[Federal Register: January 17, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 12)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Page 2409-2410]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17ja03-140]
Presidential Documents
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Title 3-- The President
[[Page 2409]]
Proclamation 7639 of January 14, 2003
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our Nation was built on a promise of life and liberty
for all citizens. Guided by a deep respect for human
dignity, our Founding Fathers worked to secure these
rights for future generations, and today we continue to
seek to fulfill their promise in our laws and our
society. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we
reaffirm the value of human life and renew our
dedication to ensuring that every American has access
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
As we seek to improve quality of life, overcome
illness, and promote vital medical research, my
Administration will continue to honor our country's
founding ideals of equal dignity and equal rights for
every American. Every child is a priority and a
blessing, and I believe that all should be welcomed in
life and protected by law. My Administration has
championed compassionate alternatives to abortion, such
as helping women in crisis through maternity group
homes, encouraging adoption, promoting abstinence
education, and passing laws requiring parental
notification and waiting periods for minors.
The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which I signed
into law in August 2002, is an important contribution
to our efforts to care for human life. This important
legislation helps protect the most vulnerable members
of our society by ensuring that every infant born
alive, including one who survives abortion, is
considered a person and receives protection under
Federal law. It helps achieve the promises of the
Declaration of Independence for all, including those
without the voice and power to defend their own rights.
Through ethical policies and the compassion of
Americans, we will continue to build a culture that
respects life. Faith- based and community organizations
and individual citizens play a critical role in
strengthening our neighborhoods and bringing care and
comfort to those in need. By helping fellow citizens,
these groups recognize the dignity of every human being
and the possibilities of every life; and their
important efforts are helping to build a more just and
generous Nation. By working together to protect the
weak, the imperfect, and the unwanted, we affirm a
culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future for
all.
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 19, 2003, as
National Sanctity of Human Life Day. As we reflect upon
the sanctity of human life, I call upon all Americans
to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies in
our homes and places of worship, to rededicate
ourselves to compassionate service, and to reaffirm our
commitment to respecting the life and dignity of every
human being.
[[Page 2410]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two
thousand three, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.
(Presidential Sig.)B
[FR Doc. 03-1276 Filed 1-16-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P