[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 2409-2410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1276]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 12 / Friday, January 17, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 2409]]

                Proclamation 7639 of January 14, 2003

                
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation was built on a promise of life and liberty 
                for all citizens. Guided by a deep respect for human 
                dignity, our Founding Fathers worked to secure these 
                rights for future generations, and today we continue to 
                seek to fulfill their promise in our laws and our 
                society. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we 
                reaffirm the value of human life and renew our 
                dedication to ensuring that every American has access 
                to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

                As we seek to improve quality of life, overcome 
                illness, and promote vital medical research, my 
                Administration will continue to honor our country's 
                founding ideals of equal dignity and equal rights for 
                every American. Every child is a priority and a 
                blessing, and I believe that all should be welcomed in 
                life and protected by law. My Administration has 
                championed compassionate alternatives to abortion, such 
                as helping women in crisis through maternity group 
                homes, encouraging adoption, promoting abstinence 
                education, and passing laws requiring parental 
                notification and waiting periods for minors.

                The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which I signed 
                into law in August 2002, is an important contribution 
                to our efforts to care for human life. This important 
                legislation helps protect the most vulnerable members 
                of our society by ensuring that every infant born 
                alive, including one who survives abortion, is 
                considered a person and receives protection under 
                Federal law. It helps achieve the promises of the 
                Declaration of Independence for all, including those 
                without the voice and power to defend their own rights.

                Through ethical policies and the compassion of 
                Americans, we will continue to build a culture that 
                respects life. Faith- based and community organizations 
                and individual citizens play a critical role in 
                strengthening our neighborhoods and bringing care and 
                comfort to those in need. By helping fellow citizens, 
                these groups recognize the dignity of every human being 
                and the possibilities of every life; and their 
                important efforts are helping to build a more just and 
                generous Nation. By working together to protect the 
                weak, the imperfect, and the unwanted, we affirm a 
                culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future for 
                all.

                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 19, 2003, as 
                National Sanctity of Human Life Day. As we reflect upon 
                the sanctity of human life, I call upon all Americans 
                to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies in 
                our homes and places of worship, to rededicate 
                ourselves to compassionate service, and to reaffirm our 
                commitment to respecting the life and dignity of every 
                human being.

[[Page 2410]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand three, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-1276
Filed 1-16-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P