Vice President Cheney: President Bush Has Strong Pro-Life Record
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 21, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Appearing at an awards dinner sponsored by the National Right to Life Committee, Vice President Dick Cheney defended President Bush’s strong pro-life record. Cheney said Bush has been firm in his commitment to protecting the "weakest members of our society.”
"To be part of this cause is to believe that every mother carrying a life, that every child waiting to be born deserves understanding,” he said, according to an AP report.
"It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, male or female, black or white, … north or south, east or west, all that matters is your respect for the claim of every life,” Cheney said.
In his speech, Cheney reaffirmed the president’s commitment to stopping all forms of human cloning.
Cheney’s speech ran about 10 minutes and he was interrupted repeatedly by applause. His remarks come just days before a large pro-abortion march, where abortion advocates are hoping to rally supporters around the candidacy of Massachusetts senator John Kerry.
Bush has received praise form the pro-life community for his actions as president.
In his first days in office, President Bush put back in place a pro-life foreign policy that prohibits taxpayer funding of groups that perform or promote abortions in other countries. Former president Clinton has axed the long-standing prohibition.
Bush has signed three pro-life bills into law: the Born Alive Infants Protection Act requires health care facilities to provide adequate medical care for newborns who survive failed abortion attempts, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban prohibits a gruesome abortion procedure, and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act protects pregnant women and their unborn children by punishing criminals who kill or injure their babies during an assault.
Kerry voted against the partial-birth abortion ban and the unborn victims bill.
Cheney called the legislation "historic action” to protect the lives of vulnerable members of society. He indicated the Bush administration will continue to defend the partial-birth abortion ban "confidently and vigorously."
Though the legislation is a good start, Cheney said the president recognizes the battle to protect all human life continues.
"President Bush has often expressed his commitment that in a compassionate society, every child be welcomed in life,” Cheney said. "America still has some distance to travel before that hope is realized.”
Cheney, who compiled a 100% pro-life voting record as a member of Congress from Wyoming, also praised the work of National Right to Life and the pro-life community. He called the pro-live movement, "a great movement of conscience" that "reflects the compassion of our country, and our commitment to equality and dignity for every life."
"Your idealism brought the movement into being," Cheney said, according to a New York Times story. "Your energy has kept it strong. Your faithfulness, integrity and good hearts will see it through until this great nation honors the God-given dignity of every life."
The awards ceremony was an occasion for the national pro-life group to honor entertainer Pat Boone.
Before the Beatles invaded America, only one artist rivaled Elvis Presley on the charts — Pat Boone.
With his trademark white buck shoes, perfect coif and gleaming smile, Boone was the very essence of wholesome American values. At a time when the rise of rock music was viewed as a sign of the apocalypse, he made the music appear safe and non-threatening, compiling some thirty-eight Top 40 hits in the process.
In the 1980s, he released the song "Let Me Live," which became an anthem of sorts for the pro-life movement.
Past honorees include actor, lawyer, and writer Ben Stein, actress Jennifer O’Neill, actress Margaret Colin, Dr. James Dobson, founder and president of Focus on the Family, Archbishop Renato Martino, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, and the late Robert Casey, former governor of Pennsylvania, among others.
Several members of Congress attended the event, including Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), as well as Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ), Mike Ferguson (R-NJ), Steve King (R-IA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Bart Stupak (D-MI), among others.
Related web sites:
National Right to Life Committee – https://www.nrlc.org
Bush-Cheney 2004 – https://www.georgewbush.com
