The President's Vision for the Future
National Right to Life Leaders Meet With President Bush

By Don Parker

Out of the ruins of September 11, a man with a new vision for the world has been subtly but steadily weaving his dream for a better world into the consciousness of a nation. Just as Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan could envision a world without the tyranny of communism, George W. Bush has a vision for a post- terrorism world - - a world based on a culture of life.

Vision, or "the vision thing," as some call it, is the ability of a leader to see the possibility of a new and better world, combined with his ability to lead us there. Whether or not one has this rare combination of skills is often what differentiates a good leader from a great one.

And a few minutes in serious conversation with the current President leaves no doubt that Bush has it.

The White House recently invited 25 leaders of National Right to Life to meet with President Bush on Jan. 21, a day before the 29th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. As the nation's largest right to life organization, with a network of 50 state affiliates and over 3,000 community chapters, NRL has shepherded a movement that now can claim significant successes, both educationally and legislatively. Today, there are 280,000 fewer abortions annually than there were a decade ago, polls show a majority of Americans now identify with pro-life positions, and even young people are becoming more pro-life.

But even with these gains, NRL never wastes an opportunity to discuss with an elected official the need to further advance the cause of life. The meeting with the President was a great opportunity for the group and its cause.

What the group's leaders found was a committed, principled man who was not only settled in his deeply held personal beliefs about the value of each and every human being, but could now place those beliefs into the context of the threat to life represented by the terrorist attacks of September 11. Further, he is already formulating his vision of an America and a world after the war; a world with a renewed sense of compassion and personal responsibility, a climate which Bush believes would be good for the cause of protecting innocent human life.

Right to Life leaders had a chance to engage Bush on several key issues. His pro-life viewpoint is well known; he has often said, and he emphasized for the group, that he believes "every unborn child should be welcomed in life and protected in law."

The general discussion included NRL President Dr. Wanda Franz's thanks from the grassroots for Bush's pro-life policies as president, and a recounting of some of his pro-life actions as Texas governor. But the depth of his thinking about a new, better world to rise from the tragedy of September 11 was evident when Right to Lifers brought up specific issues they came to discuss.

Jeanne Head, of New York, represents NRL at the United Nations, and works on such difficult issues as funding for the United Nations Population Fund, funding for overseas abortion advocates, and international conferences that would define abortion as a new universal "right." In her discussion with the President, Head said there has been a "sea change" in U.S. diplomatic attitudes toward these issues since Bush's administration replaced the aggressively pro-abortion Clinton White House.

But in his discussion, Bush went further than just expressing support for the pro-life positions, and remarked on how the struggle at the UN can bring together people of many faiths in building a culture of respect for life.

For example, most Moslem countries oppose abortion and have been staunch allies on efforts at the UN to block the international pro-abortion agenda. Bush noted that Islam, Christianity, and all other great faiths of the world have certain universal values, and that he sees a unique chance for American foreign policy to build upon not solely American values, but these universal values for which all people strive.

Every major faith, Bush said, has some variation of "treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated yourself." Each faith believes in the respect and value of every human being; and the rights to religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the right of women to dignity and respect.

Out of this vision can come a "culture of respect for life," as Bush put it. In fact, it is clear Bush believes that the rebuilding of this culture of respect for one another, with its " thousand acts of kindness" and "restoring of values" is an essential part of recovery from September 11 itself, and he intends to lead us there.

Consistent with this view, Bush sees an obligation to care for our fellow human beings. When NRL leaders raised the issue of Oregon's dangerous experiment with assisted suicide, Bush called it "a failure to care," that is, a failure to respect the universal value that mankind shares to care for those who need our help, rather than seeking death as a solution. When NRL Executive Director Dr. David O'Steen raised the issue of upcoming Senate votes on human cloning, the President expressed his incredulity that the Senate would even consider it as an option, although he and all present understood the votes could be close. The grounding of his viewpoints in a belief in respect for all persons was evident in his discussion with NRL leaders on a range of other issues as well.

Bush believes that man's nature is basically good and he considers it his charge to help build a culture that reflects that goodness. He is single-minded on doing his job; with the war, his domestic agenda, and his vision for a future better world, he doesn't think much about his political future. "My principal aim is to do a good job," he said. "Right now, my responsibility is to lead and unite the American people. Focusing on reelection can get in the way of that mission." President Bush emphasized that he does not read the editorials, polls, and focus groups to set his positions, but believes that a leader must lead based on what is right.

Bush clearly enjoys sharing his vision of a newer, better culture of respect for life. He ended his nearly hour-long meeting with NRL leaders in the Roosevelt Room by inviting them in for a personal tour of the Oval Office. Mementos there, such as paintings of Lincoln and Washington and a bust of Churchill, attest to his respect for strong leaders of vision.

While some Right to Life leaders, such as O'Steen and Associate Director Darla St. Martin, have known and seen this side of Bush for many years, others were deeply impressed by their first visit. Dr. Randall O'Bannon had this assessment: Bush, he said, " is a calm, principled man who knows and intends to act on what he believes. He is careful and honest in what he says, not saying more than he means, but meaning what he says. He is a man whose faith is solid and sincere. He loves his wife and children, loves America and its people and is committed to national unity and serving all its citizens, even those who may disagree with him. He is a good man and a fine leader. We need to keep him and our country in our prayers."

This is reprinted from the National Catholic Register.