The Pro-Life Kennedy

Former Susan B. Anthony List Advisory Committee Member Eunice Kennedy Shriver died today at the age of 88 at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts, surrounded by her family. Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a sister of President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, and mother of Maria Shriver, the first lady of California. She founded the Special Olympics in 1968.

"No one more than Eunice Kennedy Shriver understood better the power held by the most vulnerable in our society," said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. "She fought for those hidden in the shadows of life, while acknowledging that they teach us far more than we could ever offer them. She was consistent in her championing of every vulnerable human life."

On July 14, 1992, Eunice and Sargent Shriver joined Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey (D-PA) and many other influential pro-life leaders in signing a full-page ad in the New York Times protesting the Democratic Party's embrace of the abortion-rights agenda. The ad, titled The New American Compact, called for support of policies that embrace both mother and child. The ad concluded with the following statement:

"We can choose to reaffirm our respect for human life. We can choose to extend once again the mantle of protection to all members of the human family, including the unborn. We can choose to provide effective care of mothers and children. And if we make those choices, America will experience a new birth of freedom, bringing with it a renewed spirit of community, compassion, and caring."