Rick Santorum: Harris Would Expand Abortion, Target Pro-life Movement

A President Kamala Harris would make abortion legal throughout the U.S. and "would try to silence the pro-life movement once and for all," according to former Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

In an opinion column for The Washington Times, Santorum explained how Harris' goals of eliminating the Senate filibuster and allowing abortions up until the moment of birth are linked — something that will become very clear if she defeats former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also has hinted at overturning the filibuster to allow a federal takeover of elections and limit speech Democrats don't like if his party retains control of the upper chamber.

"The two issues — abortion and weaponizing the political process — may seem unrelated at first, but they are deeply intertwined," Santorum wrote in his Monday column. "A Harris administration would overrule state laws to make abortion legal in all 50 states.

"Then, she would try to silence the pro-life movement once and for all by turning federal agencies against conservative nonprofits, donors and voters."

Santorum said the plan is a "playbook" Harris used as California attorney general.

"She raided a pro-life journalist's home after meeting with Planned Parenthood staff. She also oversaw an aggressive campaign to seize nonprofit donor lists and intimidate socially conservative organizations," Santorum wrote.

"Ms. Harris demanded that every nonprofit registered in the state turn over their confidential donor lists or face fines and other penalties. Her actions mirrored those of the 1950s, when political leaders sought to stop the Civil Rights Movement in its tracks by forcing the disclosure of a list of NAACP members."

In NAACP v. Alabama in 1958, the Supreme Court's ruling shielded the privacy of nonprofit members and donors from state officials and the public.

"Generations later, donor targeting remains a powerful weapon for corrupt governments and left-wing activists to spy on their opponents and silence their critics," Santorum wrote. "So when Ms. Harris broke her promise to keep the records secure and exposed more than 1,400 confidential forms listing donors' names and addresses so conservatives could be harassed, no one was surprised."

Harris' efforts were thwarted in 2021, when the Supreme Court reaffirmed that Americans have a right to privacy in their support for nonprofit causes.

"Ms. Harris' office's behavior in the case was so careless that even liberal nonprofits such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund called her out. Yet there is no indication she learned her lesson," Santorum wrote.

"In the Senate, Ms. Harris co-sponsored the DISCLOSE Act, which would force nonprofit advocacy groups such as pro-life organizations to publicly expose their donor lists."

Among other things, the DISCLOSE Act seeks to silence opposition groups, Santorum said.

"At a time when former President Donald Trump has survived two assassination attempts, liberals are threatening to put millions more Americans at risk of political violence," he wrote.

"These anti-privacy policies would allow scammers, stalkers, extremists and corrupt government officials to gain access to Americans' personal information. They would put Americans at risk of harassment and intimidation at their homes or workplaces."

Santorum finished his column by urging voters to remember Harris' past actions.

"As Americans review Kamala Harris' extreme record, don't forget her history of attacking privacy, silencing the speech of her opponents and subjecting them to threats," he wrote. "If she becomes the next president, the freedom to oppose the left's radical policies will be more important than ever. Don't give her the chance to intimidate and silence you."

Reuters contributed to this story.