[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[January 23, 2006]
[Pages 100-101]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Telephone Remarks to the March for Life
January 23, 2006

    Nellie, thank you very much. I appreciate 
the invitation to speak. I'm calling from Manhattan, Kansas. [Applause] 
Sounds like you've got some good folks from Kansas there. I want to 
thank everybody there--if you're from Kansas or anywhere else in our 
country--for your devotion to such a noble cause.
    You believe, as I do, that every human life has value, that the 
strong have a duty to protect the weak, and that the self-evident truths 
of the Declaration of Independence apply to everyone, not just to those 
considered healthy or wanted or convenient. These principles call us to 
defend the sick and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth 
defects, all who are weak and vulnerable, especially unborn children.
    We're making good progress in defending these principles, 
Nellie, and you and I are working together, 
along with others, to build what I've called a culture of life. One of 
my first acts as the President was to ban the use of taxpayer money on 
programs that promote abortion overseas. I want to thank you all for 
getting that ban on partial-birth abortion to my desk, a bill I was 
proud to sign and a law which we are going to defend and are defending 
vigorously in our courts.
    Because we acted, infants who are born despite an attempted abortion 
are now protected by law. Thanks to ``Laci and

[[Page 101]]

Conner's Law,'' prosecutors can now charge those who harm or kill a 
pregnant woman with harming or killing her unborn child as well.
    We're vigorously promoting parental notification laws, adoption, 
teen abstinence, crisis pregnancy programs, and the vital work of our 
faith-based groups. We're sending a clear message to any woman facing a 
crisis pregnancy: We love you; we love your child; and we're here to 
help you.
    There's more work to be done. The House has passed a bill to ensure 
that State parental involvement laws are not circumvented by those who 
take minors across State lines to have abortions. And the United States 
Senate needs to pass this bill so I can sign it into law.
    We also must respect human life and dignity when advancing medical 
science, and we're making progress here as well. Last month, I signed a 
pro-life bill supporting ethical treatment and research using stem cells 
from umbilical cord blood. I also renew my call for Congress to ban all 
forms of human cloning. Because human life is a gift from our Creator 
and should never be used as a means to an end, we will not sanction the 
creation of life only to destroy it.
    By changing laws, we can change our culture. And your persistence 
and prayers, Nellie, and the folks there with 
you, are making a real difference. We, of course, seek common ground 
where possible. We're working to persuade more of our fellow Americans 
of the rightness of our cause. And this is a cause that appeals to the 
conscience of our citizens and is rooted in America's deepest 
principles, and history tells us that with such a cause, we will 
prevail.
    Again, Nellie, thank you for letting me 
come to speak to you. Tell everybody there that I ask for God's 
blessings on them and their families, and, of course, may God continue 
to bless our grand country.

Note: The President spoke at 11:40 a.m. from Manhattan, KS, to march 
participants on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In his remarks, he 
referred to Nellie J. Gray, president, March for Life Education and 
Defense Fund.