Earlier this month, Rick Santorum participated in a conference call organized by right-wing pastor E.W. Jackson, during which the 2016 presidential hopeful spent most of his time promoting his economic plans.

But Santorum’s agenda to provide economic opportunity to blue collar workers was obviously not what participants on the call were interested in because as soon as Santorum agreed to answer some questions, the very first thing he was asked about was what he would do as president about the fact that “our children are being forced to accept lifestyles that are totally against our values.” The caller demanded to know why “is it that our government allows people that hurt children by way of child molestation” to impose their views upon this nation.

Santorum, who is not unfamiliar with having to field questions from unhinged audience members, responded to the question about child molestation by talking about same-sex marriage. “That’s one of the reasons why I talk about the importance of focusing on the nuclear family,” he said, adding that the next president must take a stand for the rights of children to be raised by a mother and a father.

If the Supreme Court strikes down state bans on gay marriage, he continued, “that doesn’t mean we won’t fight and try to push back both as the Congress should and as the president should as a co-equal branch of the government.”

“Depending on what they rule,” Santorum said, “we would certainly make sure that we are protecting children and that we are creating an optimal atmosphere for every child, as I said, that have their birthright, which is to be raised by their mother and father.”