For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 16, 2004
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2004
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
As Americans, we are led by the power of our conscience and the
history of our country to defend and promote the dignity and rights of
all people. Each person, however frail or defenseless, has a place and
a purpose in this world. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we
celebrate the gift of life and our commitment to building a society of
compassion and humanity.
Today, the principles of human dignity enshrined in the Declaration
of Independence -- that all persons are created equal and possess the
unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness --
continue to guide us. In November, I signed into law the Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban Act of 2003, reaffirming our commitment to protecting
innocent life and to a basic standard of humanity -- the duty of the
strong to defend the weak. My Administration encourages adoption and
supports abstinence education, crisis pregnancy programs, parental
notification laws, and other measures to help us continue to build a
culture of life. By working together, we will provide hope to the
weakest among us and achieve a more compassionate and merciful world.
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 18,
2004, 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 fifteenth day
of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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