'I think men have the emotions when you see a woman in harm’s way,' Santorum says. Santorum clarifies 'emotions' remark

Rick Santorum on Friday attempted to clarify remarks in which he said he had “concerns” about women in the military taking front-line roles in combat due to “other types of emotions that are involved.”

Asked about the comments on NBC’s “Today” show, Santorum said he was referring to the emotions of men, not women.


“When you have men and women together in combat, I think men have the emotions when you see a woman in harm’s way. I think that’s something that’s natural, that’s very much in our culture to be protective,” he said.

According to the presidential candidate, the “natural inclination to not focus on the mission but to try to be in a position where you might want to protect someone” could compromise men’s ability to stay focused, and the very reason that the Israeli military doesn’t allow women to serve in combat roles.

When host Ann Curry suggested that his remarks on Thursday could be perceived as commentary on “women being emotional,” Santorum said, “Oh no, that’s not the issue.”

“I’ve talked about this issue a lot, and I’ve never raised that as a concern,” he said. “The issue is … how men would react to seeing women in harm’s way or potentially being injured or in a vulnerable position and not be concerned about accomplishing the mission.”