A Wise Old Man: Henry Hyde

Henry Hyde “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is asked of children. And adults.

As for Your Business Blogger? When I grow up? I want to be a Wise Old Man.

Just like Henry Hyde. (He’s made fewer mistakes than me.)

Charmaine and Your Business Blogger saw Congressman Hyde again at a DC event this week at the Willard. He was being honored by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).

Hyde, the 82-year old Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a warhorse who sometimes bucked his own party.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council wrote,

When he first introduced his amendment to cut off federal funding of almost all abortions in the immediate aftermath of Roe v. Wade, it seemed to many people in the political world that abortion was “settled law.” Both Houses of Congress were firmly in the hands of liberals who supported abortion. Even the Republican Ford administration had decided that the federal government should pay for abortions–because the Supreme Court had ruled them legal.

Henry Hyde would rather be right than be popular.

Maybe life isn’t like high school.

Henry Hyde does what we all want to do: Make a difference.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

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More on NRLC at the jump.

Mission Statement of the NRLC,

The National Right to Life Committee was founded in 1973 in response to a United States Supreme Court decision released on January 22 of that year, legalizing the practice of human abortion in all 50 states, throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy. Prior to that Supreme Court case– Roe vs. Wade — the abortion debate had been centered in the legislatures of the states, 17 of which had legalized abortion under some circumstances and 33 of which had voted to continue to protect human life from conception.

In June of 1973, a group of pro-life leaders met in Detroit for the first meeting of a new organization, to be non-sectarian, non- partisan, and to have its board consist of an elected representative from each of the 50 states. These first board members included experts in the fields of science, medicine, medical ethics, constitutional law, and religion.

Since its official beginning at that conference, the National Right to Life Committee has grown to represent over 3000 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The NRLC Board of Directors now consists of a director from each state– elected to fill the position by the state group– as well as an internally elected nine- member executive committee and officers, and three “at-large” board positions. NRLC also publishes a monthly newspaper, the National Right to Life News, and has an internal Political Action Committee and Educational Trust Fund.

The National Right to Life Committee has been instrumental in achieving a number of legislative reforms at the national level, including a ban on non-therapeutic experimentation of unborn and newborn babies, a federal conscience clause guaranteeing medical personnel the right to refuse to participate in abortion procedures, and various amendments to appropriations bills which prohibit (or limit) the use of federal funds to subsidize or promote abortions in the United States and overseas.

The ultimate goal of the National Right to Life Committee is to restore legal protection to innocent human life. The primary interest of the National Right to Life Committee and its members has been the abortion controversy; however, it is also concerned with related matters of medical ethics which relate to the right to life issues of euthanasia and infanticide. The Committee does not have a position on issues such as contraception, sex education, capital punishment, and national defense.

In addition to maintaining a lobbying presence at the federal level, NRLC serves as a clearinghouse of information for its state affiliates and local chapters, its individual members, the press, and the public.

Wanda Franz, Ph.D., President, National Right to Life Committee

Mark Larson, Master of Ceremonies

Past Recipients,

The Honorable Richard and Helen DeVos

The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput

Pat Boone

Benjamin J. Stein

Margaret Colin

Jennifer O’Neill

Archbishop Renato R. Martino

James C. Dobson

Lawrence D. Garvey

Father Frank Pavone

Most Reverend James T. McHugh

Thomas S. Monaghan

Wellington T. Mara

Virgil Dechant

Senator Jesse Helms

The Honorable Robert H. Bork

The Honorable Christopher H. Smith

Senator Robert C. Smith

Honorable Charles T. Canady

Mother Teresa

The Honorable Robert Patrick Casey

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde

Mrs. Arthur DeMoss

His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor