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News and Events

Jan 15 2021
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What To Do Until Inauguration Day

By | CEO, News and Events | No Comments

On Wednesday of next week, the United States will inaugurate a new President. Joe Biden will take the oath as the 46th President. All of us can look around and see the conflict and discontent in our country. I was seeking the Lord about the state of our nation and asking Him for a word of direction. The word I got was PRAY!

I have put together a prayer guide for the next six days until Inauguration Day, which I would encourage you to use to guide your prayer time leading up to the inauguration. We will be having a time of concentrated prayer on Wednesday, January 20,  at 4:00 p.m. Eastern (3:00 p.m. Central; 2:00 p.m. Mountain, 1:00 p.m. Pacific). By that time, we will have a new president, and we will be gathering to pray for the new President and the new administration.

Register here to attend this time of concentrated prayer. Thank you for standing with CWA in prayer for our nation.

Penny Nance
CEO and President

Jan 15 2021
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U.S. House Barrels Through Trump Impeachment

By | Legal, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Despite a plea by many to focus on a peaceful transition of power and warnings against fomenting further political upheaval following the unconscionable violence at the U.S. Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) stoked the flames of impeachment this week to punish the departing president.  The House passed two resolutions, the first ordering Vice President Mike Pence to convene a meeting of the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and declare the sitting president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

In a letter of response to Speaker Pelosi, Vice President Pence responded that with just eight days left in his term, “I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution.” The Vice President urged the Speaker and every member of Congress to “avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment” and to work together to “unite the country.”

A second resolution was introduced for the purpose of “Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.” Two hours of debate was equally divided between the parties, and a vote on the resolution passed 232-197 with ten Republicans joining the Democrats in favor of the impeachment resolution.

Meanwhile, political punishment and retribution were aggressively directed at members of Congress who opposed the certification of electors in particular states over serious irregularities in the election process. Concerned Women for America (CWA) CEO and President Penny Nance joined conservative leaders in calling out the “opportunistic attempts by some to use last week’s events as a pretext to dismiss legitimate concerns about election irregularities, and illegal and unconstitutional actions.”

In their memo titled “Cruz, Hawley, Brooks, and colleagues follow the Constitution,” Nance and leaders of the Conservative Action Project denounce the attack on the Capitol but defend the constitutional mandate of Congress:

“Conservatives condemn the violent actions that took place at the United States Capitol last week. Our self-government is founded upon the rule of law, and violence as a form of protest is never acceptable. Unlike most Democrats, we condemned the violent actions of rioters over the summer. We condemn the recent violence with equal vigor.

“But one thing is also clear: the actions of 8 Senators and 139 House members, including Sen. Josh Hawley, Sen. Ted Cruz, and many others, who intended to or did debate the certification of certain states’ 2020 electors is not, and never will be, tantamount to violence. The right and ability to object to electoral certification is written into the Constitution and housed in the procedural rights of those who represent us.”

The timeline for what happens next is unresolved and is anyone’s guess. Under the Constitution, the House is required to transmit formally the impeachment resolution to the Senate. The Senate is required to hold a trial with House managers bringing the charges against the president and the president’s defense responding to the charges. But President Trump will no longer be president as of noon on January 20.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he will not call the Senate back before its scheduled return on January 19 since time does not allow for a serious trial to be conducted before Inauguration Day. After that point, a new party will control the reins of the U.S. Senate, and a new president will occupy the White House. It will be incumbent on them to determine the path forward.  Will they choose to work to unite the country or to continue stoking the flames of political division?

Jan 15 2021
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Follow Through on Final Actions will Provide Foundation for Future Battles

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

The Trump Administration has taken several important actions in the final weeks of office that will provide an important foundation of policy, fact, and analysis as we anticipate the battleground defining the policy agenda of the next administration. Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) was directly engaged in contributing to, commenting on, and advocating for these policy actions:

  1. HHS “Keep Kids First” Rule. HHS issued a final rule to protect faith-based adoption and foster care agencies that ensures federal grants are in line with nondiscrimination statutes and long-standing religious liberty protections. The final rule follows the rule of law, correcting the activism of the Obama administration that imposed new categories of sex discrimination on grantees and sidelined many faith-based adoption and foster care providers. HHS’s action aims to protect the ability of Christian adoption and foster care providers to participate in grant programs and maintain their rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It also asserts the government’s responsibility to adhere to federal statutes as passed by Congress and relevant Supreme Court decisions, not pursue an activist expansion of civil rights laws.
  1. Bostock and Title IX. The U.S. Department of Education Office of General Counsel issued a concise directive to the Office for Civil Rights for how the Bostock decision relates to its authority under Title IX. The Question & Answer document, which was sent to over 56,000 education entities across the country, is an official legal analysis that will require a new administration to reckon with its facts before taking any action to impose a new definition of “sex” on schools. The directive asserts, “The Department’s longstanding construction of the term ‘sex’ in Title IX to mean biological sex, male or female, is the only construction consistent with the ordinary public meaning of ’sex’ at the time of Title IX’s enactment.” It makes clear that Bostock does not overrule biological sex with “gender identity” under Title IX and that schools must ensure equal opportunities and benefits in athletics and facilities for women and girls on the basis of biological sex.
  1. Fetal Tissue Research Rulemaking. HHS initiated a rulemaking to govern fetal tissue research conducted by outside researchers as the final step in its promised actions to end unethical research using aborted babies. The proposed rule, “Establishment of Safeguards and Program Integrity Requirements for Health and Human Services-Funded Extramural Research Involving Human Fetal Tissue,” has entered a 30-day public comment period that will continue as scheduled despite a change in administration. This important rulemaking would impose strict requirements and tighten rules on any outside research of this nature supported by federal funds, including banning any abortion provider like Planned Parenthood from supplying and profiting from the acquisition of human fetal tissue for research purposes.

CWALAC applauds these actions as a tribute to our impactful work with policymakers and the tireless dedication of federal officials who have served the Trump Administration with honor in following through on these significant policy achievements. They leave a permanent record that the incoming administration cannot erase.

Jan 14 2021
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Global Pro-Life Leadership Will Carry On in Geneva Consensus Declaration

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

By Doreen Denny, Vice President of Government Relations.

Protecting the sanctity of human life on the global stage was among the first acts of the Trump Administration and is set to become a lasting achievement. During his first days in office, President Trump expanded the Mexico City Policy as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance in an Executive Order. His administration pursued a rulemaking to help secure these protections. While we can anticipate hostile action by the new administration, the fruitful effort of the Trump Administration coalescing nations to commit to policies that promote life and human flourishing will undercut their premise for any “stroke of the pen” retractions of pro-life policy in U.S. global health assistance going forward.

The Geneva Consensus Declaration initiated by the United States with co-sponsors Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda, and co-signed by 28 additional countries provides an indelible legacy, even if a new administration seeks to reverse course. The joint declaration of October 22, 2020, Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family, asserts the commitment of coalition nations working together to promote better health care for women, protect human life, strengthen the family unit as the foundation of society, and declare every nation’s sovereignty in global politics. By “reaffirming the inherent dignity and worth of the human person,” the Geneva Consensus Declaration underscores every nation’s sovereign right to push back international abortion ideology and pass their own laws regarding abortion.

In December 2020, the U.S government, on behalf of supporting countries, officially filed the pro-life Geneva Consensus Declaration with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, instructed the Secretary-General to circulate  the declaration with member states as part of the official record of the General Assembly ”inviting all Member States to sign the declaration.”

The declaration has now been issued as an official document of the United Nations and translated into all six official UN languages. This action ensures that the Geneva Consensus Declaration and the good work of the Trump Administration will continue on the world stage, giving other UN member states the opportunity to embrace the declaration, even if U.S. leadership should falter.

As President Trump stated at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly, “Americans will never tire of defending innocent life. We are aware that many United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery. Global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life. Like many nations here today, we in America believe that every child born and unborn is a sacred gift from God.”

Over 76 percent of Americans continue to oppose American taxpayer dollars supporting abortion in other countries. Abortion that destroys innocent human life is not healthcare and should not be promoted as a legitimate form of family planning. There is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation to finance or facilitate abortion. Every nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with its own laws and policies. They should be able to preserve human dignity as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Consensus Declaration, not be bullied by pro-abortion nations.

Please join CWA in praying for the incoming administration to stand for life: Lord, we beseech You for the future direction of our country and pray that the United States government will continue to stand for the dignity and worth of every human life.

Jan 12 2021
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Statement from Penny Nance on Impeachment Proceedings

By | CEO, News and Events | No Comments

Concerned Women for America‘s CEO and President Penny Nance released this statement regarding the impeachment proceedings against President Trump:

“If President-elect Joe Biden wants to bring the country together, we need congressional leaders to focus on a productive and peaceful transition of power, not foment political punishment. Our emotions are raw, and this nation needs time to heal. The violence and destruction at the U.S. Capitol last week is indefensible. Wielding political power to weaponize retribution and punish political opponents is antithetical to American ideals. Joe Biden has the opportunity to seek unity and healing, but that will not happen by creating greater strife and rubbing salt into our wounds.”

 

Jan 08 2021
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For America (Day 113) – A Prayer for the New Year

By | LBB, News and Events, Prayer | No Comments

How beautiful are the feet
Of those who bring good news,
Who proclaim peace, good tidings,
And the salvation of the Lord.

May our gaze turn to them;
May our ears hear the sweet sound
Of the proclamation of Your Word
In this new year.

Lord of the harvest,
Send us laborers
For we know the harvest is plentiful.
We need those who love the mission field.

The pain of so many is so evident.
Like sheep without a Shepherd,
They move here and there
Swept by the winds of every moment.

Yet we know of an immovable Rock
Jesus, the Christ
By Whose blood all our sins are swept away.
We know that He alone can save.

Forgive our callousness
Which heretofore has blinded us
And prevented us from the self-sacrifice
You require.

You showed us the way,
Yet we turn away.
Forgive us
And illuminate our hearts and minds.

You are God.
The winds still obey at Your very word.
Let the political winds of the present age
Tremble at the sound of Your Name.

Take this year. Take our lives.
Do as You please, Oh Lord on high!
We stand in awe and are still
To know You and Love You more and more.

Heal our land, heal our hearts,
Unite us as one.
In You we want to abide.
Amen— may it be so.

Jan 08 2021
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Changing the Rules in the 117th Congress – Amen and Awoman?

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Religious Liberty, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

The U.S. House of Representatives convened last Sunday for the opening of the 117th Congress. It became apparent rather quickly that we will have our work cut out for us. Mario Diaz, Concerned Women for America’s General Counsel, and Doreen Denny, Vice President of Government Relations, talk about the opening events that showcased the challenges ahead.  Read the letter that CWALAC sent to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives opposing the rules changes.

Jan 07 2021
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CWA Response to Lawlessness in D.C.

By | CEO, Legal, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President Penny Nance responded to the January 6 events at the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C.

“Lawlessness is not a Christian, conservative value.  @CWforA condemns acts of violence and destruction.  Righteous indignation and strategic political engagement are right and just reactions to injustice not mob rioting.  We are better than this as a nation.  Stop it.”

“I know good, peaceful people who came to #dc to exercise their First Amendment rights in reaction to voter fraud, but they need to go home now.  Others are using it as an excuse for criminal behavior.  Unacceptable!  @CWforA @YWforA”

Dec 31 2020
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How to Face 2021

By | Legal, News and Events | No Comments

In some ways, many of us could not wait to put 2020 behind us. It was a terrible year for many families and businesses following the COVID-19 pandemic. In another sense, though, it feels like there is still some unfinished business with 2020 that prevents us from fully embracing the plan God is setting before us for 2021.

The election certainly feels that way. Even following a vaccine, the continued lockdowns, and the uncertainty about what is to come, have many of us are feeling exhausted even before the new year begins. How can we face 2021 feeling this way?

I will tell you; I look no further than the preeminence of Christ. Paul wrote to the Church at Colossae that, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)

Did you notice that by Him, thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities are created? Do you see how relevant this word is for us today in America as we face 2021 full of uncertainty?

We may not know many things, but we know one thing as sure as the sun lights the sky: by Jesus Christ, rulers and authorities are put in their positions of power.

What joy! What assurance! For we know this God is good and merciful, loving and kind; His ways are perfect.

Why do we fret then? Why do we worry? Why do we wonder how we will keep things together?

Paul continued, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (v.17).

It is in Him that all things hold together. It is through Him, that’s how.

Do you believe it? If you do as I do, then it is to Him that we should go with all our concerns over January 5 and 6, and 20. We go to Him, and we can rest in His loving care. He is in control.

“[H]e is the head of the body, the church,” Paul wrote, “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent” (v. 18).

Here we arrive at our plan of action, dear readers. Let us allow Jesus Christ to have preeminence in all our endeavors in 2021. He is our aim—His exaltation. Our minds must be continually on Him; we live and breathe, pray and take action in a manner worthy of Him who called us by His grace.

Let joy be our trademark. Let the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, be the sweet aroma permeating all our engagements. God is in control.

In some ways, I see many of us as the disciples on the boat. The storm hit; there is chaos around. They are scared. The boat is filling up with water. Will they make it?

So, they go to Jesus, who is sound asleep in the stern. “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” they asked (Mark 4:38).

Tears fill my eyes almost every time I read that question. We are seriously this clueless—this self-absorbed. We dare question the Master’s love—His care.

Many of us are asking Him this very question today. “Jesus, will you allow them to get away with this? Do you not care?”

He does. It pains me to have to write these two words, but He does. It physically hurts me to admit that I need the reminder.

And consider Jesus’ loving response, even as He rebukes the winds and the rain: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Well, have you? Do you doubt He can rise and rebuke the political winds from our storm and restore peace?

I tell you, there is no force in nature capable of withstanding His rebuke. Believe it! God is on the move, and He will leave us standing in awe at His mighty works, wondering, “who is this that even the political winds and the pandemic sea obey Him?”

This is as true for us in 2021 as it was for the disciples in Jesus’ day.

By Mario Diaz, Esq., CWA General Counsel
Download printable copy.

Dec 31 2020
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education students

Trump Orders Emergency Learning Scholarships

By | Education, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

As 2020 Ends and Schools Stay Closed, President Trump Orders Emergency Learning Scholarships to Offer Hope in the New Year  

COVID-19 caused many public schools to stay closed for most of 2020, creating mounting hardships for American students and their ability to continue learning effectively, especially those in difficult circumstances. Building on his past actions to help support students, President Trump closed out the year by signing an Executive Order “to ensure the education, health, safety, and well-being of America’s children, our most essential resource upon which the future of our great Nation depends.”

Under the Executive Order on Expanding Educational Opportunity Through School Choice, President Trump is seeking to protect American students who need in-person learning options from prolonged school closures. Despite providing $13 billion in federal support for K-12 schools to safely resume in-person learning earlier this year, more than half of all public-school students began school remotely this fall. The lack of in-person learning is showing the greatest harm among low-income students and students with disabilities.

As noted in the President’s order, research and surveys conducted through the pandemic have revealed many sobering results:

  • Students’ math progress in low-income neighborhoods decreased by nearly 50 percent, and those from middle-income neighborhoods fell by almost a third.
  • Eighty percent of children with special needs are not receiving the services and supports to which they are entitled, and approximately 40 percent of children with special needs are receiving no services or supports.
  • Educators found student absences, including from virtual learning, have nearly doubled during the pandemic.

Analysts are projecting now that if in-person learning does not resume fully in the new year, low-income students will lose over a year of learning.

To help mitigate this harm, President Trump wants to provide “emergency learning scholarships,” offering direct support to disadvantaged families with K-12 students. Under the order, the President instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to act consistently with law to allow funds available through the Community Services Block Grant program to be used for emergency learning scholarships for any eligible child lacking access to in-person schooling. As outlined, these scholarships may be used for: tuition and fees for a private or parochial school; homeschool, micro-school, or learning-pod costs; special education and related services, including therapies; or tutoring or remedial education.

The President declares, “I am committed to ensuring that all children of our great Nation have access to the educational resources they need to obtain a high-quality education and to improving students’ safety and well-being, including by empowering families with emergency learning scholarships.”

With teachers’ unions standing in the way of expanding parental choice and educational options for students, we hope the President’s closing act of 2020 will be the ticket to freedom many families have been hoping for in the new year.

Dec 24 2020
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A Christmas Message from Penny Nance

By | CEO, News and Events | No Comments

It’s Christmas Day! What a wonderful time to reflect on the birth of our Savior and God’s goodness. Scripture tells us that, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

And that is the thought I’d like to leave with you today. God is near.

I know 2020 was a tough year for many, but we must never equate adversity with the absence of God.

So, I lift up a prayer for you today wherever you are, whatever situation you are going through, that you may experience Immanuel, God with you.

Merry Christmas!

Penny Nance
CEO and President

Dec 24 2020
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For America— A Christmas Prayer

By | News and Events | No Comments

Written by CWA’s General Counsel Mario Diaz, Esq.

Oh Lord, Our God,
Your Majestic Holiness
Fills us with joy
Throughout the Christmas season.

Your wondrous works displayed
On that day in Bethlehem
Keep our hearts and minds engaged still today,
Amazed at the extent of Your Love.

The sounds of that “Silent Night,”
Are forever on our lips.
Let the people hear us sing,
“Gloria, in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the highest!)”

Let the “thrill of hope” be felt
In the midst of our weary world.
“Born is the King of Israel,”
The babe — the King of the whole world.

Glad tidings, You brought,
A Gospel of Truth, salvation for all,
If we only believe.
What joy; what peace!

Immanuel — God with us.
God with us.
How can this be?
You, here, for me?

There is no other comfort,
Apart from this —
Apart from You: the Prince of Peace,
Eternal Father, Mighty God.

Of Your kingdom, there shall be no end.
We stand as a testament,
Moving and breathing, hoping and longing
In You, through You, and for You.

May Yours be the glory and honor,
Majesty and power,
Forever and ever,
Amen.

Dec 22 2020
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Bipartisan Duo in Congress Unites to Protect Women’s Sports

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

Democrat Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Republican Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) have joined hands across the aisle to protect the rights of female athletes under Title IX, the federal law that ensures equal opportunities and benefits in education on the basis of sex. A former 2020 Democrat presidential candidate and four-term member of Congress, Gabbard has bucked the Democrat party’s lock-step campaign to repeal Title IX discrimination based on biological sex and replace the definition of sex with gender identity. This manipulation of Title IX’s intent gives any male the chance to claim transgender status and compete on women’s sports teams.

In the first demonstration of bipartisanship on this issue, Reps Gabbard and Mullin introduced the Protect Women’s Sports Act patterned after a bill introduced earlier this year by Republican House members Greg Steube (R-Florida) and Debbie Lesko (R-Arizona). The legislation has a straightforward objective: reaffirm Title IX’s intent based on biological sex and require schools receiving federal funds to abide by this biological distinction in women’s sports in order to comply with federal civil rights law.

By opposing male transgender participation in women’s sports, Gabbard makes a significant statement about the current extremism of her party denying equality of rights for women and girls as female.

In 1972, Title IX provided landmark protections for female students in education by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. This opened a world of new opportunities for women and girls in academics and athletics that has become commonplace three generations later. Most girls today have no idea what their predecessors fought to achieve and won – nor what they stand to lose.

But some female student-athletes, like Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell and Alanna Smith in Connecticut; Madison Kenyon and Mary Kate Marshall in Idaho; and the daughter of world-champion track athlete Cynthia Monteleone in Hawaii, have faced a different reality as they were forced to compete on an unfair playing field against biological males identifying as girls and forfeit the chance to succeed as they should.

Activism around transgender inclusion in women’s sports is sidelining the achievements of female student-athletes, putting their safety at risk, and silencing their voices. It is also rewriting the purpose of what Title IX was enacted to protect. Democrats have been hypocritical about this discrimination against women and girls, choosing to ignore biological truths that matter in sports (and facilities) and bowing instead to transactivist demands that deny the rights of females who have the most to lose.

In a statement on the Protect Women’s Sports Act, Gabbard declares, ”Our legislation protects Title IX’s original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex. It is critical that the legacy of Title IX continues to ensure women and girls in sports have the opportunity to compete and excel on a level playing field.”

Mullins, the father of wrestlers including three daughters, had this to say, ”As the father of three girls involved in athletics, I want them to be able to compete on a level playing field. I am proud to lead this bill that will safeguard the integrity of women’s sports and ensure female athletes can compete fairly.”

By reclaiming Title IX protections for female athletes, Tulsi Gabbard is challenging the Democrat party establishment. Her retirement from Congress now leaves the mission to display the same courage to others.  Perhaps they can be persuaded by the substantial majorities of Americans who oppose male trans-athletes competing against females in women’s sports.  As Gabbard’s support and partnership with Mullin make clear, this should not be a partisan issue, but a matter of biological reality, fair play, and common sense – principles that should unite us.

Doreen Denny is Vice President of Government Relations for Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.

Dec 17 2020
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Concerned Women Today! The Fight to Keep the Hyde Amendment

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Doreen Denny, CWA’s Vice President of Government Relations, takes you inside the U.S. House of Representatives to get a first-hand account of a hearing on the fight to keep the Hyde Amendment. Should American taxpayers be forced to pay for abortion? If the Democrats in Congress have their way, the answer is Yes.

Listen to the podcast here.

Dec 16 2020
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Press Release: CWA Applauds Prolife Actions

By | News and Events, Press Releases, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2020

Contact: Doreen Denny
202-266-4808, [email protected]

Concerned Women for America Applauds Actions Against
California and University of Vermont for Disregarding Pro-life Laws

Celebrates “Life is Winning” with Vice President Mike Pence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a “Life is Winning” event celebrating the achievements of the Trump Administration to protect and defend human life hosted by Vice President Mike Pence, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced two landmark enforcement actions against the University of Vermont Medical Center and the State of California for violations of federal law prohibiting forced abortion policies.  Concerned Women for America was honored to be in attendance to celebrate the leadership and culture of life championed by the Trump Administration and to receive the news.

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, applauded today’s actions:

“Life wins when the federal government takes responsibility to hold bad actors accountable for violating federal pro-life laws.  Today, the U.S. government told the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMC) ‘We’ll see you in court’ for forcing medical professionals to participate in abortion.  Doctors and nurses have a right to refuse killing pre-born children as a violation of their conscience and their professional oath to do no harm.  This lawsuit will require UVMC to defend the indefensible.  UVMC won’t win; the medical professionals standing for life will win.

“Under Attorney General Xavier Becerra, California continues to flout federal law, forcing all health plans to cover abortion in violation of the Weldon amendment.  Now California will face the consequences: a loss of $200 million in Medicaid funding every quarter for continued violations.  With these actions, the Trump Administration is doing its job to enforce federal law.

“Life wins when pro-life laws are respected and enforced.  Concerned Women for America celebrates the many ways ‘life is winning’ under the Trump Administration.  We applaud these landmark actions to uphold federal law and the dignity of every human life.”

###

Dec 08 2020
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The Hyde Amendment and Human Life

By | News and Events, Planned Parenthood, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Today, the House held an appropriations subcommittee hearing titled “The Impact on Women Seeking an Abortion but are Denied Because of an Inability to Pay.” Calling it what it is, a hearing dedicated to the elimination of the Hyde Amendment, would not be as well received.     

By way of background, the Hyde Amendment is a critical pro-life measure introduced by Congressman Henry Hyde (R-Illinois) in 1976 as a rider to the HHS appropriations bill. It prohibits Medicaid, a federal and state assistance program based on an individual’s income, from contributing money to pay for women’s elective abortions. The Hyde Amendment has always, and continues, to maintain exceptions for instances of life endangerment, rape, and incest. For 44 years, Democrat legislators have worked to undermine and do away with the Hyde Amendment, yet it has remained a rider on the appropriation bill since that year as well as many other pieces of legislation throughout its nearly half a century existence.  

Bottom line: the Hyde Amendment does not prohibit abortion outright. It seeks only to ensure that taxpayer dollars cannot be used to facilitate abortion procedures. In doing so, it has encouraged an ethic life throughout its duration with more women choosing to give birth.  

Those without proper understanding of the Hyde Amendment’s history and purpose might walk away from today’s virtual hearing believing that the only way to save black American women is to get rid of the Hyde Amendment. Nothing could be further from the truth.  

Today’s hearing featured four witnesses, Dr. Herminia Palacio, President and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, Dr. Jamila Perritt, President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health, Ms. Amanda Beatriz Williams, Executive Director of the Lilith Fund, and finally, the sole pro-life voice in the midst, Ms. Christina Bennett, Communications Director of the Family Institute of Connecticut.  

There are so many things that could be said about the Hyde Amendment and the abortion industry but the conversation in the hearing focused on two principal issues. The first witness spoke about how the Hyde Amendment disproportionately “targets” minority women calling it a “racist policy.” The next focused on the point that abortion is healthcare and as such should not be singled out or have additional burdens placed upon it.   

First, talking about racist policies in relation to abortion necessitates a discussion about the origin of the abortion industry in this nation. The modern abortion industry in America can be traced back to Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood and a radical advocate of racial eugenics. Sanger was outspoken in her distaste for black Americans, unapologetically affiliated herself with the Ku Klux Klan, and wrote openly about the need for sterilization of the “unfit.” Today, Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion facilitator, targets minority neighborhoods with 79% of their clinics located within walking distance of Black or Hispanic communities. This is no accident. Abortion is the leading cause of death for black Americans, more than all other causes combined including cancer, violent crimes, AIDS, and accidents. Black women make up just 14% of the childbearing population but obtain 36.2% of reported abortions. These statistics are heartbreaking, and it is baffling that they are not an impetus for change and uproar within the black community.  

Second, it is almost laughable to have to address the statement “abortion is healthcare.” Healthcare is to maintain or restore physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Abortion does none of these things. Abortion takes a life. Post abortive women are 81% more likely to experience mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, and marijuana abuse. Women who have had an abortion are 155% more likely to commit suicide. Grief, sadness, guilt, anger, anxiety, helplessness, and feeling isolated are drastically higher in women and men dealing with the ramifications of choosing abortion.  

Additionally, not even abortion advocates believe that abortion is equal to healthcare. If they did, they would have no problem ensuring that abortion facilities are up to par with health codes and guidelines for all medical procedures. In both Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt and June Medical Services v. Russo the abortion lobby fought vehemently against health and safety standards for women obtaining abortion procedures. In both cases, the Supreme Court turned its back on protecting life and protecting women.  

Christina Bennett, the only voice today that spoke up on behalf of women and children alike, shared about her brave mother who chose life in the face of extreme pressure to choose abortion. Her mother’s abortion was paid for, and the abortionist was vehement that she go through with it, but she chose life. As a black woman, she spoke into the issue at hand when she noted that “repealing Hyde would lead to an increase in abortion in black communities.”  

 The whole hearing, from the title to the talking points, was sterile in nature, detached from the reality of what was being discussed. The sanctity of human life. The Charlotte Lozier Institute estimates the Hyde Amendment has saved roughly 60,000 lives each year which adds up to 2.4 million lives saved since 1976. Witnesses and house members alike can try to sideline the reality – that they are discussing living, breathing human children – with talk about racial inequity, poverty levels, and medical billing. Do not allow yourself to be distracted. As Christina Bennett said in her statement, “it is not racist to protect black lives.” 

Read the letter CWA’s CEO and President, Penny Nance, sent to the House Subcommittee.

Dec 07 2020
0

Biden’s Choice for HHS Reveals Abortion First Agenda, Exposes Unity Lip Service

By | News and Events, Press Releases, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2020

Contact: Natalie Panettiere
202.266.4816, [email protected]

Biden’s Choice for HHS Reveals Abortion First Agenda,
Exposes Unity Lip Service

Washington, D.C. — Concerned Women for America President and CEO Penny Nance had this to say on the reports that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will be the Biden-Harris Administration’s choice for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

“For all the talk about unity, the Biden-Harris Administration’s abortion first agenda is evident with the choice of Gen. Becerra for this crucial post. It ensures that most Americans will be alienated in one of the areas they care about most, their healthcare. Worse yet, it ensures they will become targets for harassment because of their religious beliefs.

“Remember how they dragged the Little Sisters of the Poor all the way to the Supreme Court?

“That is how Gen. Becerra has distinguished himself throughout his career, as one of the primary opponents of our First Amendment rights. The infamous anti-free speech, pro-abortion, unconstitutional law at issue in NIFLA v. Becerra bears his name for a reason. He may have lost at the Supreme Court, but he has continued his radical crusade against the First Amendment with dogmatic vigor.

“He was the person strategically chosen to continue Sen. Kamala Harris’ persecution of pro-life journalist David Daleiden for exposing Planned Parenthood’s inhumane harvesting of aborted baby body parts.

“He is as outside the mainstream as they come. As a Congressman, he voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion that a majority of Americans support, and for federal taxpayer funding of abortion on demand, which a majority of Americans oppose.

“All Senators should oppose him. He is simply the wrong choice for this important position.”

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Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) is the legislation and advocacy arm of Concerned Women for America. Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization with a rich 40-year history of helping our members across the country bring Biblical principles into all levels of public policy.

Dec 05 2020
0

MORE Act Promotes Marijuana Use, Not Justice

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

With a government shutdown on the horizon and coronavirus crippling communities across America, the Democrat-controlled Congress has prioritized the left’s obsession with pot use to vote on a bill removing federal controls over an exploding Big Marijuana industry.

The House passed the Marijuana Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE) Act by a vote of 228-164  under a deceptive banner of social justice. While touted as a decriminalizing measure to expunge the records of low-level offenders, the MORE Act actually dismantles federal enforcement against marijuana. This vote marks an historic surrender in the war on drug addiction. It denies the real threats of high potency marijuana to public safety, mental health, and our most vulnerable populations, including America’s youth.

In a total policy reversal, the MORE Act would remove marijuana as a controlled substance, legalizing and commercializing its use, manufacture, and sale, without health-related safeguards, advertising guardrails, or measures to crack down on the thriving illicit marijuana market. It would fully legalize unlimited potency marijuana products, including vapes and edibles appealing to youth, and allow any form of advertising, including on television during the Super bowl.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) signaled our strong opposition to this bill and our intent to score against any member of Congress voting in favor on our member scorecard.

In a letter to House members, CWALAC CEO and President Penny Nance warned, “Repackaging marijuana as a social justice issue in the MORE Act will not solve the problem of lucrative, greedy financial markets and reckless commercial marketing of marijuana. It will not change the harmful, increasingly potent nature of this drug as a danger to public health. Any federal de-scheduling of a psychotic drug removes the ability to enforce against its use, becoming a greater threat to public safety. This includes the U.S. Department of Transportation requirements for public transit workers.”

Here’s more about why the MORE Act is an irresponsible and reckless policy:

  • Fails to include common-sense safety measures like requiring a warning label on the health risks posed by marijuana, limitations on marijuana product potency, or restrictions on locating marijuana businesses within 1000 feet of schools, daycares, private kindergartens, public parks, or recreational facilities.
  • Retroactively decriminalizes marijuana, requiring Federal courts to expunge prior “nonviolent” marijuana convictions and conduct re-sentencing hearings, potentially leading to the early release of drug traffickers.
  • Funnels taxpayer money to the marijuana industry, making federal grants and loans available for marijuana-related businesses and service providers.

CWALAC believes America must stand against drug addiction and the promotion of drug use in our culture. The marketing of the MORE Act as a social justice measure is disingenuous and redirects attention away from prevention and treatment. If Congress enacts the MORE Act, America can expect more of the damaging effects of our drug-induced culture.

Nov 25 2020
0

A Special Thanksgiving Message from CWA

By | CEO, News and Events | No Comments

In the midst of the preparations for Thanksgiving and looking forward to the Christmas season, I wanted to express our thanks for you and your support of Concerned Women for America. This year has been one of the strangest I can remember in my lifetime. What a year 2020 has been!

Who would have known that COVID would turn our lives upside down! In March, we sent our staff home to work remotely. With the wonders of technology, we were able to keep moving forward. Through God’s faithfulness and your giving, we were able to stay on a solid financial footing through the months that have followed. On June 1, we returned to our offices. God has protected us, and we have not had any incidences of the virus in our office.

The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to succeed her on the U.S. Supreme Court provided CWA with an amazing opportunity to reach out to Christian, conservative women across the country. Early in October, we launched the “Women for Amy” bus tour to raise awareness and promote the confirmation of Judge Barrett. Our pink “Women for Amy” bus did over 8,000 miles in twelve states and rallied at 36 different locations. We were able to rejoice in the successful confirmation of Associate Justice Barrett.

The victories we have experienced this year have been made possible as people like you have prayed and lifted us up through the hard battles made even more difficult by the pandemic. Every prayer you have prayed has been felt and appreciated. We could not do what we do without the strong arms of the Lord holding this ministry and giving us the strength and resources we need. You are a huge part of that, and for that, we are thankful.

We look forward to 2021. By then, we should know who the President is, and soon after the first of the year, we will know who will control the Senate. We are already making plans for any contingency which could come out of the final results. We will continue to be engaged both nationally and internationally on our seven core issues and will be working to see that policy decisions which are made are good for our nation and our families. With your support and your prayers, we will continue to do this regardless of who sits in the White House or the U.S. Senate. And for that, we are thankful.

We pray God’s blessings on you and your family as you gather to celebrate Thanksgiving.

For all these things, we are thankful,
Penny Nance