From 6 March 2012 report on CBS This Morning by correspondent Jan Crawford:
CRAWFORD (voice-over): Karen Santorum's frustrations with the media are clear and, in many ways, understandable. They've been mocked by some for how they grieved the loss of their infant son, Gabriel, 16 years ago. Born prematurely, he died shortly after he was born.
K. SANTORUM: We brought Gabriel home from the hospital to have a funeral Mass and to bury him. And so, they twist it and they make it sound like it was some crazy thing....And what is so sad for me, Jan, is that no one can tell me how to grieve, and I'm not going to tell anyone else how to grieve.
CRAWFORD: Even Karen Santorum's life nearly 30 years ago has been under a microscope. In nearly every story written about her, it's mentioned she lived with a doctor 40 years her senior who, as part of his practice, performed abortions.
K. SANTORUM: ...I did some stupid things, and I did go through a phase of life where I wasn't living the way I should have been. And for anyone out there who's listening, who's in the same phase- you know, it's- there is healing; there is change.
CRAWFORD: Santorum said that time made her realize what was important to her.
K. SANTORUM: ...And now that we have a special-needs little girl, I feel especially stronger about, you know, the dignity and value of every person from the moment of conception until death.
CRAWFORD: Their daughter Bella was born with a rare genetic disorder. Along with the death of her son, Karen Santorum said learning Bella's diagnosis was the most difficult time in her life.