CPAC 2012: Rick Santorum on Obama Birth Control Bill: 'Nothing to Do with Social Conservatism' [VIDEO]

February 10, 2012 2:49 PM EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rick Santorum said that his opposition to President Barack Obama's birth control bill "has nothing to do with social conservatism" and that the White House's compromise to appeal to Catholic voters wasn't a compromise at all.

Addressing a crowd of reporters a few hours after his speech at CPAC 2012 in Washington, D.C. Friday, Santorum blasted president Obama for imposing his values on the American people.

"As far as I'm concerned, this has nothing to do with social conservatism. It's a basic fundamental liberty," he said.

The former Pennsylvania senator added that birth control was affordable and didn't need to be included on a health insurance plan.

"You don't need insurance for these relatively small expenditures. This is simply someone trying to impose their values on someone else with the arm of the government."

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Earlier on Friday Obama announced a "compromise" to a recently proposed mandate that would require all companies and institutions to offer birth control in their insurance plans. The mandate drew fire from religious institutions, who said the requirement violated their religious freedom because they don't support the use of birth control.

The White House said they would amend the legislation so insurance companies would be responsible for enrolling employees with birth control, rather than churches or other religious institutions.

While speaking to a Fox News reporter after the presser, Santorum said he doesn't consider the amendment a compromise at all and that it still violates religious freedom.

"It violated first amendment rights for no good reason," Santorum told reporters.

Watch the entire press conference below.