Kennedy Society of Denmark
Purpose: Keeping alive John F. and Robert F. Kennedy’s inspiration
and philosophy of life, so that their good words can be translated into good deeds.

Profiles in Courage Award, 2004

The Kennedy Society of Denmark has decided to present John F. Kennedy’s book “Profiles in Courage” as an award to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Laudatio: For his outstanding courage to develop and forward the inspiration and ideas of his brothers. For his continued fight for a better health care and medicare. For his courageous and far-sighted criticism of the US-foreign policy.
For more than 40 years as legislator Senator Edward M. Kennedy has shown continued outstanding courage as champion for health care and medicare for all. September 16, 1971 he said in Copenhagen: “In Denmark you have access to high qualified help without having ability to pay.”
In his book “Our Day and Generation” in 1979 he says:”No other industrial nations leaves its citizens in fear of financial ruin because of illness. Why can England, Israel, Denmark and Sweden protect their people against financial barriers to health care, when America cannot?” As champion for human rights and racial justice he – also in “Our Day and Generation” – has challenged all to answer:”Is it fair that any child’s future should be limited by the color of his skin?”and “to restore America’s fundamental commitment to human rights and human values.” In fight for his noble issues he said April 28, 2002, John F. Kennedy Library, Boston: “Good health is not a gift to be rationed based on ability to pay… Families should not have to worry about paying medical bills at the same time they are struggling to cope with all the other strains that serious illness brings.”
In pain and suffering Senator Edward M. Kennedy has proved Ernest Heminway’s definition of courage: “Grace under pressure.”Strongly he expressed it in his tribute to his brother, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, June 8, 1968, St. Patrick Cathedral, New York: He “saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.” Those words are also characterizing his efforts!
As his brother, President John F. Kennedy asked all to ask “of us here the same high standard of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you,” he courageously has challenged false statements from the US-government to go to war. He has warned against the danger of double standard in foreign policy. He said October 17, 2003 in the Senate, Washington: “We should never have gone to war in Iraq… for the false reasons we were given… We need a realistic and specific plan to bring stability to Iraq, to bring genuine self-government to Iraq, to bring our soldiers home with dignity and honor.”
Senator Edward M. Kennedy has consciously followed his words August 12, 1980, New York: “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”