Saying something absurd doesn’t get any more reasonable by doubling down and saying it over again in different terms.
Supporting argumentation is the generally accepted method of resolving such disagreements.
Social conservatives rightly view abortion as the quintessential issue of legitimate governance, and make no excuses for doing so. Republicans who do not treat is so are only one step away from becoming those they purport to oppose.
The only reason anyone cared about Huckabee was because of abortion.
Likewise, Santorum.