Abortion and other social issues aren’t the animating factors in this election cycle, and because of that this is the wrong year for Rick Santorum to run for president.

Between that fact and Santorum’s resume – this is a guy who lost his last election by 18 points, after all – it’s no surprise that he’s a blip in the polls.

But while he’s not likely to win, Santorum does have his moments on the campaign trail. This was one of them.

It came at Frank Luntz’ debate over the weekend, which was called the Iowa Thanksgiving Family Forum – as you might imagine, it focused on social issues. And it came when Santorum was asked about abortion. He was always a militant pro-life guy, but when he told the story about his youngest daughter Bella and her struggle with Trisonomy-18, he really delivered the message.

Anecdotes usually aren’t the best means by which to govern. But in this case, it’s tough not to be convinced by Santorum’s words that we’re a better country if we stand up for kids like Bella whenever we can.