[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H236-H237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE SUNDAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on this coming Sunday, 
January 19, communities and churches across America will be celebrating 
the Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
  Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is a call to defend the sanctity of 
human life. Since 1983, Americans have observed Sanctity of Human Life 
Sunday as a day to celebrate the intrinsic value of all human life. 
This important day also provides an opportunity for pregnancy centers 
to share about the work they do to bring life-affirming resources to 
their communities and to empower women and men to choose life for their 
unborn children.
  Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is held on the Sunday in January that 
falls closest to the day on which the ROE v. WADE and DOE v. BOLTON 
decisions were handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 
1973.
  I look forward to celebrating this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 
worshipping with the DuBois First Baptist Church, which is located in 
Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, an area I proudly serve and represent.
  That same week, on Wednesday, January 22, the March for Life will be 
held here in Washington, D.C. What began as a small demonstration has 
rapidly grown to be one of the largest pro-life events in the world. 
The peaceful demonstration will be attended by hundreds of thousands of 
Americans, including many from Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional 
District.
  Mr. Speaker, our Founders who penned our Declaration of Independence 
recognized this first principle, as they stated:

       We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are 
     created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with 
     certain unalienable rights, that among these are life.

  Mr. Speaker, today, we continue to live out this principle. For all 
of us, protecting the unborn is a value system. It is a cause. It is a 
distinct understanding that every child, every human life, has a 
purpose in this world; and that life is sacred, and it must be 
protected.
  The only way to offer a voice for those who have no voice is to band 
together. By educating our children and effectively communicating with 
our communities on the importance of life, this is how we will 
successfully lead this fight. Both Sanctity of Human Life Sunday and 
March for Life are spent doing that--celebrating life and spreading our 
message.
  Mr. Speaker, as for the right to life, Americans, born and yet to be 
born, deserve as much.

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