Dear Concerned Women for America of Washington Member,
In this day and age, we as Christians can feel very isolated and intimidated by the daily news, wondering if our outreach to the world for the Gospel of Christ is in vain. Let me encourage you with Paul’s advice to the Philippians in chapter 2, verses 14-16:
“Do all things without murmuring or disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the Day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
While the mainstream media may ignore last week’s March for Life in Washington, D.C., this link should encourage you that we labor not in vain in our support of the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death: CWA’s Penny Nance Talks March for Life on FOX.
PRAYER
Washington state citizens in the midst of court battles regarding religious liberty and the free exercise thereof in our private and public lives, including our businesses: Stormans in Olympia, Barronelle Stutzman in Richland, Coach Joe Kennedy in Bremerton.
Pro-family state organizations engaged in the battle to protect and preserve the family as God created it, including one man-one woman marriage, respect for the unborn, parental rights, and more.
EDUCATION and ACTION
Concerned Women for America asks our members to have faith with action, always beginning with prayer. We choose to educate and encourage you to consider legislative bills that relate to our Seven Core Issues: Defense of Family, Sanctity of Human Life, Education, Sexual Exploitation, Religious Liberty, National Sovereignty, and Support for Israel.
Below you will find the bills we would like you to call or email your state legislators about supporting. At the beginning of the legislative session, the bills are being heard by committees, then they are either stopped in committee or they move on to the appropriate house (House of Representatives or Senate) for a floor vote. We will update you on these bills on a weekly basis, but we also encourage you to go to the Legislative Homepage regularly to find out the status of these bills. While it’s important to contact each on the committee, the legislator who represents you is most likely to respond to your feedback. You may contact members of the specified committee or other committees from the legislative homepage by clicking on “Legislative Committees” on the right side of the page. You may either contact your legislators directly through that website or you can leave a message on the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000.
Family:
HB 1011 – Relating to allowing the use of gender-segregated facilities; and amending RCW 49.60.030
CWA supports this bill.
Each individual has a right to the expectation of privacy, lack of fear or intimidation or embarrassment while in a bathroom, shower room, 
locker room, or other facility which traditionally have been gender-segregated according to biological and chromosomal identification. This bill does not change the rights of children or disabled persons to be taken into the bathroom of their parent’s or caretaker’s gender, but it does allow public and private entities to limit use of facilities segregated by gender with some exceptions.
Click here to read the bill in its entirety.
Status: Currently, HB 1011 is in the House Judiciary Committee.
Take Action: Contact the committee members and ask them to vote YES on HB 1011.
Sanctity of Life:
HB 1003 Relating to requiring parental notification for abortion, adding a new section to chapter 9.02 RCW; prescribing penalties; and declaring an emergency.
CWA supports this bill.
Parental rights with regard to their minor children must be respected and upheld in order for our family structure to survive and flourish. 
When children must have our permission to take any medications at school, etc., it is logical to respect the same level of responsibility and accountability for all medical decisions. Our daughters deserve our support and need involved parents! There are exceptions made for emergencies or incest.
Click here to read the bill in its entirety.
Status: HB 1003 is in the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.
Take Action: Contact the committee members and ask them to vote YES on HB 1003.
HB 1649 – Relating to declaring that the right to life, as recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and Washington state, is vested in each human being beginning at the moment at which an individual comes into being; and adding a new chapter to Title 1 RCW.
CWA supports this bill.
The right to life is an unalienable right granted to each human being by Almighty God; no other human being has a right to destroy such life without just cause. The unborn human being deserves particular protection because of its helpless state and needs a voice to verbalize its rights. With modern technology, we are able to view 3-D ultrasound pictures of the preborn, so there is no excuse not to recognize them as fully human beings with the same right to life as the rest of us. The acronym “SLED” has been used to explain this: Size, location, environment, and development should not define a human life.
Click here to read the bill in its entirety.
Status: HB 1649 is in the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.
Take Action: Contact the committee members and ask them to vote YES on HB 1649.
HB 1243 – Relating to prohibiting the sale, donation, or use of aborted fetal body parts; amending RCW 70.58.150, 68.64.150, 68.04.020, and 68.50.110; adding new sections to chapter 9.02 RCW; and declaring an emergency.
CWA supports this bill.
It’s simply an abomination to sell human baby parts. Organ donation from adults of their own free will is a totally separate issue, since first these babies must die at the hand of an abortionist, then their parts are sold or used as if they are mechanical parts not related to the tragic loss of an individual’s life. At no point after conception is a human baby anything other than a human being, no matter the “SLED.”
Click here to read the bill in its entirety.
Status: HB 1243 is in the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.
Take Action: Contact the committee members and ask them to vote YES on HB 1243.
Religious Liberty:
HB – 1178 Relating to protecting the rights of religious freedom and conscience of individuals in their beliefs and practices from government discrimination; and adding a new chapter to Title 49 RCW.
CWA supports this bill.
This bill restates the First Amendment, thus ensuring the protection of the rights of religious liberty and exercise and conscience from 
government discrimination, particularly regarding the definition of marriage: New Section. Sec. 2. The legislature finds the following: (1) Leading legal scholars concur that conflicts between same-sex marriage and religious liberty are real and should be addressed through legislation; (4) Protecting religious freedom from government intrusion is a government interest of the highest order …
This bill would protect citizens like florist Barronelle Stutzman who was sued by the Attorney General for her refusal to participate in a same-sex “marriage”. She stands to lose not only her business, but her entire life-savings if her religious liberty is not upheld. Keep praying.
Click here to read the bill in its entirety.
Status: HB 1243 is in the House Judiciary Committee.
Take Action: Contact the committee members and ask them to vote YES on HB 1243.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
The mindset used to be: “Is it okay for Christians to be involved in public policy?” The question now should be: “Is it okay for Christians not to be involved in public policy?” If we as believers aren’t involved, who is? The answer to that question is increasingly troublesome, isn’t it? 
Don’t be isolated or intimidated, but rather put on your spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11-17) and stand fast! Join or organize a local CWA Prayer/Action Chapter or sign up for our “Encourage-A-Legislator” Campaign. Pray, educate and take action, however you choose to do that, but please stand and shine for God’s Word of life, hope and joy through Christ Jesus, God’s Son and our precious Savior.
May God enable us to be “holding fast the word of life” and shine “as lights in the world,” witnesses to God’s Holy Word for all of mankind.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Maureen Richardson
State Director
CWA of Washington
P.O. Box 143
Woodinville, WA 98072
director@washington.cwfa.org
425-869-1923
wa.cwfa.org