Mr. Chairman and fellow Democrats, I have th high honor of speaking to you today about an issue that's very dear to my heart, the needs of the vulnerable in our nation, the poor, the sick, the elderly, the children, and the unborn.  The moral test of government, Hubert Humphrey said, is how that government treats those that are in the dawn of life, the children, those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly, and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick.  I have had the privilege of working with the poor and the hungry of our nation and I can tell you that hunger affects the lives of more than 20 million Americans each year.  Too many of our children go to bed hungry every night and more than 2500 verses in the Bible address the pain and of the hurting and the afflicted.

How are we as a nation and as individuals, how are we responding to this call?  I'm proud that we Democrats are continuing to fight for several Federal initiatives -- school lunches, food stamps, nutrition fro mothers and children.  Each is an essential part of the basic safety net for needy people.  But compassion is more than government programs.  It's also people helping people through private efforts.  And one reason I'm proud to be a Democrat is that Democrats support compassion and action.  Democrats open their doors to those in need, literally.

In my community, the Democratic Party of Dayton, Ohio has opened up its building to shelter and feed homeless and hungry families.  And by doing this, we are showing that Democrats stand for more than just winning elections.  We stand for helping people.

I'm a pro-life Democrat. I'm one of about 40 Democrats in the Congress.  And many of us have felt left out by our party's position on abortion for many years.  But this year is different.  For the first time, the Democratic Party has included in our Platform a conscience clause on this divisive issue. It says the Democratic Party therefore recognizes that individual members have a right to abide by their conscience on this difficult issue and are welcome participants at every level of the party. T he Democratic Party is indeed the party of true inclusions.  And it is the party where every American can feel welcome and at home.  We Democrats believe that our government and our whole society will be judged on how we treat the least of these among us.  So we renew our pledge to be a voice for the voiceless and we reaffirm our commitment to the principle that public service is not an end in itself but rather a means to serve others.  With God's help, let us make the United States the compassionate and tolerant nation it was established to be.  Thank you very much.