Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian, made history last Friday by becoming the highest ranking government official to attend the March for Life in its 44-year history.
He gave a stirring pro-life speech during the event. Here is the complete transcript:
On behalf of President Donald Trump; my wife, Karen; and our daughter, Charlotte, I’d like to welcome you all to Washington, D.C., for the 44th annual March for Life.
And I am deeply humbled to be the first vice president of the United States to ever have the privilege to attend this historic gathering.
More than 240 years ago, our Founders wrote words that have echoed through the ages.
They declared “these truths to be self-evident.” That we are, all of us, “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights” and “that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Forty-four years ago, our Supreme Court turned away from the first of these timeless ideals.
But today, three generations hence, because of all of you, and the many more who stand with us in marches just like this across this nation, life is winning in America again.
That is evident in the election of pro-life majorities in the Congress of the United States.
But it is no more evident than in the historic election of a president who stands for a stronger America, a more prosperous America, and a president who I proudly say stands for the right to life—President Donald Trump.
President Trump actually asked me to be here today to thank all of you for your support and for your stand for life and for your compassion for the women and children of this nation.
One week ago today, on the steps of the Capitol, we saw the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States. Our president is a man with broad shoulders and a big heart. His vision, his energy and his optimism are boundless, and I know he will “Make America Great Again.”
From his first day in office, he has been keeping his promises to the American people.
And at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we’re in the promise-keeping business.
That’s why, on Monday, President Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy to prevent foreign aid from funding organizations that promote or perform abortions.
That’s why this administration will work with Congress to end taxpayer funding for abortion and abortion providers, and we will devote those resources to health care services for women across America.
And that’s why, next week, President Donald Trump will announce a Supreme Court nominee who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution in the tradition of the late and great Justice Antonin Scalia.
Life is winning in America. And today is a celebration of the progress that we have made in the cause.
You know, I have long believed that a society can be judged by how we care for our most vulnerable—the aged, the infirm, the disabled and the unborn.
We’ve come to a historic moment in the cause of life, and we must meet this moment with respect and compassion for every American.
Life is winning in America for many reasons.
Life is winning through the steady advance of science that illuminates when life begins.
Life is winning through the generosity of millions of adoptive families, who open their hearts and homes to children in need.
Life is winning through the compassion of caregivers and volunteers at crisis pregnancy centers and faith-based organizations who minister to women, in cities and towns across this country.
And life is winning through the quiet counsels between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters, between friends across kitchen tables, and over coffee on college campuses the truth is being told and compassion is overcoming convenience, hope is defeating despair.
In a word, life is winning in America because of all of you.
So I urge you to press on.
But as it is written, “let your gentleness be evident to all.” Let this movement be known for love, not anger—for compassion, not confrontation. When it comes to matters of the heart, there’s nothing stronger than gentleness.
I believe we will continue to win the hearts and the minds of the rising generation if our hearts first break for young mothers and their unborn children and we do all we can to meet them where they are, with generosity, not judgment.
To heal our land and restore a culture of life, we must continue to be a movement that embraces all and cares for all out of respect for the dignity and worth of every person.
Enshrined on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial are the words of our third president, who admonished us to remember that “God who gave us life gave us liberty.”
On behalf of the president of the United States, and my little family, we thank you for your stand for life, for your compassion, for your love for the women and children of this nation.
Be assured, we will not grow weary. We will not rest until we restore a culture of life for ourselves and our posterity.
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
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