Another Crowd Confronts Santorum - NYTimes.com DUBLIN, N.H. - Rick Santorum faced a semihostile crowd of students here Friday afternoon at the Dublin School, a small, private high school. They challenged him on gay rights, contraception and what one questioner called his "warmongering" while he professes to be a man of faith. Mr. Santorum's chief talking point was that President Obama's health care program was a turning point toward a society that is "hooked" on entitlement programs. Dependency on entitlements, he said, was making government bigger and bigger. "This is the power that this president wants to exercise and he wants more of it, just like the kings of old, who know what's best for you," he said. He urged them to be bold and vote for him in Tuesday's primary. But the crowd, mostly high school students and a few visitors from the area, seemed more interested in his views on social issues. Asked about gay men and lesbians serving in the military and about same-sex marriage, Mr. Santorum, a former Senator from Pennsylvania, said they should not be allowed to serve openly and called for reinstituting the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He said that marriage was a privilege "given by society for a reason," which is to procreate. "Lots of people love each other," he said, "but we don't give them this unique privilege because it's so important that moms and dads bond together" and give their children what they need. Jessica Scharf, 16, a student here, told Mr. Santorum that she had a handicapped brother and wanted to know how to take care of him without help from the federal government. Mr. Santorum noted that his daughter was disabled and "we bear the cost," but said that some people could not and they should seek help elsewhere before turning to the federal government. He suggested that family, friends, neighbors and the church could help, and that caring for someone would knit them all closer together. Ms. Scharf said later she did not find the answer satisfying. "My brother is multiply handicapped," she said. I don't think the church or my neighbors are equipped to handle my brother's handicaps. Alison Poirier, 18, told Mr. Santorum that she had been sexually abused and thought it was important for women to have the option of abortion. Mr. Santorum did not address abortion per se, which he opposes, but talked about contraception. He said that while he was a practicing Catholic, he did not want to impose the church's teachings on others. "I would not vote - and I've said this repeatedly - that I would not vote for banning contraception," he said. That is an individual decision. Ms. Poirier said later that she was surprised by his statement. "I was puzzled because I read that he's against birth control, and for him to say he wasn't against it was very opposing to what it says online," she said. During another answer, a woman called out to him, "Maybe someone else can ask you about being a warmonger and how you reconcile that with your faith." As he started to address her, the woman said, "Jesus said love your enemies." After that, the hour-long discussion more or less devolved into other shouted questions. One woman stood and noted that Mr. Santorum was standing in front of a banner that said "truth and courage." "This audience is preparing you for facing very unpleasant truths," she told him, "and I hope you have the courage to continue to tell the truth." As people filed out of the room, Marian Schwaller Carney, 54, who lives nearby and sells data services to libraries, said that she had come because she was curious about Mr. Santorum. She was a Democrat but is now a Republican and is searching for a candidate to support. "Iowa caught my attention," she said, referring to Mr. Santorum's finishing just eight votes behind the winner, Mitt Romney. "He really impressed me, with his intelligence and his ability to take a crowd like this," she said of Mr. Santorum. And he really kept his cool. As she left, she said she would probably vote for him.