CWA’s Vice President of Government Relations appeared on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins to discuss the recent Department of Education ruling that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s (CIAC) policy allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports violates Title IX. She was featured along with Christiana Holcomb, Legal Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom.
Listen to the Entire Show Here and Hear Doreen Beginning at 36:30:
Cathy Tankersley is a Prayer/Action Chapter Leader for CWA of Virginia. Cathy wrote an inspiring piece on why she wanted to be a leader with CWA. Please contact State Director Toni DeLancey to learn how you can get involved with CWA of Virginia. Phone: 571-317-1735 or e-mail.
Serving with Concerned Women for America of Virginia
By Cathy Tankersley
If you are a watchman on the wall and not an ostrich with your head in the sand, you might find yourself discouraged as you see evil seemingly winning and good people suffering calamity. This age-old dilemma has caused some to complain to God and some to walk away from God, such as Charles Templeton, who once evangelized with Billy Graham.
As a watchman, I am very aware of the injustices and evil prevailing in the land. Recently, as I was lamenting the depravity of this world, God took me to Habakkuk, an Old Testament prophet who wrestled with God questioning why God would let evil go unpunished and then why He would bring calamity on His own people (Habakkuk 3:18). God reminds Habakkuk that He is working in his day. And so, He is working likewise in our day whether we understand or not. Habakkuk learned to trust God, understanding that God is not accountable to any man and not obligated to handle situations the way we would, and yet He is completely wise and sovereign in all His dealings. We likewise need to trust that God is moving as a result of our prayers even when we don’t see it. We should not get discouraged in continuing to intercede when we don’t see results. But, oh the joy to answered prayers.
The Lord also took me to Isaiah 33:7-9 recently, reminding me that I need to not only pray but to act. Isaiah 33 speaks to the fact that we need to warn those doing evil and try to dissuade them from their evil ways, and if we don’t, we will be held accountable for their blood. What a sobering thought.
I was that ostrich with my head in the sand, too busy to know the issues before I was introduced to Concerned Women for America (CWA), the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization with a rich history of over four decades of helping its members bring Biblical principles into all levels of public policy. CWA’s policy experts focus on seven core worldview issues where they can have the greatest impact. CWA protects and promotes Biblical values and Constitutional principles through prayer, education, and advocacy utilizing an activist network.
I discovered my destiny as a watchman on the wall when I joined CWA and received education on legislative issues needing prayer along with great prayer points and actions to increase my influence with God and man. When lobbying, CWA provides great talking points on the issues and other prayer warrior lobbyists with whom to lobby, and we represent hundreds of thousands of women nationally and several thousand statewide giving us greater influence. I take a stand for righteousness regarding legislation even when I know the legislator will likely not be persuaded. I am only responsible for my actions and not theirs. I was lobbying on an issue at the state level with a conservative legislator who bemoaned, “Where is the silent majority?” which made me realize that even those who are like-minded in righteousness need to hear from us to help them stand strong and be encouraged.
Serving along women united in purpose allows us to celebrate the victories, commiserate over the setbacks, and help each other to have the right perspective during the losses and stay informed in order to do battle. I have formed lasting, trustworthy friendships through CWA that have enriched my life. We laugh together, cry together, and share life together. Our lives are richer as we serve together with a common purpose. Together we are better. Satan trembles when we meet in faith. Together we are a formidable force.
As we shared earlier, CWA’s Vice President of Government Relations Doreen Denny was featured in a Daily Caller article about the coalition of international women’s groups urging the International Olympic Committee to suspend their current guidelines which allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. See entire article here.
And, over the last year, Concerned Women for America has been very active in working to protect women and girls from the injustice of allowing males to participate in female sports.
This is a crucial time in women’s sports. The 2020 Olympic games have been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and this gives them valued time to examine transgender participation guidelines. Fill out the form, and we will submit your name on behalf of CWA. Our thanks to Save Women’s Sports for their leadership in launching the petition.
[Editor’s note: on April 30, 2020, as we finished our 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting in the Midst of Covid-19, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington) sent out this inspiring prayer call that we knew you must see. It is a powerful reminder of who we are as Americans. Enjoy!]
(Just this week, I came across two prayers from April 30, 1863 and April 30, 1974 – see below. These prayers are as powerful and relevant to our current situation as they were many years ago.)
On April 30, 1863, during the very depths of the Civil War, three months after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and three months before the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln proclaimed a Proclamation for Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer:
“Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord . . .
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. Amen.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Senate Joint Resolution 183, proclaimed April 30, 1974 as a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.
“Whereas, we have made such an idol out of our pursuit of ‘national security’ that we have forgotten that only God can by the ultimate guardian of our true livelihood and safety; and
Whereas, we have failed to respond, personally and collectively, with sacrifice and uncompromised commitment to the unmet needs of our fellow man, both at home and abroad; as a people, we have become so absorbed with the selfish pursuits of pleasure and profit that we have blinded ourselves to God’s standard of justice and righteousness for this society; and
Whereas, it therefore behooves us to humble ourselves before Almighty God, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness: Now, therefore be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, that the Congress hereby proclaims that April 30, 1974, be a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer; and calls upon the people of our nation to humble ourselves as we see fit, before our Creator to acknowledge our final dependence upon Him and to repent of our national sins.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
On March 23, 2020 Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau called on the public to fast. In his letter, he wrote that difficult days are affecting all of Israel and the entire world . . . it is on us to do some soul-searching. He called for everyone to better their ways concerning commandments which determine behavior between each person and their fellow and concerning commandments between man and God. He encouraged prayers for FORGIVENESS.
Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu posted: “In our days, man thinks he is God, that he is the master and can decide what is good and bad, something which is called moral relativism or postmodernism. If this is the case, that mankind is proud, mankind knows everything, understands everything, let him fight the smallest of God’s creations. This creation is called corona, a crown,” he continued.
Coronavirus is so named because of the crown-like arrangement of proteins on the virus when viewed under a microscope. “In man’s heart he must restore the crown to God.” he concluded.
“If my people who are called by my name
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
I, the Lord God, will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sins and heal their land.”
II Chronicles 7:14
If my people who are called by my name — if we as Christians humble ourselves and pray and seek forgiveness from a living, loving God then God will heal our land – may it begin with me. Don’t harden our hearts – may we in humility confess our sins. We live in a time filled with moral confusion, spiritual chaos, and political divisions — Lord God, heal our bodies, our minds, and our souls. May God reveal His ways in this new day and may we embrace God’s wisdom and move with Him in obedience to His Word.
On May 24, 2017, Becky Tirabassi as guest chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives prayed:
“Father, I pray for the immediate outpouring of Your Holy Spirit on our Nation and leaders.
I pray that not one of us will miss hearing Your voice today.
I pray that we would not neglect to ask for Your wisdom.
I pray that we would not make decisions without asking Your guidance.
Will You go before and behind us?
Will You give us our marching orders?
In this hour of our great need, begin again to help us, as You have in years gone by.
Father, You are the God who does immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.
Today, give us the humility to ask for Your help, and the grand moral courage to be agents of change for the good of others and the honor of Your name.
In Your powerful name we ask these things. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Our Father, FORGIVE us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us!
We pray for FORGIVENESS.
We ask for God’s FORGIVENESS and confess our national sins so our country can regain its national purpose and unity.
We pray to FORGIVE each other, stop tearing each other down, stop the finger pointing and blame game.
We pray to FORGIVE ourselves and embrace our uniqueness and potential.
We pray for Godly strategies to bring FORGIVENESS and healing in our land.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Many have quoted Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention when they had come to the end of themselves and couldn’t reach an agreement on the wording of our Constitution. The outcome of the convention looked grim, and that’s when Benjamin Franklin called on the delegates to pray. After weeks of negotiation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention delegates began returning home. Here’s what Benjamin Franklin said:
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”
“We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel . . . I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business.”
Benjamin Franklin July 28, 1787 When they returned, America was birthed — out of fervent prayer.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
President John Adams said:
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pray for the humiliation to restore the crown in our lives to God. Join me for a day of fasting and prayer and humiliation. Ask God to speak to you. I’d love to hear from you after April 30. May God be as original with us as He has been with others!
“Your road led through the sea,
Your pathway through the mighty waters —
a pathway no one knew was there.” Psalm 77:19
Warmly,
Cathy
In this time of uncertainty, there’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope – that together we can do extraordinary things. Over the past few weeks and months, the entire world has been coming together to stand up, help out, give back, and heal. Whether that’s through donations to community organizations, celebrating doctors and nurses at shift changes, or reaching out to a neighbor to help with groceries, generosity has been helping the entire world get through this global pandemic.
On May 5, 2020, Concerned Women for America is participating in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and giving. As you know, CWA has been vigilantly fighting the liberal left’s anti-family and pro-abortion plans to exploit the coronavirus pandemic through relief legislation.
#GivingTuesdayNow will ask for support, and for everyone for help spreading the word. Tell your friends and family why you believe in our work and encourage them to support us, too!
Join the movement on May 5, 2020! Click Here to Donate to CWA.
Concerned Women for America applauds Attorney General William Barr’s April 27, 2020 memorandum for the protection of civil rights during COVID-19.
CWA’s Chief Administrative Officer Kenda Bartlett was interviewed by John Cole, Managing Editor of PoliticsPA, about the upcoming 2020 election and CWA’s efforts in the state of Pennsylvania.
“A number of conservative organizations have their sights set on Pennsylvania for the upcoming general election. This conservative group is narrowing their focus to turning out the vote for suburban women in several key regions in the keystone state in 2020.
“’I think that as we looked at the states … you always have to gauge where we can be successful, where can we best put our effort so that we can see success,’ Kenda Bartlett, Chief Administrative Officer of CWA said in an interview with PoliticsPA. ‘Success for us is gauged by engaging conservative women … women of faith, who will hopefully our message will resonate with them.’
“’Our national campaign is really going to be geared towards just getting people out to vote,’ Bartlett said. ‘We try to keep our focus on as much as we possibly can on the voter education, the voter motivation, the voter turnout.’”
The Television Network FX/Hulu has released a series called “Mrs. America,” a dramatization about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fight. This series has offensive and often inaccurate depictions of Phyllis Schafly, Eagle Forum’s beloved founder. CWA’s founder, Mrs. Beverly LaHaye, also worked hard to fight against the ERA in the early years of our organization and along with Phyllis Schlafly, our side won!
We at CWA are working alongside our friends at Eagle Forum to see that the truth is spoken about Phyllis Schlafly’s legacy. An attack on Phyllis is an attack on the conservative movement, and we must fight back! Recently, our CEO and President Penny Nance was interviewed by Crosswalk about this series and Phyllis Schlafly. Here’s what Penny told reporter, Michael Foust:
“She was such a bright woman – really one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met … She was brilliant, astute and strong. She was often the only woman in a group of men and certainly the smartest person in the room.”
Read Michael Fousts’s Entire Piece Here about Phyllis Schlafly:
CWA’s CEO & President Penny Nance hosts our latest podcast and speaks to key guests on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Hear from Dr. Paul Teller, Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States and Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Vice President and Dr. Peter Brookes, who leads the effort at Heritage Foundation for their global health emergency task force and is one of the pre-eminent authorities on COVID-19. Listen as our Chief Advancement Officer Sara Olson prays for our leaders and our country as we live through this crisis.
Click Orange Circle with White Arrow below to Listen!
To Hear all of CWA’s Podcasts and to Subscribe Monthly – Click Here.
Dear Lord,
In authentic heartfelt communion with You,
We open our hearts in prayer. Set our heart right.
We are discouraged by the despair
And the many afflictions we face.
We come to You like a child comes to a loving, wise parent,
For comfort and peace and love. We just really need You, God.
Just as Your Word teaches us to pray:
Search me, know my Heart, test me.
Know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me.
Lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)
We ask You for forgiveness
For anything that disturbs our communion with You.
We recognize through Your Scripture that
Suffering and tribulation can be a tool You use
To produce in us, perseverance, prove our character,
And give us hope! (Romans 5:1-4)
Thank You for loving us so much that You are
Involved in each detail of our lives.
Boldly and in Jesus precious Name we pray
For our leaders in the White House –
Our President and Vice President and other leaders in the Congress,
As well as the Justices of the Supreme Court, Lord.
Please give them wisdom and discernment
Far beyond their human abilities.
We pray through this coronavirus pandemic
That unbelievers would see Your glory and come to know You.
Show us how we can serve where You are working, and
Through unity with the Church and through Your enduring love for us,
I ask that you set us apart to be used for Your purposes, Lord.
We ask that you embolden each of us
To use our spiritual gifts to Your glory
In each task we undertake,
No matter how big or how small.
Thank You for this opportunity as we are witnessing
How You are moving in this crisis, Lord.
With humility and love and service.
In Jesus precious Name we pray, Amen.
—
This prayer was submitted by CWA Chief Operating Officer Toni DeLancey. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.
CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance signed onto a letter applauding our nation’s Governors who are responsibly opening their states and supporting Americans as they exercise their constitutional rights and return to daily life.
~~~~~~
April 23, 2020
Washington, DC
In response to public health guidance from the White House, governors in Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, Alaska, and Tennessee have begun announcing phased re-openings of their states and communities, allowing people to choose to return to work, go shopping, purchase services, and attend religious services, and once again exercise their rights and judgments as citizens. We applaud the thoughtful leadership of these governors.
Americans mobilized quickly in the face of the COVID19 outbreak, and through their efforts, prevented the spread of the disease and the overwhelming of hospital facilities. But now, it is time to allow the country to re-open, so that the public health response does not result in even more damage and fatalities from sustained financial ruin.
Why are abortion businesses still operating when Gov. Ralph Northam (Democrat) is shutting churches, schools, and mass gatherings?
Currently, across the United States, including Virginia, services that constitute essential health care for women, such as routine Pap smears, mammograms, and pelvic exams, are being postponed in order to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure to COVID-19 and to conserve scarce medical resources. Yet, the abortion industry is open for business as usual.
On March 25, 2020, Gov. Northam signed a Public Health Emergency Order, which directed all hospitals to stop performing elective surgeries or procedures. The press release states that this directive does not apply to family planning services, i.e. abortion facilities. While many healthcare agencies have ceased their non-essential medical, surgical, and dental procedures, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers across Virginia insist on business as usual – performing around 42 abortions per day while consuming Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other equipment that COVID-19 patients need.
We need to urge the Governor and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources (HHR) Daniel Carey, M.D. to safeguard women and our healthcare providers by:
Immediate Action Needed
#1. Please contact Gov. Northam and HHR Sec. Daniel Carey. Urge them to join other states by closing abortion clinics and redirecting PPE and other medical equipment to our state’s much-needed coronavirus response. Be sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of Virginia.
#2. Forward this email to family and friends.
Please pray: Dear Father, we ask that you move on the hearts of Gov. Northam and Sec. Carey to seek You in all things, especially with regard to this issue of life.
“Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9
Thank you for taking action at this critical time.
Dr. Toni DeLancey
State Director
CWA signed on to a letter written to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, along with other pro-life leaders, to show how the abortion industry is exploiting this coronavirus pandemic.
Here is an excerpt from the letter:
“While we are in a hectic race to save lives, Planned Parenthood and other powers in the abortion industry remain insistent on taking the lives of innocent unborn children. While surgery centers postpone elective and diagnostic procedures, abortion centers are churning out surgical and chemical abortions and putting women, especially the poor, at risk. Their continued operation depletes sorely needed personal protective equipment and leads to complications that will further overwhelm already overextended emergency rooms. The abortion industry is compounding one crisis with another. Therefore, we urge public officials to use their broad emergency authority to safeguard against the extreme abortion agenda.”
The letter also outlines ways public health officials can resist the abortion lobby’s agenda during this time of crisis such as:
Our CEO and President Penny Nance signed the letter along with more than 50 pro-life leaders.
Dear Fellow Virginians,
Gov. Ralph Northam needs to hear from you!
Contact him by clicking here and calling 804-786-2211.
Virginia’s radical, liberal governor has shown, once again, how little regard he has for our rights and values. His latest overreach came as he signed his Coronavirus Executive Order (Fifty-Three), where he has the audacity to make it a crime for more than 10 people to attend a church service, anywhere in the state. Even at a private home!
This is a severe violation of our First Amendment rights!
If the language of the order did not make it clear enough, the Governor’s Office put out a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that makes it clear; he is threatening Virginians with a criminal offense, a misdemeanor, if more than 10 people gather for a church service.
The document states:
What about religious services? Can I still go to my church, synagogue, or mosque?
Virginians are strongly encouraged to seek alternative means of attending religious services, such as virtually or via “drive-through” worship. Places of worship that do conduct in-person services must limit gatherings to 10 people, to comply with the statewide 10-person ban. (Emphasis ours)
This move is misguided and unnecessary. Most churches have voluntarily complied with the government’s directives. But Gov. Northam’s executive order sets a dangerous precedent that Virginians should reject outright.
Contact Gov. Northam today and tell him to stop bullying churches and respect religious freedoms.
Phone number: 804-786-2211 | web form here.
Tell him to respect Virginians’ First Amendment rights!
One of our amazing Young Women for America college chapter presidents, Lillian Knight, LSU, participated in the Protect Women, Protect Life rally on the steps of the Supreme Court fighting to uphold a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have hospital admitting procedures. She is quoted in the article in National Review.
“On the steps of the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning, hundreds of demonstrators gathered as the justices heard oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, the first abortion-related case on the docket since Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the Court.
The case was brought by abortion providers against the state of Louisiana, challenging a law that requires them to maintain admitting privileges at a local hospital so women can get emergency care if necessary after a failed abortion procedure. Louisiana law currently requires the same of all other ambulatory surgical centers in the state; the Unsafe Abortion Protection Act aims to hold abortionists to the same standard.
Sources who attended oral arguments told National Review that seven of the nine justices asked questions. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were the two who did not.
Outside the Court, meanwhile, both the abortion-rights movement and pro-life advocates hosted rallies all morning, standing right beside each other underneath a perfectly blue and sunny sky, the abortion-rights crowd swathed in teal and the pro-lifers in a lighter shade of blue.
“My right, my decision,” read most of the signs on the pro-choice side. The signs were printed, and the rally coordinated, by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the abortion-advocacy group that argued against the Louisiana law this morning, representing June Medical Services and two unnamed abortionists.
One of the most prominent speakers for the abortion-rights rally was Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), who directed part of his remarks at Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. “They’re taking away fundamental rights,” he said. “I want to tell you Gorsuch, I want to tell you Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) also addressed the pro-choice crowd, opening her remarks by suggesting that “they are obsessed with our bodies,” as well as that abortion is an issue of “economic justice” and “racial justice.”
“We have every frickin’ right to fight for our lives and our bodies,” Tlaib said. Most of the remarks from speakers at the pro-choice rally didn’t touch on the substance of the Louisiana law at all, or they falsely claimed that it was intended to restrict access to abortion. But in fact, in a decision upholding the statute last fall, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that “the only permissible finding, under this record, is that no clinics will likely be forced to close on account of the Act.”
Much of the abortion-rights rally centered around common slogans such as permitting or trusting women to control their own bodies.
A poster that one of the abortion-rights demonstrators held read, “Hey Kavanaugh, keep your religion out of my health care. And yea, we still believe Dr. Blasey Ford.” Another, much larger sign said, “Thank God for abortion.”
On the pro-life side of the divide, meanwhile, most signs read, “Protect women, protect life.” The remarks from the slate of speakers in defense of Louisiana’s law focused almost entirely on the law itself, as well as the goal of ensuring that women are able to get emergency care.
Katrina Jackson, the Louisiana Democrat who sponsored the Unsafe Abortion Protection Act, addressed the pro-life crowd after exiting the Court following the hearing. “For so long, this nation has put the abortion industry before the health and safety of the women,” she said.
“We will no longer be quiet, because we love the child, and we love the woman. And Louisiana is all about love, even when someone doesn’t agree with us,” Jackson added. “We seek to protect them in their decisions. We seek to hold others accountable, and especially when a billion-dollar industry makes money off of that woman’s decision, they should be held accountable just as other doctors who treat us for other things.”
One young woman from Louisiana, who serves as a campus leader for Concerned Women for America, spoke to the group close to the end of the rally. “Twenty-two years ago, my mom went to a Louisiana Planned Parenthood seeking to know what her options were because she was in a crisis pregnancy,” she said. “She had no support from anybody in my family or from my biological father. They told her that my life was not worth anything and that her only option was to abort me, that she would not be successful in life, that she could not get an education, and that I would essentially ruin her life. Twenty-two years later, I think she begs to differ.””
The following news story aired this week on Spectrum 1 Newschannels. Click link to watch the television broadcast or read the story below.
“Concerned Women for America President Penny Nance says it is her rural Kentucky roots that fueled her passion for the anti-abortion movement.
“I grew up the daughter of a pastor in Eastern Kentucky in Appalachia. My dad served for about 20 years in Paintsville. As a woman of faith, I learned my bible in Eastern Kentucky. We know that God knit us together in our mothers’ wombs,” said Nance.
Nance stood outside of the Supreme Court Wednesday as justices heard arguments on a Louisiana abortion law that would require doctors who perform abortions to hold admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of an abortion clinic. A similar Texas law was struck down by the high court in 2016, when the court decided the issue of admitting privileges was an undue burden on women.
Now the court is more conservative with President Trump’s appointments of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Wednesday’s court proceedings suggest Chief Justice John Roberts will likely be the deciding vote.
“If it is going to follow its own precedent and if it’s going to follow things like the rule of law, we should not have a different result. The change in the Supreme Court should not change the decisions and certainly not so fast,” said Fatima Goss Graves, President of the National Women’s Law Center.
“We know that abortion is one of the safest operations in the country. Admitting privileges are not necessary but even so, we find that the hospitals are denying the clinics and the doctors admitting privileges because they are afraid of the violence. They are being bullied and terrorized and this is closing clinics down for us,” said Toni Van Pelt, President of the National Organization for Women.
There was perhaps no greater illustration of how culturally divisive abortion is than the two competing rallies happening simultaneously on the steps of the court with both sides convinced their argument will prevail.
“Decades of precedent don’t stand for much when the Supreme Court gets it absolutely wrong,” said Johnathan Alexandre, Senior Counsel for Liberty Counsel.
“If you love someone who is seeking an abortion, that is what you should lean into. You should lean into the values that guide and support the people you love,” said Goss Graves.
A decision should come by late June.
Several states including Kentucky have passed laws being challenged in federal courts that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
The decision in the Louisiana case could have consequences for the Kentucky case.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, just 36% of Kentuckians believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.”
WASHINGTON — Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), will join a broad coalition of pro-life groups and legislators on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Wed., Mar. 4, for the “Protect Women – Protect Life” rally.
Pro-life citizens will join together in support of June Medical Services v. Russo, a Louisiana law that requires abortionists, like doctors at all Louisiana outpatient surgical centers, to maintain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The measure was enacted to ensure that women who experience a medical emergency during an abortion have access to proper care.
Remarkably, the bill’s fiercest opponent has been the abortion industry, with abortion doctors asking for exemptions from the law’s requirements.
“Abortion providers shouldn’t be able to erase a law that protects women’s health,” says Penny Nance, CEO and president of CWA. “There is no reason women seeking abortions should be treated with lower standards of medical care than other out-patient surgery centers. That’s why I, and hundreds of thousands of women I represent, stand in support of the women of Louisiana.”
Sancha Smith, a member of CWA of Louisiana, says being pro-life necessarily extends to protecting the life of a woman who chooses to have an abortion. “We cannot say all life is important and ignore the threat posed to women by an abortion procedure. I do not understand how the pro-choice lobby can claim to stand for women’s health while working for this bill to be overturned.”
The “Protect Women – Protect Life” pre-rally event will kick off at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday with a time for women to share their stories. The rally will formally begin at 9:30 a.m. and will end at 11:30 a.m.
For more information, please visit: https://www.protectwomenprotectlife.org/
Media: email [email protected] or [email protected] or call 202.810.5530 or 202.527.3434
