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George
Bush Address
March
For Life
January
22, 2003
Remarks
by President George W. Bush to the Right for Life 2003 Rally on the
National Mall Via Telephone From St. Louis, Missouri
11:05 a.m. CST
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, Nellie. I want to thank you very much
for including me in the celebration of life. I want to thank the good
folks there on the Mall today. I'm calling you from St. Louis, Missouri.
I know there are some from Missouri there and, like many others, you've
made great sacrifices to come to Washington today. A lot of you have
ridden buses all night long and I know you're braving the cold. And I
admire your perseverance and I admire your devotion to the cause of
life.
You all are gathered today on the National Mall, which is not far from
the monument to Thomas Jefferson who, as you all know, is author of our
Declaration of Independence. And the March for Life upholds the self-
evident truth of that Declaration -- that all are created equal, given
the unalienable rights of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. And that principle of America needs defenders in every place
and every generation.
In our time, respect for the right to life calls us to defend the sick
and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth defects, and all who
are weak and vulnerable. And this self-evident truth calls us to value
and to protect the lives of innocent children waiting to be born.
(Applause.)
You and I share a commitment to building a culture of life in America,
and we're making progress. As the President, I have signed the Born
Alive Infants Protection Act, opposed the destruction of embryos for
stem cell research, and refused to spend taxpayer money on international
programs that promote abortion overseas. (Applause.)
MS. GRAY: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: My administration is challenging the Oregon law that
permits physician-assisted suicide. (Applause.)
MS. GRAY: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: We support abstinence education, and crisis pregnancy
programs, and parental notification laws. We offer compassionate
alternatives to abortion by promoting adoption and extending state
health care coverage for unborn children.
My hope is that the United States Congress will pass a bill this year
banning partial-birth abortion, which I will sign. (Applause.) Partial-
birth abortion is an abhorrent procedure that offends human dignity. I
also urge the Congress to ban all human cloning. We must not create life
to destroy life. Human beings are not research material to be used in a
cruel and reckless experiment. (Applause.) For 30 years, the March for
Life has been sustained by constant prayer and abiding hope, that one
day, every child will be born into a family that loves that child and a
nation that protects that child. And when that day arrives, you will
have the gratitude of millions -- especially those who know the gift of
life because you cared and you kept faith. May God bless you all and may
God continue to bless America.
MS. GRAY: Thank you, Mr. President.
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