[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 1 (Monday, January 11, 1993)]
[Pages 8-9]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6521--National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 1993

 January 4, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Americans have demonstrated their commitment to the belief ``that 
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with 
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the 
pursuit of Happiness.'' This tradition of generosity and reverence for 
human life stands in marked contrast with the prevalence of abortion in 
America today--some 1.5 million children lost each year; more than 4,000 
each day. This is shocking evidence of just how far we have strayed from 
our Nation's most cherished values and beliefs. Thus we pause on this 
National Sanctity of Human Life Day to call attention to the tragedy of 
abortion and to recognize the many individuals who are working to 
restore respect for human life in our Nation.
    Advances in science and technology have offered us tremendous new 
insight on life in the womb: parents can now hear their unborn child's 
heartbeat as early as 8 weeks of age; physicians can monitor the baby's 
development using high-resolution sonography; and they may even diagnose 
and treat abnormalities before birth. How terribly ironic it is that, at 
one hospital or clinic, an unborn child may be carefully treated as a 
patient, while at another facility--perhaps just a few blocks away--
another innocent child may become a victim of abortion.
    Recognizing the tragedy of abortion and the feelings of desperation 
that lead some women to make such a painful, devastating choice, 
concerned individuals throughout the United States are working to help 
women choose life for their unborn children. On this occasion we 
recognize the many generous Americans who--with nothing to gain for 
themselves--reach out to women in need through crisis pregnancy centers, 
residential facilities, mentoring programs, and a host of other support 
services. We also recognize the many social services professionals, 
attorneys, and counselors who assist in promoting the adoption option, 
and we salute each of the courageous women who make this unselfish 
choice for their children. Such works of generosity and compassion are 
saving lives and, yes, slowly but surely turning hearts--one woman, one 
couple, one community at a time.
    The struggle to overcome abortion in the United States--to educate 
individuals about life in the womb, to restore reverence for

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the miracle of creation, and to expand alternatives for women in need--
is far from ended. While the struggle may be a long and difficult one, 
many Americans know that it is a cause from which we cannot retreat. And 
because it is a cause that appeals directly to the conscience of the 
Nation--a Nation that has, time and again, demonstrated its capacity to 
rediscover its highest ideals, ideals rooted in our belief in the God-
given rights and dignity of every human being--it is a cause that cannot 
fail.
    Now, Therefore, I, George 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 17, 1993, 
as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call on all Americans to 
reflect on the sanctity of human life in all its stages and to gather in 
homes and places of worship to give thanks for the gift of life and to 
reaffirm our commitment to respect the life and dignity of every human 
being.
    In Witness Whereof,  I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of 
January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
seventeenth.
                                                   George Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:32 p.m., January 4, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on January 
6.