July 29, 2003
ST. LOUIS – Linking his own beliefs to the cause of the nation’s largest pro-life group, Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt delivered welcoming remarks to the National Right to Life Convention that were both professional and personal in nature.
"I want to thank you for the good work you’re doing in Missouri and all across this nation to convince more people to join our cause and become committed to protecting the sanctity of human life for generations to come," Blunt said July 3 to an audience that warmly received him at the Hyatt Regency at Union Station.
The second sentence out of his mouth was this: "Missourians believe in the sanctity of life." That was immediately followed by a seven-second round of applause.
As Missouri’s 37th secretary of state, his duty for the event was to make the Right to Life conventioneers feel at home for their three days in St. Louis. He accomplished this by talking about his own family, mentioning that both his brother and his sister in recent months had celebrated the arrival of new babies.
"As I hold those two nephews, I’m deeply impressed by the frailty and certainly their young, fragile lives that are a testament to the importance of your work," Blunt said.
"America’s children, both born and unborn, are our future and our hope. Their health, their well-being, should be our greatest concern and certainly will be our greatest reward."
Blunt thanked Right to Life for "the vigilance, sincerity and prayers that accompany your mission." He noted that through these efforts Americans are developing a greater appreciation for life.
Women under 20 reported having 249,660 abortions in 1999, some 8,000 fewer than the year before. That was the lowest number since 1973, when there were 243,530 teen abortions.
Blunt cited two points of his personal/political philosophy that apply to the issue of life. With compassion for our fellow man and a deep respect for the rule of law, it is important to reach out to those children who are in peril, Blunt said.
"Missourians recognize the future of this nation depends upon the future of our children, both born and unborn," Blunt said.