WASHINGTON – On Saturday, June 21, National Right to Life’s annual conference in Kansas City will end with a closing gala.

To be presented at the gala will be the Proudly Pro-Life Award, one of the organization’s highest honors. This distinguished recognition is reserved for individuals who have shown unwavering courage, principled leadership, and an unshakable commitment to defending life—especially the unborn. Past recipients include giants of the pro-life cause, such as President Ronald Reagan, St. Mother Teresa, Rep. Henry Hyde, John Cardinal O’Connor, Robert Bork, and Mrs. Arthur S. DeMoss.

This year’s recipient is Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Naumann of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas.

“Archbishop Naumann has been a champion for life, and we are pleased to present him with the Proudly Pro-Life Award recognizing his commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Archbishop Naumann has been a pro-life leader and life-long defender of the preborn child. He is much-loved and highly respected by the pro-life community.”

Archbishop Joseph Naumann has been called “a lion of the pro-life movement.” He has consistently challenged pro-abortion Catholic politicians and spearheaded pro-life efforts and ministries in Kansas and throughout the country. He serves as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ conference committee on pro-life activities. As a priest, Archbishop Naumann served from 1984 to 1995 as the archdiocesan pro-life coordinator in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Under his leadership, the Archdiocese of St. Louis established a Project Rachel ministry and the Lifeline Coalition.

Archbishop Naumann was appointed coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas in 2004 and was appointed archbishop in 2005. The motto on his episcopal coat of arms is “Vitae Victoria Erit,” or “Life Will Be Victorious.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.