Hugh Hefner: GOP Candidates Have Declared 'War Against Sex'

Hugh Hefner recently wrote that the GOP had declared war on sex.

Hugh Hefner has broken his silence on the GOP candidates' increasingly dramatic rhetoric on sex, taking to the pages of Playboy to rail against what he calls the Republican's "war against sex."

Politico reports that Hefner doesn't normally write in the magazine, which suggests his full-page editorial in the May issue represents a viewpoint he felt strongly about to justify breaking his behind-the-scenes role at the magazine.

Hefner quotes Rick Santorum's description of birth control as "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." "Ron Paul was no better," Hefner continues. "Believing that the birth control pill did not cause immorality but that immorality creates the problem of wanting to use the pill."

Mitt Romney, as Hefner notes, has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Hefner's role in sexual politics is a complicated one, with some celebrating the media tycoon as an ardent defender of women's rights and others decrying Hefner's lifestyle and Playboy as entirely misogynistic. Politico notes that Hefner cites some of his victories when it comes to sexual liberty in the editorial.

Also lambasted is Foster Friess, who wistfully remarked in February that women used to use aspirin for a contraceptive. "Fifty years of sexual freedom vanished in a soundbite," wrote Hefner. Friess later apologized for his remarks.

Hefner made news today by announcing that Playboy was moving its operations to Los Angeles after decades in Hefner's native Chicago.

PHOTOS of Hugh Hefner:

• Hugh Hefner and His Dates

  Playboy's Hugh Hefner (C) and his dates pose on arrival for the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute honouring Paul McCartney as Person of the Year on February 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute is one of the most prestigious events held during Grammy Week ahead of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on February 12. (Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

• Hugh Hefner and His Dates

  Hugh Hefner (c) with Kristina Shannon (L), Karissa Shannon (R) and guests arrive at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to Paul McCartney held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)

• Hugh Hefner & His Son

  Hugh Hefner (L) and Cooper Hefner arrive at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute To Paul McCartney held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

• Hugh Hefner and His Dates

  Hugh Heffner (C) and guests arrive at 'The Rum Diary' premiere presented by Film Independent at LACMA held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on October 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

• Hugh Hefner

  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and two Playboy bunnies attend the opening of the Playboy Club in central London on June 4, 2011. (Photo: CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images)

• Hugh Hefner & Crystal Harris

  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and his fiance Crystal Harris arrives at Stansted Airport on June 2, 2011 in Stansted, England. Mr Hefner is back in the UK to mark the launch of the new Playboy Club in Mayfair, which opens on June 4. The club's opening will welcome back the iconic Playboy Bunny to London after a 30 year absence. Famous Bunnies have included Debbie Harry and Lauren Hutton. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

• Hugh Hefner

  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner arrives at Stansted Airport on June 2, 2011 in Stansted, England. Mr Hefner is back in the UK to mark the launch of the new Playboy Club in Mayfair, which opens on June 4. The club's opening will welcome back the iconic Playboy Bunny to London after a 30 year absence. Famous Bunnies have included Debbie Harry and Lauren Hutton. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

• Hugh Hefner and His Dates

  HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 28: (L-R) Miss January Anna Sophia Berglund, Playboy Magazine Founder Hugh Hefner and fiance Crystal Harris arrive at TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night Gala and World Premiere of 'An American In Paris' at the Grauman

• Hugh Hefner

  Playboy Magazine Founder Hugh Hefner and fiance Crystal Harris arrive at TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night Gala and World Premiere of 'An American In Paris' at the Grauman

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