National Sanctity of Human Life Day

National Sanctity of Human Life Day is an observance declared by several United States Presidents who opposed abortion typically proclaimed on or near the anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade.

History

President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation on January 13, 1984, designating Sunday, January 22, 1984 as National Sanctity of Human Life Day, noting that it was the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in which the Supreme Court issued a ruling that guaranteed women access to abortion.[1] President Reagan was a strong pro-life advocate who said that in Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court "[s]truck down our laws protecting the lives of unborn children".[2]

Reagan issued the proclamation annually thereafter, designating Sanctity of Human Life Day to be the closest Sunday to the original January 22 date.[3] His successor, George H. W. Bush, continued the annual proclamation throughout his presidency.[4] Bush's successor, Bill Clinton, discontinued the practice throughout his eight years in office, but Bush's son and Clinton's successor, George W. Bush, resumed the proclamation and did so every year of his presidency.

Barack Obama never issued a National Sanctity of Human Life proclamation during his presidency.[5] In the first year of his presidency, Donald Trump issued a proclamation declaring January 22, 2018 to be National Sanctity of Human Life Day.[6]

The day is traditionally marked as a holy day by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.

Response

The proclamation of National Sanctity of Human Life Day has been heralded by National Right to Life as "a wonderful statement of what the pro-life movement is really all about" while reproductive rights groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood have denounced it, saying it signals a desire to roll back the rights of women.[7]

In an amicus brief filed by the National Lawyers Association in the case of Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, National Sanctity of Human Life Day was cited as an instance of the executive branch acknowledging the theistic philosophy of the United States government.[8][4]

See also

References

[4]

  1. ↑ http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/11384c.htm
  2. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/17/us/president-deplores-abortion-proclaims-a-human-life-day.html
  3. ↑ see: 1989 and 2006 when January 22 fell on a 4th Sunday as in the original 1984 date of the proclamation. Though it is usually the case, National Sanctity of Human Life Day is not simply "the 3rd Sunday in January"
  4. 1 2 3 National Sanctity of Human Life Day. laws.com retrieved from government-programs.laws.com on Nov 28 2012
  5. ↑ https://thegoodnewsherald.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/the-sanctity-of-life/
  6. ↑ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-proclaims-january-22-2018-national-sanctity-human-life-day/
  7. ↑ "Bush Declares..."
  8. ↑ NLA Brief
  • "Bush declares National Sanctity of Human Life Day". CNN.com. 2007-01-15. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  • Gaustad, Edwin S.; Leigh Schmidt (2004). The Religious History of America. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-063056-6.
  • "Supreme Court Briefs: No. 02-1624". FindLaw.com. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
Proclamations
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