[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 3 (Monday, January 20, 2003)]
[Pages 69-70]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 7639--National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2003

 January 14, 2003

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    Our Nation was built on a promise of life and liberty for all 
citizens. Guided by a deep respect for human dignity, our Founding 
Fathers worked to secure these rights for future generations, and today 
we continue to seek to fulfill their promise in our laws and our 
society. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we reaffirm the value 
of human life and renew our dedication to ensuring that every American 
has access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
    As we seek to improve quality of life, overcome illness, and promote 
vital medical research, my Administration will continue to honor our 
country's founding ideals of equal dignity and equal rights for every 
American. Every child is a priority and a blessing, and I believe that 
all should be welcomed in life and protected by law. My Administration 
has championed compassionate alternatives to abortion, such as helping 
women in crisis through maternity group homes, encouraging adoption, 
promoting abstinence education, and passing laws requiring parental 
notification and waiting periods for minors.
    The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which I signed into law in 
August 2002, is an important contribution to our efforts to care for 
human life. This important legislation helps protect the most vulnerable 
members of our society by ensuring that every infant born alive, 
including one who survives abortion, is considered a person and receives 
protection under Federal law. It helps achieve the promises of the 
Declaration of Independence for all, including those without the voice 
and power to defend their own rights.
    Through ethical policies and the compassion of Americans, we will 
continue to build a culture that respects life. Faith-based and 
community organizations and individual citizens play a critical role in 
strengthening our neighborhoods and bringing care and comfort to those 
in need. By helping fellow citizens, these groups recognize the dignity 
of every human being and the possibilities of every life; and their 
important efforts are helping to build a more just and generous Nation. 
By working together to protect the weak, the imperfect, and the 
unwanted, we affirm a culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future 
for all.
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. 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 19, 2003, 
as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. As we reflect upon the sanctity 
of human life, I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with 
appropriate ceremonies in our homes and places of worship, to rededicate 
ourselves to compassionate service, and to reaffirm our commitment to 
respecting the life and dignity of every human being.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day 
of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
seventh.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., January 16, 
2003]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on January 
17.

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