[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[January 22, 2001]
[Page 9]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement to Participants in the March for Life
January 22, 2001

     Good afternoon, friends and fellow citizens. Two days ago, 
Americans gathered on the Washington Mall to celebrate our Nation's 
ideals. Today, you are gathered to remind our country that one of those 
ideals is the infinite value of every life.
     I deeply appreciate your message and your work. You see the weak 
and defenseless, and you try to help them. You see the hardship of many 
young mothers and their unborn children, and you care for them both. In 
so many ways, you make our society more compassionate and welcoming.
     We share a great goal: to work toward a day when every child is 
welcomed in life and protected in law. We know this will not come 
easily, or all at once. But the goal leads us onward: to build a culture 
of life, affirming that every person, at every stage and season of life, 
is created equal in God's image.
     The promises of our Declaration of Independence are not just for 
the strong, the independent, or the healthy. They are for everyone--
including unborn children. We are a society with enough compassion and 
wealth and love to care for both mothers and their children, to seek the 
promise and potential in every human life.
     I believe that we are making progress toward that goal. I trust in 
the good hearts of Americans. I trust in the unfolding promise of our 
country--an expanding circle of inclusion and protection. And I trust in 
the civility and good sense of our citizens--a willingness to engage our 
differences in a spirit of tolerance and good will.
     All of you marching today have never tired in a good cause. Thank 
you for your conviction, your idealism, and your courage. May God bless 
you all.

                                                          George W. Bush

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this statement.