President George W. Bush's Message to the 2004 National Right to Life Convention
I appreciate the opportunity to speak to all of you attending the 32nd National Right to Life Convention. Thank you, Wanda [Franz, NRLC President], for that warm introduction. Over the years, your organization has grown to more than three thousand chapters in all fifty states. That is a powerful tribute to your hard work and commitment to defending life. You believe as I do that every person, however frail or vulnerable, is a blessing and has a place and a purpose in this world.
We must stand for an America in which every life counts and every life matters. With your help, my administration has made real progress toward building a culture of life in America. I signed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. I signed legislation supporting maternity group homes. Working with Congress we've stopped the spending of taxpayer's money on international programs that promote abortion overseas. My administration was the first to make unborn children eligible for health coverage under a federal program, recognizing them as living members of the human family, and providing pre-natal care to their mothers.
And last November it was my honor to sign a law banning the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion. Your organization played a key role in getting that bill to my desk. That law is valid and constitutional. It is compassionate and urgently needed, and my administration will fight to uphold it.
Earlier this year I also signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Common sense and conscience tells us that when an expectant mother is killed, two lives are ended and the criminal should answer for both crimes. My administration will continue to support Crisis Pregnancy Centers, adoption incentives, parental notification laws, and the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act. I have proposed to double federal funding for abstinence-only programs in schools and community based programs.
I oppose using federal funds in a way that sanctions or encourages the destruction of human embryos for stem cell research. I will continue working with Congress to pass an effective and comprehensive ban on human cloning. Life is a creation of God, not a commodity to be exploited by man.
As you return to your communities I know you will redouble your efforts to remind our fellow citizens, with civility and respect, that all life is sacred and worthy of protection. And this is the way that we will build a culture of life in which every child is born into a loving family and protected by law.
Thank you for inviting me to participate in your annual meeting. May God bless you and may God continue to bless America.