[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 16 (Friday, January 24, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 4189-4190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01343]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 16 / Friday, January 24, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 4189]]

                Proclamation 9978 of January 21, 2020

                
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every person--the born and unborn, the poor, the 
                downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly--
                has inherent value. Although each journey is different, 
                no life is without worth or is inconsequential; the 
                rights of all people must be defended. On National 
                Sanctity of Human Life Day, our Nation proudly and 
                strongly reaffirms our commitment to protect the 
                precious gift of life at every stage, from conception 
                to natural death.

                Recently, we have seen decreases in the total number 
                and rate of abortions in our country. From 2007-2016, 
                the most recent period of analysis, the number and rate 
                of abortions decreased by 24 percent and 26 percent, 
                respectively. The rate of teen pregnancies--the vast 
                majority of which are unplanned--has almost 
                continuously decreased over the last quarter century, 
                contributing to the lowest rate of abortions among 
                adolescents since the legalization of abortion in 1973. 
                All Americans should celebrate this decline in the 
                number and rate of abortions, which represents lives 
                saved. Still, there is more to be done, and, as 
                President, I will continue to fight to protect the 
                lives of the unborn. I signed into law legislation 
                under the Congressional Review Act that allows States 
                and other grantees to exclude organizations that 
                perform abortions from their Title X projects. My 
                Administration has also issued regulations to ensure 
                Title X family planning projects are clearly separated 
                from those that perform, promote, or refer for abortion 
                as a method of family planning; to protect the 
                conscience rights of healthcare workers and 
                organizations, including with respect to abortion; and 
                to ensure the Federal Government does not force 
                employers that object, based on religious belief or 
                moral conviction, to provide insurance for 
                contraceptives, including those they believe cause 
                early abortions. Additionally, I have called on the 
                Congress to act to prohibit abortions of later-term 
                babies who can feel pain.

                My Administration is also building an international 
                coalition to dispel the concept of abortion as a 
                fundamental human right. So far, 24 nations 
                representing more than a billion people have joined 
                this important cause. We oppose any projects that 
                attempt to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded 
                abortion on demand, up to the moment of delivery. And 
                we will never tire of defending innocent life--at home 
                or abroad.

                As a Nation, we must remain steadfastly dedicated to 
                the profound truth that all life is a gift from God, 
                who endows every person with immeasurable worth and 
                potential. Countless Americans are tireless defenders 
                of life and champions for the vulnerable among us. We 
                are grateful for those who support women experiencing 
                unexpected pregnancies, those who provide healing to 
                women who have had abortions, and those who welcome 
                children into their homes through foster care and 
                adoption. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we 
                celebrate the wonderful gift of life and renew our 
                resolve to build a culture where life is always 
                revered.

[[Page 4190]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim January 22, 2020, as 
                National Sanctity of Human Life Day. Today, I call on 
                the Congress to join me in protecting and defending the 
                dignity of every human life, including those not yet 
                born. I call on the American people to continue to care 
                for women in unexpected pregnancies and to support 
                adoption and foster care in a more meaningful way, so 
                every child can have a loving home. And finally, I ask 
                every citizen of this great Nation to listen to the 
                sound of silence caused by a generation lost to us, and 
                then to raise their voices for all affected by 
                abortion, both seen and unseen.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-01343
Filed 1-23-20; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P