And so ends the presidency of a man who has probably been the pro-life movement’s greatest friend in that position. It’s actually the penultimate day of his second term, but since the last day already honors Martin Luther King, it’s as close to his last word as possible:
In one of his final actions in the White House, President Bush on Thursday declared Jan. 18 to be “National Sanctity of Human Life Day.”
“All human life is a gift from our creator that is sacred, unique and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world,” reads the presidential proclamation.
“The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence and funding crisis pregnancy programs,” the proclamation continues.
“The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.”
For the pro-life cause, it’s one last chance to cheer before Barack Obama takes office. Despite Doug Kmiec’s assurances, we can expect Obama at some point to at least try to honor his commitment to Planned Parenthood to get the Freedom of Choice act passed. We’ll shortly be dealing with the man who didn’t see a need to force doctors to provide normal care to infants that survived abortion attempts.
George Bush didn’t do everything right, and on economics, he’s almost indistinguishable now from the man who will succeed him. He did everything he could on life issues, though, and Sunday will be an opportunity to give thanks for that, and to show some appreciation for it. (via The Anchoress)
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