President Bush Defends His Pro-Life Record, Encourages Advocates
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 1, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In a video address to over 1,000 people attending the National Right to Life convention, President Bush commended pro-life advocates for their hard work defending human life and touted the pro-life accomplishments of his administration.
"You believe as I do that every person, however frail of vulnerable, is a blessing and has a place and a purpose in this world," the president said. "We must stand for an America where every life counts and every life matters."
Bush discussed the legislation he has signed during his administration.
The Born Alive Infants Protection Act, the first pro-life law passed since the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed unlimited abortions, requires medical personnel to provide babies who survive botched abortions attempts with normal medical care.
Bush also codified the first federal ban on any type of abortion procedures when he signed into law a Congressional ban on partial-birth abortions.
The president also mentioned the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, that allows prosecutors to charge assailants with two crimes when an unborn child is killed or injured as a result of an attack against a pregnant woman.
"Common sense and conscience tells us that, when an expectant mother is killed, two lives are ended, and the criminal should answer for both crimes," Bush said.
The Bush record on abortion and pro-life issues pleases NRLC president Dr. Wanda Franz, a psychology professor at West Virginia University.
"President Bush has corrected the inexcusable acts of his predecessor," Franz told the crowd. "These legislative successes demonstrate how far we have come since the earliest days of the Right to Life movement."
One of the first acts President Bush took after his inauguration was to reinstitute the Mexico City Policy that prevents federal funds from going to groups that perform or promote abortions overseas.
Looking to the future, Bush said, "my administration will continue to support crisis pregnancy centers, adoption initiatives, parental notification laws and the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act" – a bill to ensure that medical facilities and personnel can opt out of any involvement in abortion.
Bush said he would also press for a ban on all forms of human cloning, continue to back federal funding for abstinence-only programs, and would "oppose using federal funds in a way that sanctions or encourages the destruction of human embryos for stem cell research."
"As you return to your communities, I know you will redouble your efforts to remind our fellow citizens, with civility and respect, that all life is sacred and worth of protection," President Bush concluded. "And this is a way that we will build a culture of life in which every child is born into a loving familyand protected by law."
