Thank You, President Bush, for supporting the Culture of Life

As President Bush leaves office, I look forward with some dread, to the incoming President Obama in large part because I believe Obama on his promises to pass FOCA and to make abortion more accessible. And as I look to the future with some apprehension, I find myself all the more feeling grateful for the culture of life that President Bush upheld.

Each year President Bush spoke at the March for Life. Each year President Bush gave a proclamation for the National Sanctity of Human Life Day. And in so many small ways, he worked to save the lives of innocent little babies.

I have taken this list of accomplishments from the White House site. And I wanted to say thank you and may God bless you, Mr. President.

Promoting A Culture of Life

"In the debate about the rights of the unborn, we are asked to broaden the circle of our moral concern. We're asked to live out our calling as Americans. We're asked to honor our own standards, announced on the day of our founding in the Declaration of Independence. We're asked by our convictions and tradition and compassion to build a culture of life, and make this a more just and welcoming society."

- President George W. Bush, November 5, 2003

The Accomplishments

Building a Culture of Life

• President Bush signed legislation to end partial birth abortion - a procedure the late Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan described as "as close to infanticide as anything I have come upon."
• The President signed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, which ensures that every infant born alive, including an infant who survives an abortion procedure, is considered a person under Federal law.
• The President signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which provides that under Federal law, any person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb shall be charged with a separate offense, in addition to any charges relating to the mother.
• President Bush restored the Mexico City Policy, which states that taxpayer funds should not be provided to organizations that pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either in the United States or abroad.
• President Bush's 2005 budget includes $10 million to support maternity group homes for women in crisis.
• In August 2001, the President announced his decision to allow medical research using embryonic stem cells while still respecting and upholding the value and sanctity of human life. This policy permits, for the first time, Federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines while not sanctioning or encouraging the destruction of additional live human embryos.
• The President created the President's Council on Bioethics to study the human and moral ramifications of developments in biomedical and behavioral science and technology.
• President Bush has called on the Congress to pass a law banning all human cloning.
• States now have the option to provide vital health care services to promote healthy pregnancies for women and their unborn children who would otherwise be ineligible for coverage under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). States are also able to provide eligibility to unborn children of low-income immigrants, which results in access to important prenatal care.

This year, President Bush will not be speaking as president to the people at the march for life... but he has in each of the previous years. I wanted to share with you his message from last year, which marked the 35th Anniversary of Roe v Wade.

President Bush Speaks to March for Life Rally Participants
East Room

Jan 22, 2008 9:01 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Nellie, good to be with you -- we're fellow West Texans who care deeply about the value of human life. Other members of the board of directors for the March for Life, leaders of the pro-life community, and all those who are here with us for the march, it's good to have you here and welcome to the White House.

As I look out at you, I'll see some folks who have been traveling all night to get here -- -- you're slightly bleary-eyed. I'll see others who are getting ready for a day out in the cold. But mostly I see faces that shine with a love for life.

I see people with a deep conviction that even the most vulnerable member of the human family is a child of God. You're here because you know that all life deserves to be protected. And as you begin your march, I'm proud to be standing with you.

Thirty-five years ago today the United States Supreme Court declared and decided that under the law an unborn child is not considered a person. But we know many things about the unborn. Biology confirms that from the start each unborn child is a separate individual with his or her own genetic code. Babies can now survive outside the mother's womb at younger and younger ages. And the fingers and toes and beating hearts that we can see on an unborn child's ultrasound come with something that we cannot see: a soul.

Today we're heartened -- we're heartened by the news that the number of abortions is declining. But the most recent data reports that more than one in five pregnancies end in an abortion. America is better than this, so we will continue to work for a culture of life where a woman with an unplanned pregnancy knows there are caring people who will support her; where a pregnant teen can carry her child and complete her education; where the dignity of both the mother and child is honored and cherished.

We aspire to build a society where each one of us is welcomed in life and protected in law. We haven't arrived, but we are making progress. Here in Washington we passed good laws that promote adoption and extend legal protection to children who are born despite abortion attempts. We came together to ban the cruel practice of partial birth abortion. And in the past year we have prevented that landmark law from being rolled back.

We've seen the dramatic breakthroughs in stem cell research that it is possible to advance medical science while respecting the sanctity of life. Building a culture of life requires more than law; it requires changing hearts. And as we reach out to others and find common ground, we can see the glimmerings of a new America on a far shore. This America is rooted in our belief that in a civilized society, the strong protect the weak. This America is nurtured by people like you, who speak up for the weak and the innocent. This America is the destiny of a people whose founding document speaks of the right to life that is a gift of our Creator, not a grant of the state.

My friends, the time is short and your march is soon. As you give voice to the voiceless I ask you to take comfort from this: The hearts of the American people are good. Their minds are open to persuasion. And our history shows that a cause rooted in human dignity and appealing to the best instincts of the American people cannot fail. So take heart.

Take heart, be strong, and go forth. May God bless you.