Wouldn't it be wonderful if the government of your country, whichever it might be, cared enough about preborn babies to inaugurate a national day in their honor?

That is exactly what the government of Argentina has done! President Carlos Menem has proclaimed every 25 March (1999) from this year forward as the Day of the Unborn Child. What is more, he has done so in a profoundly-worded executive order that eloquently affirms the God-given right to life of every preborn child and the duty of government to defend the dignity of every such child.

In addition, President Menem himself officiated at the first observance, in Buenos Aires. And in the week before that historic event, he wrote all the heads of state in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the Philippines with a personal plea: "If we all raised our voices claiming the existence of life from the moment of conception, the world could not remain indifferent."

And there are more good news—in both his executive order and his letter to the heads of state, President Menem notes that he chose 25 March asthe Day of the Unborn Child precisely because it is the Feast of the Annunciation, the time of the Incarnation of Baby Jesus that followed the Blessed Virgin Mary's world-changing "Be it done unto me according to thy word."

President Menem's executive order (1406/98, of 7 December 1998) cites the pro-life provisions of Argentina's constitution and civil and criminal law. It also refers to the various international documents that make declarations about human rights, the dignity and value of the human person and children's need for legal protection before as well as after birth.

The executive order points out: "...life, the greatest of gifts, has an inviolable value and an unrepeatable dignity." It also notes, "the right to life is not a question of ideology or of religion, but an emanation of human nature." It adds that 25 March was the date that Pope John Paul II signed his pro-life encyclical letter, Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life," 1995).

The order proclaims, "...it is then considered appropriate and desirable to dedicate one day in the framework of this nation to the unborn child, with the objective of inviting reflection on the important role of the pregnant woman in the destiny of mankind, and the worth of the human life she carries in her womb."

In a personal letter of appreciation to President Menem for the first observance of the Day of the Unborn Child, Pope John Paul II conveyed his hope that the event will influence people to choose life. The Holy Father expressed his gratitude for this initiative, and he encouraged more such efforts, both public and private, to foster the Culture of Life throughout the Americas and the world.

The director of Argentina's Secretariat for Worship, Dr. Juan José Laprovitta, welcomed to the 25 March event government officials and members of the diplomatic corps, as well as foreign guests and dignitaries from the major faiths—Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic. By inviting yours truly to represent Vida Humana Internacional at the historic event, the Secretariat for Worship showed the gratitude of the people of Argentina to you, the generous friend and donor who makes possible all of HLI's worldwide pro-life work.

That work includes years of educational projects by the members of Pro Familia, VHI's affiliate in Argentina. Without question, their devotion and their many prayers have helped create the climate for this pro-life victory.

Archbishop Renato Martino, permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, attended the 25 March ceremony. So did Bishop Francisco Gil Hellin, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Famil, as well as Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires.

Also present was Bernard Cardinal Law of Boston. He thanked President Menem for his executive order, lamented the U.S. government's pro-abortion laws and policies, and prayed that the Day of the Unborn Child will inspire every government to become "pro-life, pro-family and pro-poor."

VHI joins in thanking God and Mary, in congratulating President Menem for proclaiming the Day of the Unborn Child, and in thanking Pro Familia for all it does.