[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 40 (Monday, October 11, 1993)]
[Page 1999]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6602--Child Health Day, 1993

 October 4, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Our children are our future. Therefore, making sure that our 
children are healthy must be a national concern. For 65 years, 
Presidents of the United States have proclaimed one day every year as 
``Child Health Day,'' a time to focus on the health and well-being of 
our Nation's children.
    Over the years, we have recognized again and again that it is better 
to try to guarantee the health of our children than to attempt to 
restore their health once it has been jeopardized. A healthy childhood 
charts a path for a healthy adult life. Prevention is, therefore, 
primary. Through preventive measures, we help children avoid the pain 
and suffering of disease and disability; we stop unnecessary spending; 
and we decrease the number of childhood deaths.
    We possess the ability to prevent many childhood diseases and 
injuries, and we must use this ability. Every child needs access to 
primary health care. The necessary immunizations against nine different 
contagious diseases must be given to children at the recommended ages. 
Injuries, the greatest threat to our children's well-being, can be 
reduced by introducing into our daily routines various safety measures. 
For example, the use of car seats, seat belts, and bicycle helmets helps 
to guard against hazards to which children are especially vulnerable. 
There are dangers in the home, as well, such as careless storage of 
poisons and unlocked staircase gates. Paying attention to our children 
and to potential risks to their safety can help to safeguard them in our 
homes.
    We can prevent our children from making unhealthy choices, both by 
the rules we set for them and by the rules we follow ourselves. Many of 
the behaviors that will affect their health--choices about what to eat; 
the dangers of smoking, drinking, using illegal drugs, or irresponsible 
sexual behavior; how to handle their feelings and the pressure of their 
peers--will be learned from the models they see around them. We have an 
opportunity, as well as a responsibility, to shape the future for our 
children. In our personal lives, that responsibility extends to those 
whose lives we touch in our families and in our communities.
    The Congress, by joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as amended 
(36 U.S.C. 143), has called for the designation of the first Monday in 
October as ``Child Health Day'' and has requested the President to issue 
a proclamation in observance of this day.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 4, 1993, as Child 
Health Day. On that day and every day throughout the year, I urge all 
Americans to renew their commitment to protecting and developing our 
most valuable asset--our children.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of 
October, 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 
eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:44 a.m., October 5, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
7.