Remarks Honoring Henry Hyde by Rep. Chapot and Rep. Delay

“Your Eloquence and Sheer Good Sense
Has Changed the Way Americans Think About Abortion”

Excerpts from a tribute to Rep. Henry Hyde by pro-life Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio)

I will try to follow President Franklin Roosevelt’s suggestion that when speaking to an audience, “one should be sincere, be brief, and be seated.” I will have no problem being sincere because I’ll be talking about Henry Hyde. And I’ll be brief because we’ve all come here tonight to hear from Henry. ...

He is a leader who has won the undying respect of colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. He is known to be fair and respectful. He is a man of the utmost integrity. And he wields the gavel with grace and humor. The Almanac of American Politics has called him “one of the most respected and intellectually honest members of the House.” Politics in America notes that “few can match him in the sheer power of his oratory or the agility of his intellect.” If central casting in Hollywood were looking for someone to play the role of the wise and honorable committee chairman, it would need look no further than Henry Hyde.

In addition to our great love for Chairman Hyde, we all share another common bond. We believe in the right to life for all God’s children. And Henry Hyde has been the leader who has never wavered in his fight on behalf of unborn babies. We have had many wonderful Members of Congress who have engaged in the battle but nobody has been more committed, more effective, more eloquent than Henry Hyde. He has been our leader. And when he leaves the Congress, he will be greatly missed.

But he will leave behind a committed band of followers who have learned under his tutelage and will keep the pro-life flame burning. We owe it to those unborn babies. And we owe it to our leader, Henry Hyde.

Henry has been a great friend to me, personally. ... On more than one occasion, he has traveled to Cincinnati to tell the good folks in my district that they should send me back to Congress. And, on each occasion, he has packed the house and charmed the audience with his grace and humor. Henry, I can’t thank you enough for being my friend.

But more importantly, Henry, I want to thank you on behalf of those defenseless little babies you have tirelessly defended during your years in Congress. Your eloquence and sheer good sense has changed the way Americans think about abortion. You tell it like it is. And you have paved the way for another generation of leaders to fight this noble battle. It’s a battle that we will one day win.

God bless you, Henry Hyde. And thank you.

“Henry Hyde — One of the Genuine Heroes of This or Any Era”

Excerpts from a speech given by pro-life Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tx.)

Henry J. Hyde is one of the genuine heroes of this or any era. Serving beside him these last two decades in the House has been one of the great honors of my life.

Henry Hyde is not only a model legislator, ladies and gentlemen—though he is that, to be sure—but he is a model man. He is a Christian gentleman, a modern-day knight—just, honest, and relentless in his defense of the Truth.

In another age, he’d have been at Gettysburg, or Yorktown, or Marathon, or Lepanto. In ours, he has fought at the front of another struggle—one that centuries hence will be no less remembered ... no less revered ... and no less victorious. ...

And now, even as our hero plans at long last to step out of his saddle, the fullness of his legacy only grows. For we gather tonight at the turning of the tide.

Life, ladies and gentlemen, is ascendant—a true statement inconceivable without the brilliance, eloquence, and courage of Henry Hyde. His life and deeds will endure, wherever the innocent need a voice, wherever justice needs a hero.

And his words—all those magnificent words Henry marshaled like soldiers to fight all those battles all these years—will echo into the future, as unforgotten in our hearts as our nation’s invisible orphans, for whom we will fight on, for whom we will win this modern Crusade for peace ... and justice ... and love.

Thank you, Henry. And thank you all.

May God bless you, may God bless America, and may God bless the Honorable Henry Hyde.