A Lasting Culture of Life

In a few days, George W. Bush, accompanied by Mrs. Bush, will be the first American president to attend the funeral of a pope. Never before has the president gone to Rome to witness this solemn rite.

President Bush's attendance will be a powerful statement, not only revealing his reverence for the Holy Father, but acknowledging the tremendous impact Pope John Paul II had on people throughout the world, not only within the Catholic Church.

Although the Pope was against both Iraq wars, and railed against the consumerism of the West, John Paul's insistence on recognizing the sanctity of all human life is something that the President has embraced and worked to uphold.

As exhibited by the killing of Terri Schiavo, this mission is far from complete. The struggle for life to prevail, when engulfed in a culture of death, is a challenging but morally imperative endeavor.

President Bush visits His Excellency Pope John Paul II at Vatican City May 28, 2002. White House photo by Eric Draper.
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National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all Americans are endowed by the Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the sacred gift of life.

We have a responsibility in America to defend the life of the innocent and the powerless. Our Nation has made significant progress in recent years toward building a culture of life. Last year, I signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which provides that any person who causes death or injury to a pregnant woman commits two separate offenses. I worked with members of both parties to ban the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion, and I signed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. Working with the Congress, my Administration has halted spending of taxpayers' money on international programs that promote abortions overseas. We continue to promote abstinence education, adoption programs, crisis pregnancy programs, and other efforts to help protect life.

My Administration remains committed to the steadfast belief in the dignity of every human being and the promise of every life. Across our country, we must continue to encourage our citizens to make ours a more just and welcoming society in which every child is born into a loving family and protected by law. We will work with decency and respect to change hearts and minds, one person at a time. In doing so, we will build a lasting culture of life and a more compassionate society.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Sunday, January 16, 2005, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies in our homes and places of worship and to reaffirm our commitment to respecting the life and dignity of every human being.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.

GEORGE W. BUSH