NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 10, 2012 - Today, the Service Women's Action Network issued a statement in response to Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum's comments that both women and men are too emotional to serve together in combat.
On Thursday, Santorum told CNN's John King: "I want to create every opportunity for women to be able to serve this country… but I do have concerns about women in front-line combat. I think that could be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved. It already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat, but I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat," Santorum added. "And I think that's not in the best interests of men, women or the mission."
Santorum later tried to clarify his comments by stating that he was referring to the emotions of men, not women.
Anu Bhagwati, former Marine Captain and executive director of Service Women's Action Network said, "Anyone who is vying for the office of Commander-in-Chief should know the facts on the ground. American men and women are fighting and dying alongside one another in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have been for ten years. It's an insult to those who serve to accuse service members -- either men or women -- of lacking the professionalism and expertise to accomplish their missions while deployed. We urge all candidates, and elected officials, to educate themselves on the realities of women in combat, keep their misconceptions off the battlefield, and allow our women and men in uniform to do their jobs."
SWAN is a national human rights organization founded and led by women veterans. SWAN's vision is to transform military culture by securing equal opportunity and the freedom to serve in uniform without threat of harassment, discrimination, intimidation or assault. SWAN also seeks to reform veterans' services on a national scale to guarantee equal access to quality health care, benefits and resources for women veterans and their families. You can follow Service Women's Action Network on Twitter at http://twitter.com/servicewomen, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/servicewomen.
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