1983 - Color, President Reagan: Speech to National Association of Evangelicals Convention. 08Mar83 Card 2 of 7
14:36:57 Continued... And finally that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently after he had gone on a search for the secret of America's greatness & genius - and he said: Not until I went into the churches of America & heard her pulpits aflame w/ righteousness did I understand the greatness & the genius of America. . . . America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great (loud applause).
14:37:31 Well, I'm pleased to be here today w/ you who are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only thru your work & prayers & those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous century & keep alive this experiment in liberty, this last, best hope of man.
14:38:02 I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people & in your families, churches, neighborhoods, communities - the institutions that foster & nourish values like concern for others & respect for the rule of law under God.
14:38:26 Now I don’t have to tell you that this puts us in opposition to, or at least out of step with, a prevailing attitude of many who have turned to a modern-day secularism, discarding the tried & time-tested values upon which our very civilization is based. No matter how well intentioned, their value system is radically different from that of most Americans. And while they proclaim that they're freeing us from superstitions of the past, they've taken upon themselves the job of superintending us by government rule & regulation. Sometimes their voices are louder than ours, but they are not yet a majority (sustained applause).
14:39:18 An example of that vocal superiority is evident in a controversy now going on in Washington. And since I'm involved, I've been waiting to hear from the parents of young America. How far are they willing to go in giving to government their prerogatives as parents? Let me state the case as briefly & simply as I can. An organization of citizens, sincerely motivated & deeply concerned about the increase in illegitimate births & abortions involving girls well below the age of consent, sometime ago established a nationwide network of clinics to offer help to these girls & hopefully alleviate this situation. Now, again, let me say I do not fault their intent. However in their well-intentioned effort these clinics have decided to provide advice & birth control drugs and devices to underage girls without the knowledge of their parents.
14:40:20 For some years now the Federal Government has helped w/ funds to subsidize these clinics. In providing for this the Congress decreed that every effort would be made to maximize parental participation. Nevertheless, the drugs & devices are prescribed w/o getting parental consent or giving notification after they've done so. Girls termed sexually active - and that has replaced the word promiscuous - are given this help in order to prevent illegitimate birth or abortion. Well we have ordered clinics receiving Federal funds to notify the parents such help has been given. One of the Nation's (applause) leading newspapers has created the term “squeal rule” in editorializing against us for doing this, and we're being criticized for violating the privacy of young people. A judge has recently granted an injunction against an enforcement of our rule. I've watched TV panel shows discuss this issue, seen columnists pontificating on our error, but no one seems to mention morality as playing a part in the subject of sex (loud sustained applause).
14:41:55 Continued...
1980s; 1983; Republican Presidential Politics; Right Wing Christian Religion; Evil Empire; Economics; Executive Branch; Roe vs. Wade; Lobbying; Story Telling; Speech; Religious;
Note: Credit must be given to: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Any continuous 15 min. sold at per reel rate.
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1983 - Color, President Reagan: Speech to National Association of Evangelicals Convention. 08Mar83 Card 2 of 7 14:36:57 Continued... And finally that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently after he had gone on a search for the secret of America's greatness & genius - and he said: Not until I went into the churches of America & heard her pulpits aflame w/ righteousness did I understand the greatness & the genius of America. . . . America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great (loud applause). 14:37:31 Well, I'm pleased to be here today w/ you who are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only thru your work & prayers & those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous century & keep alive this experiment in liberty, this last, best hope of man. 14:38:02 I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people & in your families, churches, neighborhoods, communities - the institutions that foster & nourish values like concern for others & respect for the rule of law under God. 14:38:26 Now I don’t have to tell you that this puts us in opposition to, or at least out of step with, a prevailing attitude of many who have turned to a modern-day secularism, discarding the tried & time-tested values upon which our very civilization is based. No matter how well intentioned, their value system is radically different from that of most Americans. And while they proclaim that they're freeing us from superstitions of the past, they've taken upon themselves the job of superintending us by government rule & regulation. Sometimes their voices are louder than ours, but they are not yet a majority (sustained applause). 14:39:18 An example of that vocal superiority is evident in a controversy now going on in Washington. And since I'm involved, I've been waiting to hear from the parents of young America. How far are they willing to go in giving to government their prerogatives as parents? Let me state the case as briefly & simply as I can. An organization of citizens, sincerely motivated & deeply concerned about the increase in illegitimate births & abortions involving girls well below the age of consent, sometime ago established a nationwide network of clinics to offer help to these girls & hopefully alleviate this situation. Now, again, let me say I do not fault their intent. However in their well-intentioned effort these clinics have decided to provide advice & birth control drugs and devices to underage girls without the knowledge of their parents. 14:40:20 For some years now the Federal Government has helped w/ funds to subsidize these clinics. In providing for this the Congress decreed that every effort would be made to maximize parental participation. Nevertheless, the drugs & devices are prescribed w/o getting parental consent or giving notification after they've done so. Girls termed sexually active - and that has replaced the word promiscuous - are given this help in order to prevent illegitimate birth or abortion. Well we have ordered clinics receiving Federal funds to notify the parents such help has been given. One of the Nation's (applause) leading newspapers has created the term “squeal rule” in editorializing against us for doing this, and we're being criticized for violating the privacy of young people. A judge has recently granted an injunction against an enforcement of our rule. I've watched TV panel shows discuss this issue, seen columnists pontificating on our error, but no one seems to mention morality as playing a part in the subject of sex (loud sustained applause). 14:41:55 Continued... 1980s; 1983; Republican Presidential Politics; Right Wing Christian Religion; Evil Empire; Economics; Executive Branch; Roe vs. Wade; Lobbying; Story Telling; Speech; Religious; Note: Credit must be given to: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Any continuous 15 min. sold at per reel rate.