    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [January 23, 2006]
    [Pages 100-101]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Telephone Remarks to the March for Life
    January 23, 2006

        Nellie, thank you very much. I appreciate
    the invitation to speak. I'm calling from Manhattan, Kansas. [Applause]
    Sounds like you've got some good folks from Kansas there. I want to
    thank everybody there--if you're from Kansas or anywhere else in our
    country--for your devotion to such a noble cause.
        You believe, as I do, that every human life has value, that the
    strong have a duty to protect the weak, and that the self-evident truths
    of the Declaration of Independence apply to everyone, not just to those
    considered healthy or wanted or convenient. These principles call us to
    defend the sick and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth
    defects, all who are weak and vulnerable, especially unborn children.
        We're making good progress in defending these principles,
    Nellie, and you and I are working together,
    along with others, to build what I've called a culture of life. One of
    my first acts as the President was to ban the use of taxpayer money on
    programs that promote abortion overseas. I want to thank you all for
    getting that ban on partial-birth abortion to my desk, a bill I was
    proud to sign and a law which we are going to defend and are defending
    vigorously in our courts.
        Because we acted, infants who are born despite an attempted abortion
    are now protected by law. Thanks to ``Laci and

    [[Page 101]]

    Conner's Law,'' prosecutors can now charge those who harm or kill a
    pregnant woman with harming or killing her unborn child as well.
        We're vigorously promoting parental notification laws, adoption,
    teen abstinence, crisis pregnancy programs, and the vital work of our
    faith-based groups. We're sending a clear message to any woman facing a
    crisis pregnancy: We love you; we love your child; and we're here to
    help you.
        There's more work to be done. The House has passed a bill to ensure
    that State parental involvement laws are not circumvented by those who
    take minors across State lines to have abortions. And the United States
    Senate needs to pass this bill so I can sign it into law.
        We also must respect human life and dignity when advancing medical
    science, and we're making progress here as well. Last month, I signed a
    pro-life bill supporting ethical treatment and research using stem cells
    from umbilical cord blood. I also renew my call for Congress to ban all
    forms of human cloning. Because human life is a gift from our Creator
    and should never be used as a means to an end, we will not sanction the
    creation of life only to destroy it.
        By changing laws, we can change our culture. And your persistence
    and prayers, Nellie, and the folks there with
    you, are making a real difference. We, of course, seek common ground
    where possible. We're working to persuade more of our fellow Americans
    of the rightness of our cause. And this is a cause that appeals to the
    conscience of our citizens and is rooted in America's deepest
    principles, and history tells us that with such a cause, we will
    prevail.
        Again, Nellie, thank you for letting me
    come to speak to you. Tell everybody there that I ask for God's
    blessings on them and their families, and, of course, may God continue
    to bless our grand country.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:40 a.m. from Manhattan, KS, to march
    participants on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In his remarks, he
    referred to Nellie J. Gray, president, March for Life Education and
    Defense Fund.