Rick Santorum’s wife attacked for once dating an abortion doctor

Today in news about a candidate for president that shouldn’t matter but will, Rick Santorum‘s wife is getting slammed in South Carolina flyers for her relationship with an “abortionist.” The flyers say:

Did you know Rick Santorum’s wife, Karen, had a six-year affair with an abortionist named Tom Allen?” anti-abortion activist Elizabeth Reichert writes in the letter. “This abortion doctor was 30 years her senior! In fact, he delivered her as a baby! The only reason they broke up was that Karen wanted kids — while Tom was busy killing them.

Karen Santorum did date an OB-GYN named Tom Allen in the 1980s when she was in her 20s. Interestingly enough Dr. Allen was in his 60s and it was at the end of this relationship that Mrs. Santorum began dating her now husband Rick Santorum.

Her relationship with Dr. Allen shouldn’t be an issue in the campaign but it likely will be with such a feverish far right anti-choice electorate. Mr. Santorum has been attacked before for not being pro-life enough (hilarious given his stances on contraception) but this attack is quite personal and sadly about his wife who is not even running for office.

Attacks on the candidates spouses and children are always problematic (I’m especially protective of First Lady Michelle Obama and the Obama girls). Even with a patriarchal anti-woman candidate like Rick Santorum who I dislike politically his wife should be able to have an ex-boyfriend who’s profession isn’t brought up for political use.