"For the sake of the children"

Editor's note. The following are excerpts from the remarks of Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) delivered at the March for Life, January 24, 2000.

Before I say another thing, I must say thank you. Thank you for being here today. Your presence is so important in standing shoulder to shoulder and freezing feet to freezing feet, to show your concern for the unborn and their mothers. The mere sight of your numbers encourages all of us to continue this struggle for life.

This year, 2000, the start of a new century, gives us in the right to life movement a new opportunity to get even closer to being a nation that once again protects all of its members, especially those not yet born.

This year we must, as St. Paul admonishes in the book of Hebrews, "run with endurance the race fixed before you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. ..." And St. Paul tells us to "run in a way so as to win."

Joined by our cherished Jewish and Muslim friends and others of goodwill, the time has come, bolstered by deep faith, persevering prayer, and the efficacy of fasting, to seize the opportunities before us in this election year - - to work smart and hard to ensure that the next President of the United States and the next Congress are pro-life.

For too long, we have been forced to fight the appalling policies of a White House that defends and enables the indefensible - - 40 million kids have been dismembered, cut to pieces, or chemically poisoned, and millions of mothers have been injured emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Al Gore wants to promote this manifest cruelty not only here but overseas as well by funding it, by turning unborn babies into raw materials for stem cell researchers, and by litmus testing judicial appointments.

For the sake of the children, Al Gore must be stopped.

As a veteran of the pro-life movement and as a congressman for 20 years, I know there is a tremendous urgency to return a pro- life President to the White House now. I respect deeply each of the Republicans running for President. But my wife Marie and I wholeheartedly support Governor Bush for President because of his reverence for the family and traditional moral values, and because he will do all that is possible to end the violence of abortion. And because he can stop Al Gore. ...

...You will make the difference in this election year. You are the grassroots that affect the outcomes of elections. You are the unselfish volunteers vital to an election. You brave the ice and snow. You will elect pro-lifers. ...

...Finally, you need to know just how faithful the Republican leadership has been. Speaker Hastert, Dick Armey, Tom DeLay, Senate Majority Leader Lott, and Don Nichols have gone to the wall, week after week, to ensure that abortion funding bans like the Hyde Amendment and Mexico City Policy, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and dozens of other initiatives have passed.

And to be utterly fair, none of our modest successes, especially during these dark Clinton-Gore years, would have been possible without the 40 or so courageous pro-life Democrats. They deserve our gratitude.

However, if the House flips Democratic, pro-abortionists will regain key strategic leadership posts and chairmanships - - and that can't be good for the babies.

This year's presidential and congressional elections must be the turning point. We have no choice but to unite. I say again, we have no choice but to unite.