusing on President Obama, taking some jabs at the incumbent in his home state. "You have a unique duty here in Illinois to correct a wrong," Santorum told the crowd to wild cheers.
The cost of Obama's signature health care law, he said, will ultimately be much higher than projections. "I know all of you are shocked at this revelation," he said, sarcastically. "I know you all thought that it would come in less, and that the president's persuasive speeches about how he was going to save money, and premiums would go down and costs would go down. The seas would recede. The sun would always shine. All of these great predictions of the president have remarkably not come to pass."