Dr. Toni Delancey, CWA’s Chief Operating Officer and State Director for CWA of Virginia was interviewed by CBS concerning the efforts to pass the ERA in the Virginia General Assembly. Click here to read the story. Here’s Toni’s interview:
Washington, D.C. – This week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel announced an important opinion on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), declaring the ratification expired and no longer pending in the States for action. In a Memorandum for the General Counsel of the National Archives and Records Administration, DOJ declares dead any effort by Virginia to become the “38th” state as the new Democrat-controlled legislature pledged in its opening session. It also overrules congressional efforts to revive the ERA ratification by removing the deadline as proposed in legislation pending on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), had this to say in response to DOJ’s opinion:
“The Justice Department has hammered a nail in the coffin of state and congressional efforts to resurrect the age-old Equal Rights Amendment. DOJ’s opinion declaring the ratification dead underscores what even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has already concluded: if the ERA has any future, the process must start over.
“Concerned Women for America says, “R.I.P ERA.” Women deserve fairness and equality under the law, but Congress should not waste its time on an ERA that could in fact undermine the progress we’ve made over the last 40 years. If legislators are truly concerned about women, they should spend their efforts focusing on measures to uphold the dignity and status of women as uniquely female, not turn back the clock on gains we’ve made and ERAse women.”
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See some of CWA staff’s recent tireless efforts nationally and in local areas combatting the ERA:
WUSA9 News Story featuring Virginia State Director Toni DeLancey
Press Release from Virginia’s CWA State Director Toni DeLancey on DOJ’s Ruling on the ERA.
Press Conference featuring Virginia’s CWA State Director (Begins at 21 minutes and 45 seconds)
Today, Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Virginia represented you in Richmond by participating in the Celebrate Womanhood, Do Not ERAse It! rally/lobby day to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). I spoke at the morning press conference, and our CWA of Virginia team lobbied state legislators to discuss our opposition to the ERA.
While we were working to oppose the ERA efforts, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel ruled that the Equal Rights Amendment ratification from 40 years ago is dead! Read my press release here.
Thank you for your support in prayer and action!
Toni DeLancey
State Director
CWA of Virginia
CWA’s Chief Operating Officer and State Director, Toni DeLancey, spoke to ABC 13 concerning the efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Virginia. Read the article and watch the video here.
If Virginia passes the ERA, it will become the 38th state to pass the amendment, the threshold number of states needed to ratify the amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, the deadline to ratify the amendment ended decades ago, and three states (AL, LA, SD) have filed a lawsuit to prevent the ERA from illegally being added to the U.S. Constitution as stated in this CWA press release.
Help us stop the ERA in Virginia by joining us on Wednesday, January 8, for the Celebrate Womanhood, Do Not ERAse it rally/lobby day in Richmond.
With the strike of the gavel next Wednesday, January 8, the Virginia General Assembly will open its 2020 legislative session. You can count on Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Virginia to represent your interests in Richmond and to keep you informed on the legislation that directly impacts you and your family.
To kick off the session, CWA of Virginia is co-sponsoring the Celebrate Womanhood, Do Not ERAse It! rally/lobby day to oppose the efforts to pass the Equal Right Amendment (ERA) that was defeated last year. I will be joining several of CWA’s national staff, including CWA’s Young Women for America National Director, Kelsey Good.
Click here for CWA’s ERA talking points.
Help us show “strength in numbers” by attending the rally and lobbying our state legislators! If you live in the Northern Virginia area, we are providing bus transportation to Richmond for the rally and lobby day. Please email me today to reserve your spot on the bus! The bus leaves CWA Headquarters in Alexandria promptly at 6:00 a.m. and returns following the speaker forum that ends at 4:00 p.m. Estimated arrival time back at CWA Headquarters is 6:00 p.m. Additional pick-ups and drop-offs are dependent upon attendance. More details on that to follow in the coming days. We would love to have you join us!
Here are the details:
Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, January 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. in Richmond (State Capitol).
Schedule:
The day begins at the Family Foundation Headquarters
707 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219
8:15 a.m. – Registration opens
9:00 a.m. – Welcome, instructions on how to talk to legislators and talking points distributed.
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. -Talk to your delegate at the State Capitol. Click here to find your senator and delegate.
11:00 a.m. – ERA Press Conference
11:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Lunch on your own
2:00 p.m. – Speaker Forum
Registration is required. Please RSVP TODAY by clicking here.
Please take action! Whether you are able to come to Richmond or not, we need everyone to do the following to stop this horrendous amendment.
- Virginians must step up NOW to stop this very dangerous amendment. Please contact your senator and delegate and urge them not to support any effort to resurrect the Equal Rights Amendment. Click here to find your state legislators and their contact information. Be sure to let them know that you are a member of Concerned Women for America of Virginia.
- Forward this alert on to others. Encourage them to both pray and act immediately.
Pray! Concerned Women for America, Founder, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Beverly LaHaye, one of the most important pioneers of the conservative feminist movement, founded CWA in 1979 because she believed that women needed voices in the public sphere that represented their beliefs and values. It was the 1975 Equal Rights Amendment that gave Mrs. LaHaye motivation to begin the mission of CWA, as it remains today, to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens – first through prayer, then education, and finally by influencing our society – thereby reversing the decline in moral values in our nation.
Thank God for the ways He chooses to use our lives and our voices for His glory, to protect and promote His ways. Thank God for Mrs. LaHaye and her obedience to lead others to promote Biblical values in our culture.
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
Thank you in advance for your diligence through both your prayers and actions.
Toni DeLancey
State Director
Don’t ERAse Women With an Equal Rights Amendment
“… legal classifications and distinctions based upon sex are not only discriminatory in themselves, but also lend governmental support to entrenched customs which ignore women as persons …” Pauli Murray, co-founder of the National Organization of Women
The ERA proposes that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex” and that “Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.”
The idea of equal rights sounds great, so why is the ERA so wrong for women?
#1 The ERA could erase women’s progress
Adding an equality amendment based on “sex” can have a reverse effect on women’s progress—the legal gains, programs, and policy reforms aimed specifically at benefiting women could be challenged and taken away such as: provisions in the Violence Against Women Act; programs such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); special protections in marriage, divorce, alimony and child custody; accommodations for pregnant women in the workforce; spousal social security benefits; female protections on college campuses relating to safety, Title IX, scholarships and admissions.
#2 The ERA could erase legal distinctions based on sex and leave women unprotected
Adding an equality amendment based on “sex” allows federal courts and legislatures new powers to reinterpret every law making a distinction based on gender.
- Any limits on abortion or denying taxpayer-funds for abortion could be seen as a form of sex discrimination and a violation of this amendment.
- Women-only safe spaces like sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms, or domestic violence shelters could be seen as a form of sex discrimination and violation of this amendment.
- Women could be forced into military service, instead of this being a woman’s choice.
- Current legislative trends to neutralize the unique differences of males and females in policy and law (and redefine “sex” as “gender identity”) could be supported by this amendment.
#3 We don’t need the ERA: Women are already equal under U.S. law
Women’s “equality of rights under the law” is already recognized in our Constitution. Amendment 14 states “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor … deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor … the equal protection of the laws.
#4 We don’t need the ERA: Women will continue to use established law to make progress
Through established law such as Amendment 14, Title IX, Equal Opportunity Act of 1963, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and Equal Pay Act, women have made huge strides against institutional discrimination against women in education, employment, sports, politics, and many other aspects of society. Where other inequalities may exist, women will continue to use established law.
Click here to print.
Through God’s grace and the help of supporters like you, the year 2019 was full of successes. The staff of CWA is gearing up for a productive 2020!
This year, please pray for the following:
From Legal:
- Continued success in the appointment of constitutional judges to federal courts.
- Protections of the right of conscience and religious freedom in the Congress, the culture, and the courts.
- Big wins at the Supreme Court on two important cases on the sanctity of human life (June Medical Services v. Gee) and preserving federal protections for women (R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
From Legislative:
- For the Senate to act swiftly and decisively in dispensing with the articles of impeachment against President Trump.
- For the House to stand against abortion extremism and pass the Born Alive Abortion Survivor’s Protection Act.
- For Congress to uphold the rights and protection of women and preserve the God-given distinctions of the sexes.
- For the Department of Education to act favorably on CWA’s Title IX complaint against schools forcing female athletes to compete against transgender males.
- For God’s will to be done in the 2020 election.
From International:
- For the protection of unborn children all around the world and that strategies promoting abortion in developing countries will fail.
- For the protection of religious freedom and the release of prisoners of religious persecution. In particular pray for the Christians in Iraq who continue to rebuild their lives after ISIS and the Uyghur Muslims in China who are forced to remain in detention camps.
- For Godly wisdom for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as President Trump, as they interact with foreign governments and shape U.S. foreign policy.
From the Field team:
- Increased influence and impact on pro-life and pro-family issues in our state legislatures and on our college campuses.
- Continued growth in state-level leadership and Young Women for America college chapters.
- Unprecedented engagement in CWA’s 2020 Get Out the Vote grassroots efforts.
Our thoughts and prayers will be with each of you as we embark upon a new year and a new decade.
CEO and President, Penny Nance, reminds us why Christmas is such a special time of year and that this is the time to celebrate the King of Kings.
During this week of Christmas, the staff at Concerned Women for America sends you their Christmas greetings!
Washington, DC — Today the Trump Administration announced a final rulemaking that restores congressional intent in Obamacare to keep any coverage of abortion-related services separate from premiums for health care services.
Section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act is now clarified to require that an abortion surcharge be collected separately from health care premiums. The Trump Administration is reversing the Obama-era guidance that allowed payments to be made together in one bill. The Department of Health and Human Services will now require that these payments be clearly separated and transparent.
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee made the following statement:
“This final rule is a win for accountability to the law and a clear message that abortion is not to be confused with health care. Concerned Women for America and many of our members commented in favor of this important rule change demanding transparency in Obamacare.
“Concerned Women for America continues to fight against any federal funds or programs being used to promote or pay for abortion. The Trump Administration has made further progress in its commitment to protecting life with this important rule change to Obamacare. We thank President Trump for his pro-life promise to keep government programs and rules accountable to the American taxpayer.”
Washington, D.C.— The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), the largest public policy organization for women in the nation, had this to say:
“CWA women from around the country are praying for our nation and for those who voted to impeach President Trump. Our members know it must be incredibly hard and frustrating for these representatives to see a president they despise so much succeed in such historic ways.
Liberals have tried everything to bring President Trump down, and yet he continues to deliver for the American people. Our country is thriving under a strong economy with historic low unemployment rates. The president has delivered on life, religious liberty, support for families, prison reform, support for Israel, and, our favorite, the appointment of constitutional judges, among so many other accomplishments.
Meanwhile, the impeachment machine opposing him has been reduced to a sad display of the most venomous and disingenuous political theater, as we saw in the House vote today. This maliciously partisan impeachment process is the perfect example of everything that is wrong in our politics. It has been a travesty of justice, and it will forever be a stain on the record of the members who turned a blind eye to truth for political gain.
House Democrats have just voted to impeach a duly elected president with zero evidence of a crime or misdemeanor being committed—let alone a “high crime or misdemeanor.”
But their efforts will not succeed. The constitutional checks and balances set up by our Founding Fathers were put in place to prevent just this type of abuse of power and perversion of justice. Bipartisan opposition standing for truth should be commended. History will remember kindly their heroic efforts to preserve our constitutional standards.”
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CWA Applauds Final Passage of Debbie Smith Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Last night the U.S. Senate completed action on a 5-year reauthorization of the Debbie Smith Act, a vital program first enacted in 2004 to help states and localities end the backlog of untested DNA evidence, specifically sexual assault kits.
Before final passage this week, Sen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) credited the work of CWA saying, “ I want to thank Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America, who testified at my invitation at last year’s Judiciary Committee hearing, for suggesting certain changes to ensure that the analysis of sexual assault evidence is accorded a higher priority by grantees. This statutory reform is essential, because most states impose a statutory deadline by which crimes of sexual violence must be prosecuted. Changes suggested by her organization, for which I have advocated since 2016, were incorporated into the Debbie Smith Act reauthorization bill by the Senate sponsor, Sen. Cornyn, with my support. The House of Representatives also accepted these changes this year.”
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee issued the following statement in response:
“Thank you, Sens. Chuck Grassley and John Cornyn (R-Texas) for working with Concerned Women for America and leading the effort to prioritize DNA testing for victims of sexual assault in the Debbie Smith Act. As I testified before the Senate last year, every rape kit represents a brave woman waiting for justice.
“After 15 years of the Debbie Smith Act and nearly $1 billion spent, most states still don’t know how many rape kits remain untested. We must do better. Victims of sexual assault deserve to know that every kit is accounted for and every last one is processed. With our improvements, this 5-year reauthorization will move us closer to the goal of ending the rape-kit backlog.
“Concerned Women for America applauds Congress for passing these important improvements to the Debbie Smith Act and looks forward to President Trump adding his signature to enact this reauthorization into law.”
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Today, the House Judiciary Committee approved both articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America LAC, has this to say:
The 23 members approving of this malicious partisan impeachment vote have done great damage to our country today. Concerned Women for America (CWA) supporters from around the country are praying that enough Democrats would stand up to this disingenuous, politically motivated abuse of power to remove a duly elected president without proper justification. They have sought out any and every justification to impeach President Trump since the very moment he took his oath of office. Each and every time they have come up empty. The American people will not forget their disgrace.
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President Trump will combat anti-Semitism on college campuses by signing an executive order enabling the government to withhold federal funds from universities allowing anti-Semitic activity. This order recognizes anti-Semitism as discrimination against Jews as a race or based on national origin, not only as a religious group, and a violation of U.S. Civil Rights. Concerned Women for America’s hundreds of thousands of members are excited for this action in support of our Jewish friends.
Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America LAC, has this to say:
“Thank you, President Trump, for targeting the rise of anti-Semitism by enforcing the internationally recognized definition of anti-Semitism on college campuses. It is time we fight the discriminatory double standards held against Israel at far too many of our institutions of higher-education. This is a significant victory against discrimination as anti-Semitism increases in the U.S. and abroad.
Until this time, bi-partisan legislation on this issue, despite widespread support, has been unable to pass through Congress. It is necessary we take the appropriate steps to incorporate the internationally recognized definition of anti-Semitism into our education system. No longer can universities promote anti-Semitism from their ivory towers. Academia should be better.
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Joint statement from Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America, and Tanya Ditty, Vice President of Field Operations and former CWA Georgia State Director:
“Governor Kemp needs to know Kelly Loeffler would be the wrong choice for conservatives in Georgia and supporters of President Trump on several fronts. She sits on the board of a hospital in Atlanta that employs five abortionists and actually runs the largest training program for abortionists in Georgia. She is also part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream franchise. The WNBA has been an outspoken supporter of Planned Parenthood, even partnering with the pro-abortion organization in opposing President Trump’s pro-life policies. Likewise the WNBA has remained disturbingly silent about China’s persecution of the citizens of Hong Kong, even after an NBA general manager courageously spoke out about it. Ms. Loeffler also sits on the board of a psychiatric treatment facility that provides transgender affirming counsel to minors. Likewise she has given thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to liberal and pro-abortion candidates. There are better choices for Gov. Kemp when it comes to the next U.S. Senator from Georgia. Gov. Kemp has a list of fantastic pro-life candidates. We hope he doesn’t pick the one the pro-life community will have to oppose.”
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Concerned Women for America at the White House. CWA CEO and President, Penny Nance, wearing one of the historic sashes, is a member of the bi-partisan Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission. To commemorate the 100th year anniversary of women’s right to vote, a coin with some of the amazing women suffragists will be minted. Penny Nance joined President Trump in a Signing Ceremony for H.R. 2423, The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act.
UPDATE:
These photos are official White House Photos by Tia Dufour of the signing of The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act.
Just this week, my Bible study has been in the book Esther. How appropriate. Esther 4:14 says, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” We are royalty, and our father is the KING! He has positioned us at this time to do incredible things for His kingdom’s purposes, and I cannot think of anything more powerful and more honoring to our Lord than to pray for our elected officials.
We are calling on all past, present, and new Encourage-A-Legislator (EAL) volunteers to gear up for the upcoming 2020 General Assembly session that begins January 8 and volunteer to prayer for a legislator. You are necessary, and you are needed. Our elected officials need to know that people like you and me – who understand the power of prayer and what a refreshing word does for the soul – will be praying for them.
The goal of the EAL program is to encourage each member of the State House and Senate, by praying for them regularly and sending them a postcard each week throughout the legislative session. Our goal is to cover all those “in authority” in Virginia – 100 House members and 40 Senate members. The EAL program is never used to lobby and, therefore, is never confrontational. It is simply a great way to lift up those in authority and encourage them in their responsibilities.
Click here for more details about the EAL program.
Sign up today to be an encourager—it couldn’t be easier! Sign up by simply giving Janet Stasulli, CWA of Virginia’s Encourage-A-Legislator Coordinator, a call at (434) 525-6705 or email her at [email protected] and provide her with your name and physical mailing address. Be sure to specify how many legislators you would like to encourage. She will be happy to enlist you as an encourager and send you a packet of postcards and instructions, which you will receive late December.
The late Reverend Arthur Hopkins said this about prayer, “Our prayer and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends.” So, let’s storm the gates of heaven on behalf of our state leaders. Let’s let our “petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior …” 1 Timothy 2:1-3.
Please tell me YES – that you are willing to pray for eight weeks for a legislator! We need all hands on deck.
Janet Robey
Associate Director
Dear Fellow Virginians,
Today is a critical day in Virginia. Voters go the polls to elect their Delegate and Senator and other important down-ballot races. Throughout the day, would you please pray for the following:
Pray for God’s hedge of protection over our nation, even during the election.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:9-12
Pray that the election process—personnel and voting equipment—will perform with honesty and integrity.
Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights … Leviticus 19:35-36
Pray that God’s will be done, our state be blessed with Godly and principled leaders, and His name be glorified.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1
Our votes and prayers do matter. Please do both today!
Thank you,
Penny Nance
CEO and President
Concerned Women for America
Penny Nance
CEO and President
Concerned Women for America
Vote TODAY, Tuesday, November 5!
Dear Fellow Virginians,
Tomorrow Virginians will cast a very important vote in our commonwealth’s history. The candidates couldn’t be more different in their positions on crucial moral issues. As the battle escalates over infanticide, liberal indoctrination on Virginia college campuses, transgender policies, the shredding of religious freedoms, and the expansion of government-sanctioned gambling, we need strong officials in our House of Delegates and State Senate to defend us. We need courageous leaders to stand up to the war against our Constitution. We need God’s divine intervention. Our help must come from God.
Please commit to pray now and until all ballots have been counted. Please add anything else the Lord may lay on your heart.Prayer and Scripture focus for Monday, November 4:
Dear Heavenly Father, please shine Your favor on Your candidates. Help voters to see the truth. Give all Christ-honoring candidates Your victory. Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father, please shine Your favor on Your candidates. Help voters to see the truth. Give all Christ-honoring candidates Your victory. Amen.
For great is Your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, let Your glory be over all the earth. With God we will gain the victory… Psalm 108:4,5,13
The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. Psalm 33:10-12
Thank you,
Penny Nance
CEO and President
Concerned Women for America
Vote on Tuesday, November 5!
