The Evangelium Vitae Medal – the United States’ most distinguished award for “heroes of the pro-life movement” – will be awarded in April 2023 to Professor Robert P. George by the De Nicola Centre for Ethics and Culture.
Robert P. George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University. Both in his academic work and outside it, he has devoted himself to the protection of unborn human lives.
In an interview in the Washington Post, a few days before the US Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade, Professor George said it was a “necessary first step toward obtaining justice for the vulnerable unborn members of the human family… When blue states proceed to enact legislation to permit abortion to the very point of birth, it will be the duty of Congress to enforce constitutional rights for the unborn through federal legislation.”
Professor George argues that at the time when the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which confers equal protection on all persons, was ratified in 1868, no difference was made between born and unborn children, since they were both considered “persons”. The Professor also emphasised that by the end of that year, the majority of US states had introduced criminal laws against abortion:
“These statutes classified abortion as an ‘offence against the person’, and nearly all described the unborn victim of abortion as an ‘infant’ or ‘child’.”
The Professor added in conclusion that the overturning of Roe v. Wade “sets the stage for Congress to remedy state encroachment on the equal rights of our tiny sisters and brothers at the dawn of their lives and secure our nation’s promise of equal justice for all.”
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “We congratulate Professor Robert P. George on his award for his work to protect unborn lives. We also want to highlight his reflections on the recent tremendous achievement for the US pro-life movement in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which is inspiring the whole pro-life world, as the first step towards the greater protection unborn human beings deserve.”
Similar stories
Roe vs Wade OVERTURNED: “A momentous day”, says SPUC
Ex-abortionist, now “leading light” in pro-life medicine, awarded medal for services to “life and love”