In three separate letters to President Trump, Secretary of State Pompeo and Secretary Azar, CWA CEO and President Penny Nance and our Vice President for International Affairs Dr. Shea Garrison send heart-felt thanks for their work to promote international religious freedom and defend life at the United Nations 74th General Assembly.
CWA Letter to Secretary of State Pompeo
This week the CDC announced that there are now 1,300 known cases of lung injury related to vaping and 26 confirmed deaths. The CDC also reported the youngest victim of the vaping epidemic, a 17-year-old male. Approximately 70% of the patients are male, and 80% of the patients are under 35 years old; 15% are under 18 years old. Many of the people who are ill have reported vaping THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana.
Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee joined Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the Centennial Institute, Eagle Forum, and others and signed an open letter to the President supporting his initiative to find out what is causing e-cigarette or vaping-related illnesses. The letter addresses the importance of this initiative because although we do support the free market, e-cigarette manufacturers are knowingly putting people in danger. The letter states: “The free market requires that businesses abide by current law and educate consumers on the risks associated with the use of their products. Unfortunately, e-cigarette companies are both ignoring current laws and misinforming their consumers.”
There is no doubt nicotine is addictive and harmful to developing brains. However, marijuana and THC must also be part of the conversation. Although THC is a federally illegal substance, the FDA has the power to regulate it and remove it from the market completely. Contrary to many claims, the THC problem is not only a black market issue, but rather the result of allowing marijuana corporate giants to mass produce oils and vapes with no regard to the science that says high-potency products are dangerous especially for youth. Tobacco companies, e-cigarette companies, and the marijuana industry share many of the same investors. Every tobacco company whose executives testified before Congress in the 90s claiming nicotine is not addictive (when in fact they knew the opposite) are now investing in vaping and or marijuana.
Addiction-for-profit industries do not deserve protection; they require accountability. We are working to ensure Congress does not turn a blind eye to the real motivation of Big Marijuana. The current vaping crisis unmasks the imminent danger of unleashing an industry that exploits its consumers with no regard for the consequences. We’ve seen it with big tobacco and with big pharma’s opioid push. Nancy Reagan’s words still need heeding: “Just Say NO.”
CEO and President Penny Nance spoke with CNS News about Tuesday’s proceedings inside the Supreme Court during a rally on the front steps.
“While the Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday about whether sex discrimination, as codified in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, also applies to sexually fluid people – intersex, transgender — activists protested outside the court proclaiming that sex is not based on biology.
LGBT activists yelled, “trans women are women” and had several speakers lecture on gender diversity. On the other side, the conservative group Concerned Women of America pressed that changing the meaning of “sex” in the Civil Rights Act “would greatly undermine the women’s movement.” They held signs that read, “Sex is not Gender.””
Oral Arguments in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC
“Aimee Stephens is a transgender woman,” started the argument at the United States Supreme Court in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, where Stephens is asking the Court to include “gender identity” within the definition of “sex” discrimination in federal civil rights law (specifically Title VII, the employment context in this case) . With that simple statement David Cole of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who represented Stephens, glossed over the most important fact to remember in this debate. Aimee Stephens is biologically a man. Aimee undoubtedly feels like a woman and has decided to live as a transgender woman. But the biological fact (reality) remains.
This is why, it is no violation of civil rights, to ask Aimee to use the men’s bathroom or at least to refrain from using the women’s bathroom (in many cases a single stall, private bathroom is available). Aimee is scientifically a man. If someone like Aimee wishes to enter athletic competitions, there is a place for males to compete against other male athletes. For someone like Aimee to demand to compete among female athletes is a great injustice to those who in fact are female.
This is plain for all to see. It is not bigotry.
The reality is most people empathize and even identify with the conflict between Aimee’s biology and psyche at some level. Most people in the U.S. would stand against harassment or beratement directed at Aimee. The great majority would fight against those wishing Aimee harm.
But the reality, once again, is that that is not enough for Aimee and most vocal transgender individuals. In their mind, to say they are not the sex they identify with is to discriminate against them. This is why we are seeing a push for laws that demand we refer to them as the pronoun of their choice.
Mr. Cole at oral arguments tried as hard as he could to say that that was not the issue in the case. He danced around multiple questions from Chief Justice Roberts on the issue of bathrooms, ultimately admitting to Justice Neil Gorsuch that it would be harmful to ask transgenders to follow sex-specific bathroom rules.
JUSTICE GORSUCH: “… but ultimately came to, I believe, a submission that a reasonable person in the transgender plaintiff’s position would be harmed if he or she were fired for failing to follow the bathroom rules or some sort of dress code that’s not otherwise objectionable …”
COLE: “Yeah.”
Mr. Cole’s effort to avoid the issue was so blatant, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the most liberal voice on the Court, called him out on it.
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: “Mr. Cole, let’s not avoid the difficult issue, okay? You have a transgender person who rightly is identifying as a woman and wants to use the women’s bedroom, rightly, wrongly, not a moral choice, but this is what they identify with. Their need is genuine. I’m accepting all of that –
COLE: Yeah.
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: –and they want to use the women’s bathroom. But there are other women who are made uncomfortable, and not merely uncomfortable, but who would feel intruded upon if someone who still had male characteristics walked into their bathroom. That’s why we have different bathrooms.
So, the hard question is how do we deal with that? And what in the law will guide judges in balancing those things? That’s really what I think the question is about.
Still, the ACLU attorney refused to acknowledge reality. “Well, that is –that is -that is a question, Justice Sotomayor. It is not the question in this case.”
That is the sort of unreasonable halt to logic the Court would need to do to go along with the LGBTQ-affirming demands in this case.
Both Justice Samuel Alito and Ruth Bader Ginsburg tried to engage Mr. Cole in the discussion of women’s athletics (under Title IX). Round and round Mr. Cole went to avoid the issue, knowing, as we all do, the disastrous consequences for women if he were to win in this case. There are no consequences according to the way he argued the case. The hundreds of thousands of people expressing concerns, including Judge Gerard Lynch of the Second Circuit are just hysterically overreacting.
Judge Lynch supports LGBTQ protections but acknowledged the text of Title VII does not include sexual orientation and gender identity under the word “sex.” “Congress did no such thing,” he acknowledged painfully in his dissenting opinion on the case.
There was no such consideration on behalf of the arguing attorney, and in fact, there was no such introspection on behalf of the liberal side of the Court. Justice Sotomayor tried to hold it in for most of the argument but finally, let it out at the conclusion of arguments.
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR: “May I just ask, at what point does a court continue to permit invidious discrimination against groups that, where we have a difference of opinion, we believe the language of the statute is clear. I think Justice Breyer was right that Title VII, the Civil Rights Act, all of our acts were born from the desire to ensure that we treated people equally and not on the basis of invidious reasons.”
Did you notice the shift? The text of the statute means nothing really. Passion rules. It appears Judge Sotomayor is ready to make “sex” mean whatever they feel like, as long as she perceives “invidious reasons.”
Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan all seemed open to the idea of manipulating the text as needed. We can only hope they realize the consequences beyond personal passion.
Though there are forceful emotions involved in this case, and even difficult cases left unaddressed where legislation is needed, the judicial action demanded is deference to the legislative branch who has not included sexual orientation and gender identity under Title VII. And, were they to do so, would have to inevitably consider the many examples of significant harm to women’s rights that the LGBTQ-affirming side refuses to acknowledge.
John Bursch, of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who argued on behalf of Harris Funeral Homes, said it plainly, “Treating women and men equally does not mean employers have to treat men as women. That is because sex and transgender status are independent concepts.”
Noel Francisco, arguing as Solicitor General, agreed, “There’s a reason why when Congress wants to prohibit discrimination based on the traits of sexual orientation and gender identity, it lists them separately. It doesn’t define sex as including these traits.”
That should be the end of the inquiry here. This is a legislative matter, not a judicial one, and the Court should resist the temptation to engage in judicial activism, as it has done in the past with disastrous consequences.
—
Mario Diaz, Esq. is CWA’s general counsel. Follow him on Twitter @mariodiazesq.
Our CEO and President Penny Nance appeared on Fox [email protected] with Shannon Bream discussing an argument to be heard before the Supreme Court on LGBTQ employment rights.
Our CEO and President Penny Nance spoke with CBN’s Paul Strand about the Harris case currently before the Supreme Court about the ramifications for women if the definition of “sex” were to change to include gender identity.
“On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court heard three major cases that could affect a wide swath of the American population.
At the core of these cases is what does the word “sex” means when it comes to law. In 1964, when it first became illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex, it meant “male” and “female.” Now, at least one side in these cases is arguing it should be a bit more complicated: gender identity and sexual orientation should be included.
The cases involve two homosexuals and one transgender fired from their jobs. Gerald Bostock is one of the gay men.
He said outside the court after his case was heard, “Millions and millions of people go to work every day fearful for being fired for who they are, how they identify and who they love. And that’s wrong.””
During the rally on the steps of the Supreme Court for the R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case, our CEO and President, Penny Nance, explained exactly why Concerned Women for America was standing up and speaking out for women in an interview with The Daily Caller.
Washington, D.C. – The conservative public policy women’s organization, Concerned Women for America (CWA) is partnering with the self-proclaimed radical feminists’ organization, Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) to Stand Up and Speak Out against injustice for women and girls. These two groups represent hundreds of thousands of women across the country who will be victimized if the Supreme Court redefines the word “sex” to include “gender identity” in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“To arbitrarily change the word ‘sex’ to include gender identity is regressive, not progressive,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWA. “It would greatly undermine the women’s movement and the women who dedicated their lives to see the advancements we enjoy today,” she continued. “It’ll be a rough day for freedom of speech and conscience if the Supreme Court rules that we can all be compelled to lie about sex,” added Natasha Chart, Board Chair of the Women’s Liberation Front.
Together, CWA and WoLF are hosting a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court to highlight speakers who will share story after story of how they are the true victims of the determined political activism over “gender identity.” Examples include women athletes who can no longer compete in their sports, women who have been assaulted in formerly safe places that excluded males, scientists who have been fired for presenting factual science publicly, and former transgender individuals who have now detransitioned. The rally will be held, Tuesday, October 8, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET at the Supreme Court of the United States located at 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20543.
Statement of Penny Nance Final
Statement of Natasha Chart Final
Our CEO and President, Penny Nance and Cathy Ruse, JD, Senior Legal Fellow for the Family Research Council partnered together to write an opinion article for The Christian Post about the impacts of liberal indoctrination and ‘gender fluidity’ on college campuses.
“We are Christian women, mothers of college students and college-bound children, who have serious concerns about how the “gender fluidity” movement has taken root at public schools and universities.
The idea that gender is fluid and self-determined, as opposed to biologically determined, has been germinating for decades. But today it has grown into a multi-million dollar political cause that threatens the privacy, safety, and religious freedom of all students, and especially women.
One of us, Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America (CWA), in a recent op-ed, gave a first hand account of how students, beginning at orientation, are being indoctrinated into this anti-Christian ideology at Virginia Tech (VT), the hard science school of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The response was overwhelming. CWA received emails from many VT students, parents, employees, professors, alumni, and state elected officials upset about the indoctrination. Many complained of coercive “diversity training” and policies. Some students reported fear of reprisal, and some school employees fear job loss. Many feel bullied into silence and believe their First Amendment rights are being infringed. The school is opening itself up to a variety of lawsuits.
VT’s response has been to post their mantra regarding civility, saying students were not forced to share their pronouns. But coercion comes in many forms, and the pressure is palpable. It is sad to say, but if you express traditional Christian beliefs at VT, you will be left outside of the community. Of course, VT is far from alone in this new woke trajectory.”
Precious Lord and Ruler Omnipotent,
You build up and You tear down,
The king’s heart is in Your hand;
It is why through You alone, we seek deliverance.
Your deeds are awesome;
Your works beyond compare.
The glorious splendor of Your majesty
Is seen throughout history in all that is made.
For all Your works we give you thanks!
We will tell the wonders of Your name
From generation to generation
Until the day of Your return.
Now, Heavenly Father,
We ask You to be at the US Supreme Court
Let Your word and Your presence
Be not far from the justices.
As they consider the pressing legal matters of our republic,
May truth and justice remain at the center of their thoughts.
Guard them against the enemy’s schemes,
And help us to continue to remember them in prayer.
Give them eyes to see and ears to hear.
Insulate them from political manipulations.
Give them clarity of mind and help them
Consider the implications of every word they write.
Help us, as salt and light, to serve them well,
As guideposts to righteousness.
Let humility and love for our neighbor
Permeate everything we do and say.
For our hope is secure. Joy is ours!
We trust not in power or might,
Political influence, or legal authority.
We trust in You, the Lord, our God.
In whose holy name we pray,
Amen.
—
Click here for more prayers from our For America Prayer Journal.
Great news for First Amendment rights at public universities! InterVarsity at the University of Iowa won big at a federal district court, the same that heard the Business Leaders in Christ case. This decision reaffirms the need for Congress to enact the Equal Campus Access Act.
Congress should see this decision on its merits and pass the Equal Campus Access Act to bring the clarity and force of law to this issue. The Equal Campus Access Act is a bill that adds one sentence of language to law, ensuring students don’t lose their first amendment rights on public college campuses—specifically pertaining to faith-based clubs.
The decision by the court not only upholds InterVarsity’s ability to require leaders to adhere to its core Christian mission, but also goes a step further to find, for the first time, that university officials can be held personally liable. This is a change from the norm of the university paying damages if university officials are found to have knowingly acted unconstitutionally or unlawfully.
In this instance, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa found that specific officials at the University of Iowa should have known they were acting unlawfully in no longer recognizing InterVarsity as an official club on campus due to its leadership requirements.
Enacting the Equal Campus Access Act into law will alleviate any confusion public universities may have regarding the rights of religious clubs and faith-based organizations on campus. It would make clear that faith-based clubs cannot be discriminated against for following their sincerely held beliefs.
Congress must act. No longer should this be an issue left for the courts to untangle. As this decision demonstrates, it should already be clear in the light of the Constitution.
In the Senate, the Equal Campus Access Act is S. 1168 and has 27 cosponsors. The identical bill is in the U.S. House as bill H.R 3243 and has four cosponsors.
CWALAC and our field leaders recently lobbied on this bill on our lobby day resulting in an additional four cosponsors on the Senate bill. Your voice makes the difference. Please make your views on this bill heard by using our action center to ask your senators and representative to cosponsor this bill, if they have not already done so.
United Nations headquarters in New York City, USA
CWA’s Dr. Shea Garrison, the organization’s Vice President of International Affairs, writes a new opinion piece featured this week in The Washington Times.
“The Trump administration led the fight for human rights at the U.N. General Assembly last week, calling out China for forced internment of more than 1 million Uighurs in “training camps” to be “re-educated” and “saved” from their culture, language and faith.
According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, China is the perpetrator of “the worst human rights crises of our time.” China denies this, touting itself a defender of human rights by providing “development, health, nutrition, and housing” — its own “approach” to human rights that has nothing to do with individual freedoms.
China’s approach is not surprising given that international human rights advocacy is so “watered down” by political agenda that it’s hard to tell the difference between protecting God-given natural rights and government entitlements.
To help rectify this, Mr. Pompeo recently announced the U.S. Commission on Unalienable Rights to ground U.S. foreign policy on human rights in America’s founding principles of individual dignity and freedom. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, as well as the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), are guides for the commission.”
Click to read the entire article here:
Click here for additional articles from Shea Garrison:
Last week the 74th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) met in New York City. President Trump, Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Pompeo and HHS Secretary Azar gave magnificent speeches, including on the issues of religious freedom, the value of family and life, the importance of nationalism, and economic empowerment.
CWA was at UNGA representing your voice through the media, at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and with foreign delegations. Our CEO and President Penny Nance was honored to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as part of a small group of evangelical leaders, to discuss religious freedom in Egypt as well as the important issue of women’s rights and wellbeing.
The group thanked President el-Sisi for his work in Egypt to improve religious tolerance and equality for Christians, such as building Nativity of the Christ Cathedral (the largest cathedral in the region, and it is next to a mosque of equal size to symbolize tolerance and equality), rebuilding Christian churches demolished by the Muslim Brotherhood, and reforming religion textbooks for schools to increase tolerance and understanding between Muslims and Christians, as well as remove any extremist sections.
In addition, Penny thanked him for highlighting the necessity of education and training for women and girls in Egypt, as well as reducing barriers to their wellbeing such as domestic violence and harmful cultural practices.
President el-Sisi’s speech in March for this year’s Egyptian Women’s Day outlined seven points of engagement his administration plans to take on behalf of women. He has committed to address issues including women’s access to the marketplace, education, the problem of illegal underage marriage, gender-based violence and harassment, and to improve divorce laws so they do not put women and children in an “inadequate” situation.
CWA is grateful for increased leadership roles in Egypt for women; however, as women struggle for equal justice and opportunities in Egypt, there is still more work to be done. President el-Sisi appointed the first two female governors ever in Egypt, the second one being a Christian. Manal Awad Mikhail is the first Christian woman in Egypt ever to be governor. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, appointed by Sisi in June 2018, has selected a historic number of eight women to his cabinet. There is also an effort to increase women’s position and rank in the judicial system with 16 female judges being promoted to higher level positions.
President el-Sisi has also strived to decrease female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C). While FGM/C has been illegal in Egypt for over 10 years, since 2008, it is still widely practiced. This is a stubborn cultural issue with over half of Egyptians, both men and women, in support of the practice. Egypt’s National Council of Women, religious leaders, Islamic scholars, and the government are working with President el-Sisi to delink FGM/C from religious practices saying it is religiously forbidden.
President el-Sisi made FGM/C a criminal act in 2016, going a step further than the 2008 law, prior to his coming to power, that made it illegal. His criminalizing FGM/C is a bold move on a sensitive issue with deep cultural roots.
The number of girls in Egypt undergoing FGM has declined some over the last 12-15 years, but the number who experience this harmful cultural practice is still shocking:
In his Egyptians Women’s Day speech, President el-Sisi acknowledged that underage marriage is an act of violence towards girls and hinders their education. The legal age of marriage in Egypt is 18; however, 22% of girls are married before 18, and 15% are married before the age of 16. Some of these are “temporary marriages” to visiting foreigners, mostly from the Gulf states. These temporary marriages are often a cover for prostitution.
CWA also thanked President el-Sisi for Egypt joining the U.S. and 19 other nations in a joint statement calling on the UN to stop using abortion-related terms in UN resolutions, negotiations, and other documents. Terms like “sexual reproductive health” (SRH) or “sexual reproductive rights” are ambiguous abortion-related terms which mask the promotion of legalized abortion. Here is an excerpt from the joint statement read by Secretary Azar:
We believe that health of women, men, children and adolescents supports and improves the overall health of our families and communities, and that the family is the foundational institution of society and thus should be supported and strengthened…
We do not support references to ambiguous terms and expressions, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights in U.N. documents, because they can undermine the critical role of the family and promote practices, like abortion, in circumstances that do not enjoy international consensus and which can be misinterpreted by U.N. agencies.
Such terms do not adequately take into account the key role of the family in health and education, nor the sovereign right of nations to implement health policies according to their national context. There is no international right to an abortion and these terms should not be used to promote pro-abortion policies and measures.
CWA was glad to be your voice as Penny met with President el-Sisi of Egypt. She thanked him for his steps to increase opportunities and rights for women and girls, as well as religious freedom for Christians. We encouraged him to continue his progress on these issues and hope to be helpful in the future.
Watch the video and read along with Penny Nance, Second Lady Karen Pence, and Vice President Mike Pence at CWA’s 40th Anniversary Gala.
Penny Young Nance, TRANSCRIPT:
“Thank you, Thank you! Thank you so much. Welcome. What an exciting night. And, it’s such an honor to be here and host you here at the beautiful Trump Hotel. Is anyone tired of winning yet? No! I’m not tired of winning.
This is such an amazing moment. President Reagan said to us, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. Or, one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.” It is that charge and that legacy that has been the cornerstone for Concerned Women for America. We are women who love God, we love our country, we love our families, and we’ve been willing – all of you have been willing to grab the torch of freedom and storm the darkness with truth and light. And, we’ve been doing it for 40 years. (Applause)
Tonight, is a celebration of our organization and all of our volunteers’ activists and members around the country. But, first and foremost it is a celebration and a recognition of the faithfulness of God for 40 years for 40 years. I’m reminded Lamentations 3 tells us “The faithful love of the Lord never ends. Great is his faithfulness, his mercies are new every morning.” And, that is my story – one of ongoing need a mercy and continuing redemption; but, it’s also the story of all of you of our members and our leaders and our staff. So first and foremost tonight – we wanted to take a moment and thank God and show gratitude for His faithfulness all of these many years.
Secondly, we want to thank all of our friends and families who are here. All of you who have come along beside us these many years in those moments when our arms got tired of holding that torch and our knees got week and our arms started to shake. You have been the one’s who have come a long beside us held up our arms. Our husbands, our friends, our supporters – thank you!
And, finally – to all of our field ladies here. All of you – you are what makes us special. You are what makes Concerned Women for America effective so thank you so much. I hope you enjoy tonight. This is an important moment for us and it’s so joyful. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Ok! So, with no further ado, we are going to stand and do the Pledge of Allegiance. We are going to be lead by Chaplain Reverend Young who is also my father a pastor for 51 years and 30 years as a volunteer Chaplain.”
Chaplain Reverend Young: “Would you join me in the pledge.”
Audience recites Pledge. (Applause)
Penny Young Nance: “Please be seated. We have an amazing event tonight and we’re starting off really strong. It is my great honor to introduce to you the Second Lady of the United States. Karen Pence is the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, a mother, an educator and an award-winning watercolor artist. Mrs. Pence works to bring attention to art therapy and to the sacrifices made to our military service-members and their families. Mrs. Pence dedicated 25 years in the classroom as an elementary school teacher before becoming the First Lady of Indiana and by the way, I’ve met many of her former students and she was and is a great teacher. They loved her so much. As Second Lady of the United States, Mrs. Pence committed to raising awareness, and educating the public about the mental health profession of art therapy. She serves as an encourager to military family members all over this nation. And, I would like you to join me in welcoming tonight – the Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence. (Applause).
Second Lady Karen Pence, TRANSCRIPT: Thank you! Thanks so much. As you can see, I got the memo on the dress! So I’m excited I’m here in full solidarity with Concerned Women for America. Thank you Penny for that kind introduction and thank you to Penny Nance for everything she does. Can we just thank her again? (Applause).
It is such a pleasure to be here tonight for such a special occasion. On behalf of a grateful nation, let me personally offer our congratulations to Concerned Women for America for 40 years. 40 years of being the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization. This organization has a rich history of being important and necessary as a voice in our nation by promoting Biblical values and Constitutional Principles. And aren’t those the two things that we’re all about? (Applause)
That’s really what it’s all about. So we commend CWA on all of your work on issues such as protecting the sanctity of life, defense of family and education. Tonight it is my pleasure to introduce you to someone who knows what it means to fight the good fight. My husband, Mike Pence has been a champion of the people ever since I’ve known him. I’ll tell you a little secret. On our first date, he actually told me that he wanted to serve his country. He told me on about our third date that he wanted to serve as a member of Congress later on in life. So, I didn’t think that would mean he’d run at 29 the first time. But, he went on and he did serve in the United States Congress for 12 years and then he went on and served as Governor of Indiana for 4 years and now, he is the Vice President of the United States – Mike Pence. (Applause)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, hello CWA! (Applause.) What a great night. It really is great to be here with all of you for the Concerned Women for America 40th Anniversary Gala. Getting started on the next 40 years of great conservative women leaders in America. (Applause.)
And speaking of — speaking of women leaders, I’ve got to tell you, that’s a — she’s a hard act to follow. (Laughter.) But I’m used to it. And I appreciate you all — appreciate you all know the risk I took telling her I wanted to run for public office on our first date. (Laughter.) The fact that she went out with me again is evidence of God’s grace — (laughter) — and her patience.
But I’ve got to tell you: She’s an incredible person, a life-long educator, a Marine Corps mom, a champion of military families, even an art teacher at a Christian school. Would you join me in showing your appreciation one more time — (applause) — for my amazing wife, the Second Lady of the United States of America, Karen Pence? (Applause.) Thank you.
And we are really delighted to be here — really delighted to be with all of you on such a momentous occasion. And let me also bring greetings from a friend of mine, who I know wishes he could be here as well. He’s someone who, each and every one of you know, gets up every day, and has been fighting for the values that have been synonymous with CWA throughout its four decades. I bring greetings and congratulations from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.)
I’ve just literally left him in the Oval Office and told him I was headed your way. And I think he — I think he sounded just a little bit jealous. (Laughter.) But he wanted me to extend greetings to each and every one of you.
And also let me congratulate a couple of other people, and say you’ve got an incredible program tonight. And the honoree this evening is a friend of mine. I have to tell you: She is a champion for working families in the state of Iowa, a former lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She has emerged as one of the most important conservative voices in the United States of America. Would you join me in congratulating CWA’s 2019 Statesman of the Year, Senator Joni Ernst. Congratulations, Joni. (Applause.) Great job.
And also, I have to tell you, you couldn’t have asked for a better keynote speaker. He’s someone that I have admired greatly for many years. And I remember, years ago, when he coined that phrase that he was conservative but he wasn’t mad about it. (Laughter.) And he emerged on the national stage after an incredible career as governor of the state of Arkansas, a two-time national candidate. And he’s someone who has been a champion for the values that everyone in this room has stood for throughout the 40 years of this great organization. And, by the way, he is a terrific dad, if you didn’t notice that, too. Would you join me in thanking (inaudible) Governor Mike Huckabee. (Applause.) Governor, thank you so much for who you are and the leadership that you have provided. (Applause.)
I’m just glad I get to speak before dinner and leave, because he’s a hard man to precede. (Laughter.) But, Governor, it’s great to see you and great to share the podium with you today.
And I’m here tonight, really, just to say thank you. Thank you to all of you who have been leading this conservative movement now for more than four decades. It’s remarkable to think about what this organization and this movement have accomplished over the 41 years.
Forty-one years ago, the conservative movement, in so many ways, was a voice in the wilderness. But it was back then that an author — a woman in pastoral ministry and a mother of four — was watching television at home one night when she saw an interview with some abortion activists who claimed to speak on behalf of all American women.
And the history of this great organization and movement records that when she heard that, she stood right up there in her living room and said, “She doesn’t speak for me.” (Applause.) And that night she laid the foundation for the CWA over the next 40 — four decades. She continued to build it into the largest women’s public policy organization dedicated to biblical principles in America. Would you all mind getting on your feet and showing your appreciation for an extraordinary American leader, Beverly LaHaye? (Applause.) What an incredible person.
And I know this is Bev’s last gala leading the CWA, but I know she is as confident as each and every one are as well that we’re going to continue see this great organization grow, the momentum of our movement grow. Under the leadership of your President and CEO of the last nine years, let’s hear it for one of America’s most articulate defenders of conservative values, Penny Nance. We appreciate your leadership. (Applause.)
It really is exciting to be with you today. I just have a few minutes to reflect on the progress that we’ve made, but I do want to say, it’s also — as I mention all of these great women leaders in the country, it’s really great to have 40 Young Women for America chapter presidents with us tonight. Why don’t you all take a bow? (Applause.) Great job. There they are. Great. Proud of you all. Way to step forward. Future leaders.
You know, the contributions made by CWA to the conservative movement over the last 40 years are really hard to quantify. But the truth of the matter is that I hope you can see that, now more than ever, Beverly, the seven values that CWA was founded on have a champion in the White House, in President Donald Trump. (Applause.)
Think about it. I mean, when it comes to all of the values you founded this organization on — life and faith and family and liberty and sovereignty — the CWA, I would argue, has never had a greater champion, a greater fighter for our values in the Oval Office. And you see it in the results.
I mean, when look at the last two and a half years, I think there’s only one way you can describe it. It’s been two and half years of action. (Applause.) It’s been two and a half years of results. It’s been two and a half years of promises made and promises kept. But we’re just getting started, CWA. (Applause.)
I mean, think about it. Think about it. We’ve rebuilt our military; restored the arsenal of democracy; and with the strong conservative men and women that you’ve helped elect on Capitol Hill, we’ve renewed American strength. And we’re finally giving our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard the resources, equipment, and support they need to accomplish their mission and keep our nation safe. (Applause.)
And with that renewed American strength, we’ve been standing up to our enemies and standing with our allies. I mean, this President and our troops in the field have taken the fight to our enemies on our terms, on their soil.
You know, yesterday I was Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 met its fate. The President was at the Pentagon. We all thought very carefully about the progress we’ve made. And it’s amazing to think what our armed forces have accomplished over the last 18 years. They took the fight to our enemies in the mountains of Afghanistan. Their chief architect met his fate in Abbottabad. And this year, every last inch of territory controlled by the radical Islamic ISIS was captured in Syria. (Applause.)
Our allies are also contributing more to our common defense than ever before. And last year, another principle — another one of those seven values at the foundation of CWA — was proven out in this administration when President Trump did what no American President before him had the courage to do when he moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel. (Applause.)
Under President Donald Trump, if the world knows nothing else, the world knows this: America stands with Israel. (Applause.)
But beyond our national defense, I’m proud to report we’ve also made historic investments in border security, dealing with the crisis on our southern border and confronting illegal immigration impacting our communities. (Applause.)
I met just this week with the Foreign Minister of Mexico. I’m proud to report that Mexico is doing more now than ever before to end the crisis at our southern border. And in just a short three months, apprehensions at our southern border are already down by more than 60 percent. (Applause.) And we’ve already started to build that wall on the southern border of the United States. (Applause.)
And, of course, under President Trump’s leadership and the support of the conservatives you’ve supported in the Congress, this economy is booming. Right from the outset of this administration, President Trump kept his promise. We cut taxes for working families and businesses large and small. We rolled back red tape at historic levels. We unleashed American energy and the results have been amazing: 6.3 million new jobs created, the unemployment rate has hit a 50-year low, and it’s the lowest unemployment rate in 65 years for American women. (Applause.)
I mean, the truth of the matter is, this economy — this economy is booming for everybody, and it’s working and creating jobs that women are filling at every level all across this nation.
In fact, it’s not only a 65-year low for women, but also it is the lowest unemployment ever recorded for African Americans and Hispanic Americans. (Applause.) The American Dream is working again, for every American. (Applause.)
But as CWA has known since its founding, and all of you patrons here know, the source of our prosperity is that foundation of the faith and the ideals of the American people — the things CWA has been all about from the beginning. And President Trump has been busy strengthening the constitutional foundation and the commitment to those ideals of the American founding from day one.
This President promised to fight judicial activism and appoint conservative judges to our courts at every level. And with last night’s confirmation of Steven Seeger, President Trump has already seen 150 federal judges confirmed to our courts. (Applause.)
And I promise you — I promise you, they’re all men and women of integrity who will uphold all of the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, like the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. (Applause.)
And moving these judges through, we’ve had the strong support of CWA. And let me just take this moment, on behalf of the President and myself and our entire administration, to say how profoundly grateful we are to Concerned Women for America that, just last fall, including many of you here tonight, took to Capitol Hill, took the phone lines, and took to the airwaves, and we confirmed Kavanaugh. (Applause.) Justice Brett Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court of the United States. (Applause.) Great job.
I’m also proud to serve an administration that has stood so strongly for our first freedom — the freedom of religion. And I promise you, this is an administration that will always defend the freedom of religion of every American of every faith. You know, back in 2016, the President promised, as he said, to, quote, “defend your…right to fully and freely practice your religion, as individuals, [as] business owners and [as] academic institutions.” And that’s exactly what we’ve done.
We’ve taken action to protect the conscience rights of doctors and nurses. (Applause.) And after years of neglect, we’ve restored federal enforcement of our nation’s conscience laws. And we ended the last administration’s assault on the Little Sisters of the Poor. (Applause.)
And in this White House, we believe the freedom of speech should not end at the front door of our places of worship. And that’s why this President took action to end enforcement of the Johnson Amendment and free up the pulpits of America. (Applause.)
And as we’ve stood for liberty and the liberties of every American at a time when leading Democrats advocate late-term abortion and infanticide, I couldn’t be more proud to serve as Vice President to a — for a President who stands without apology for the sanctity of human life. (Applause.)
You know, Karen and I have long believed that a society can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerable: the aged, the infirmed, the disabled, and the unborn.
In one of the President’s very first acts in office — one of his very first acts — he reinstituted the Mexico City Policy to make sure that taxpayer dollars wouldn’t be used to promote or provide abortion around the world. (Applause.) And we’ve expanded it since we started.
And I’ll never forget the day — this is true. Governor, you’ll like this story. It was our very first maybe month in office and the March for Life was in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain was visiting that day.
And we were talking the day before, and the President was sitting behind the Resolute Desk. And he said — and they said, “Well, you’ve been invited to address the March for Life, Mr. President, but we have a state visit by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.” And he said, “Oh, well, you know, I won’t be able to be there. I won’t be able to do that.” And then, standing there, I looked at him, and I said, “Well, you know, they invited me, too.” (Laughter.)
And the President looked up at me and he said, “They invited you to the March?” And I said, “Well, yeah. I — you know, I’ve gone like a lot…” — (laughter) — “…over the years.” And he said, “Well, you should definitely go.” (Laughter.)
So I became the first Vice President in history to have the privilege to address the March for Life, and Karen and I have done it twice. (Applause.) Isn’t that great? True story. Thank you. What a privilege. What a privilege it was for us to stand with all of those wonderful young people on that cold day.
You know, and this administration didn’t just stop at those actions and those words. You know, as Vice President, I get to cast tiebreaking votes in the United States Senate. And I don’t know if I’ve had a higher honor than the day I cast the tiebreaking vote to allow states in America to defund Planned Parenthood. (Applause.) And President Trump signed the bill. (Applause.)
And if you hadn’t heard about it, just last month, thanks to the President’s leadership, it was announced that tens of millions of dollars of federal family planning funding are no longer going to flow to the largest abortion provider in America. (Applause.)
And let me say, with so many in Washington standing for late-term abortion and even defending infanticide, I’ll make you a promise. I see it in his eyes every time the topic comes up. This President, just like this movement, will always stand for the unalienable right to life. (Applause.)
And thanks to your support and the leadership of this President and all of our allies in the Congress, life and liberty are winning in America again. But make no mistake about it — and that’s what tonight ought to be about, and I expect the Governor is going to speak about it as well — we’ve got to be ready in the next year and a half. It’ll all be evident on the television screens tonight from Houston.
You know, I — (laughter) — it’s eminently miss-able but — (laughter) — you can catch it on replay.
And the truth is, the other side — the other side is motivated. They’re motivated because of the progress that we’ve made in advancing sound conservative principles, putting them into practice, and seeing the real results for the American people. They want to undo all of the progress that we’ve made.
Just look at their agenda. Where we cut taxes, they want to raise them. Where we rolled back regulation, they want to increase it. Where we’ve advanced the cause of life and liberty for every American, they want to take America back in the opposite direction.
As we’ll see on the debate stage tonight, the Democratic Party has gone so far to the left, I think that stage is probably going to about turn over. (Laughter.) Anybody else feel that way? I think it’s going to flip. (Applause.)
But the truth is, all kidding aside, the Democratic Party today has embraced a radical liberal agenda on social issues. And most remarkably, leading Democrat candidates for national office and in the Congress openly advocate an economic system that has impoverished millions and robbed the liberties of generations.
It’s amazing. I mean, Democrats today — leading voices in the Democratic Party — openly advocate socialism. But the members of CWA know it was freedom, not socialism, that gave us the freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world. (Applause.) It was freedom.
It was freedom, not socialism, that ended slavery, won two world wars, and stands today as a beacon of hope for all the world. (Applause.) I say to you, the moment America becomes a socialist country is the moment that America ceases to be America.
So, CWA, we must resolve, here and now, that in this next year and a half, we will say with one voice what the President said in his State of the Union Address: “America will never be a socialist country.” (Applause.) Never do it. We got to do it. And I know we will.
I mean, the truth is, the choice facing this country has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher. We’ve made incredible progress in the last two and half years, but now it’s time to redouble our efforts. I hope you’re here to celebrate tonight. I hope you’re here to take a moment to think about what’s been accomplished since Beverly stood up in that living room 41 years ago.
But then, like Beverly will no doubt admonish us before we leave tonight, it’s all eyes forward. The challenges lie ahead. You know, Penny said it from this podium a few minutes ago and I am often reminded of it. President Reagan used to say, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
So, men and women of CWA, it’s not going to be enough for us just to win the next election. We’ve got to win the next generation with a message of life and liberty that CWA can carry all across this country. (Applause.)
So, over the next 14 months, let’s fight for the values that have made this country great and are making America great again. (Laughter.) Let’s continue to speak out and let our voices be heard.
And finally, let’s have faith. It’s been at the foundation of what CWA has been all about from its very beginning. I’d encourage you: Just have faith in this President, whose drive and vision have been delivering on the agenda that this organization was founded to advance.
Have faith in the women of America, just as Beverly did when she said, “She doesn’t speak for me.” Have faith that if we carry our message out, that we’ll find likeminded women across this country who care about the values that have made this country great — who care about faith and family and freedom, and will stand behind men and women standing for public office who will stand without apology with them.
And finally, I just encourage you to exercise that other kind of faith — the faith that I know has carried this remarkable organization. It’s the first thing Beverly said to me when she saw me tonight, and I know it’s been the secret of this organization from its very beginning.
I think it’s a good time for us, as we look at the challenging days ahead and all the progress that we’ve made, to remember to pray for America, to pray for all those who serve in uniform, all those who serve in harm’s way, and all of us who have the privilege of participating in public life or participating in the public debate.
I really do believe that ancient promise that Americans have clung to throughout our history is just as true today as it’s ever been. That if His people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray, He’ll do like He’s always done in the long and storied history of this miracle of a democracy. He’ll hear from Heaven, and He’ll heal this land — this one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you, CWA. (Applause.) Congratulations on 40 years. (Applause.) God bless you. And God bless America. (Applause.)
END
7:25 P.M. EDT
On Tuesday, a House Oversight Committee held a subcommittee hearing on vaping, and on Wednesday a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee also held a hearing on vaping. The CDC’s Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat in the House Oversight Subcommittee hearing said, “The epidemic is moving faster than our data gathering; we really are losing people in the meantime.” Wednesday, the Florida Department of Health announced the tenth U.S. death from a vaping-related illness.
We don’t know a lot about what these vaping-related illnesses have in common, but we do know that several of these cases are THC related, including an Oregon case where the THC was purchased from a state-legal, state-regulated, state-tested dispensary. Vaping is a growing mechanism for marijuana consumption. The DEA reports that 25% of high school students who used marijuana in 2017 vaped it.
In spite of this crisis and Congress’ acknowledgement that this is an issue, Wednesday the House passed H.R. 1595, the SAFE Banking Act of 2019 (SAFE Act). The SAFE Act would legitimize the marijuana industry financially and give marijuana businesses access to the federal banking system. It would also grant investors access to this billion-dollar industry without incorporating any regulations or guidance for this growing industry. If enacted, this bill will enable a massive flow of financial investment in this illegal industry that is currently under national scrutiny with absolutely ZERO regard for public health. The FDA is working hard to find a solution to the vaping crisis; the SAFE Act would exacerbate it.
Banks are prohibited from being involved in activities involving illegally obtained funds, also known as money laundering. Because of marijuana’s federally illegal status, even if states legalize marijuana, banks are still committing a federal crime by financially entangling themselves with marijuana businesses and are still liable to federal prosecution. If the SAFE Act is enacted, marijuana will still be illegal, but banks will now have the approval of the government to participate in money laundering. This would also be the first time the United States banking industry was opened to Schedule I drug operations and would set an alarming and dangerous precedent of granting banking access to criminal activity. This bill sidesteps common sense and merely gives banks permission to engage in marijuana-related activities. Put another way, the SAFE Act gives banks the green light to facilitate federal crime.
321 Representatives voted for this. Click here to find out if your representative voted to give the marijuana industry access to the U.S. financial system. If he/she did, tell your representative you are disappointed with his/her vote.
This bill now goes to the Senate, and although we don’t anticipate this exact bill coming to the floor for a vote, we do think there will be a vote giving the marijuana industry access to the U.S. financial system at some point. Please call your Senators and tell them to oppose the SAFE Banking Act and any other measure that would give the marijuana industry access to the financial system.
The Trump Administration is exhibiting unprecedented international leadership from the United States on behalf of life at the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The U.S. delegation’s message is cohesive and consistent from President Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Azar’s statements on behalf of the U.S. Government and the joint statement by 21 nations on Universal Health Coverage.
Below are some quotes from these momentous addresses. Never before has the U.S. used its sway to promote life so strongly.
President Trump’s Address to the 74th UNGA:
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.
HHS Secretary Azar:
U.S. Government Statement at the UN High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage
Because we recognize that each nation has its own needs but shares the common goal of health, the United States deplores that some countries politicized the negotiation over this declaration by including language that has been used to promote abortion as healthcare and promote sex education that diminishes the protective role of the family in improving health.
This morning the United States was joined by 18 other nations, representing more than 1.3 billion of the world’s population, in issuing a joint statement respectfully calling on member states to join us in concentrating on topics that unite rather than divide on the critical issues surrounding access to healthcare.
We do not accept the terms “sexual and reproductive health” and “sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights” in this Declaration and note that only documents approved by the General Assembly may inform their understanding and implementation.
These terms must always include language, which some countries blocked, to remind U.N. agencies that each nation has the sovereign right to implement related programs and activities consistent with their laws and policies, and that these terms in no way imply that there is an international right to abortion.
Secretary Pompeo and Secretary Azar Joint Letter Results in 21 Countries Standing for Life:
The joint statement referenced above is the result of a joint letter by Secretary of State Pompeo and HHS Secretary Azar, the first of its kind, asking member nations to join with the United States in standing for life.
An excerpt of the July 2019 joint letter reads: The United States appreciates our longstanding partnership in many global health areas. As a key priority in global health promotion, we respectfully request that your government join the United States in ensuring that every sovereign state has the ability to determine the best way to protect the unborn and defend the family as the foundational unit of society vital to children thriving and leading healthy lives. We remain gravely concerned that aggressive efforts to reinterpret international instruments to create a new international right to abortion and to promote international policies that weaken the family have advanced through some United Nations fora…
Joint Statement on Universal Health Coverage at the UN:
Secretary Azar read the joint statement that resulted from the above letter. Thanks to the joint efforts of Secretary Pompeo and Secretary Azar, 18 nations joined the U.S. in a joint statement on Universal Health Coverage and a stance against abortion as an “international right”.
After hearing Sec. Azar, two more nations were moved to ask if they could join the joint statement, bringing the total number of countries to 21.
We are here before the opening of the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage to present a joint statement, agreed to by 19 countries representing more than 1.3 billion people…
We believe that health of women, men, children and adolescents supports and improves the overall health of our families and communities, and that the family is the foundational institution of society and thus should be supported and strengthened…
We do not support references to ambiguous terms and expressions, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights in U.N. documents, because they can undermine the critical role of the family and promote practices, like abortion, in circumstances that do not enjoy international consensus and which can be misinterpreted by U.N. agencies.
Such terms do not adequately take into account the key role of the family in health and education, nor the sovereign right of nations to implement health policies according to their national context. There is no international right to an abortion and these terms should not be used to promote pro-abortion policies and measures.
Thank you, President Trump, Secretary Azar, and Secretary Pompeo for bringing life to the forefront of the U.S. UN delegation’s mission.
CWA’s Founder and former Chairman of the Board, Mrs. Beverly LaHaye, addressed the Board, CWA staff and employees, volunteers and former staff at the organization’s 40th Anniversary Gala. She credited God with the success of CWA.
TRANSCRIPT: “A lot of credit has been given to individuals but I want you to know that it was not Beverly LaHaye. It was my Heavenly Father. I was very happy and content where I was placed as Tim LaHaye’s wife, a pastor’s wife.
But God put something on my heart. It was in January of 1979 when we signed the official documents to make Concerned Women for America legal. And that was the beginning of Conservative women of faith to have a voice that would affect the future for our families and for our nation.
You know, as you’ve already seen – prior to this – the feminists had all the attention. They had the news, they had the television, radio, in the newspapers. Everytime you opened it up, they were there speaking.
But, Praise God – today we’ve got conservative Christian women who are speaking out and taking leadership and I thank each one of you for all that you’re doing.
You know God has opened CWA step by step. If He had revealed to me, back in January of 1979 what he was going to do with Concerned Women for America, I would have probably said, “God, you got the wrong girl. I can’t do that.” But God only takes us one step at a time. And, as we are faithful and obedient to obey His leadership, then He will do great things for each one of you. But, don’t expect the big picture to start with. You’re not going to get it. He wants you to go one step at a time. And, I very humbly say that that’s what I had to do.
Let me give you some of Paul’s words in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 where he describes it so well. He stated that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers of the darkness of this age…..”
Mrs. LaHaye explained how the organization got started and what it became.
TRANSCRIPT: “We began to grow after we got started and 2 years after we were legally established we sent out a newsletter and we sent it out to 80,000 women across the nation who were eager to know what we were concerned about and what they could do about it. And, I’m thrilled that that number has grown and grown and grown. You know some have said that the growth of CWA is a miracle. So, I went to Webster’s collegiate dictionary and I wanted to see what was the definition of a miracle and here’s what it said. A miracle is a extraordinary event manifesting a supernatural work of God — and that’s CWA.
During those 40 years, I had many influential people giving me encouragement and helping me along the way. But one I will never forget and that was the late Doctor Francis Shaeffer who was a forerunner of the pro-life issues. One day I had the privilege to sit and talk with him and he said to me, “We must use our freedom to preserve our freedom while we still have our freedom or neither our children nor our grandchildren will rise up to call us blessed.”
And today I’d say Dr. Shaeffer, I’d have to add my great grandchildren, too – which I have 19 and I want them to always know that we were fighting for the freedom for their life and for their country. In fact, Dr. Shaeffer went on to say to me, “Beverly, what would you think when your grandchildren said to you, “Grandma, what were you doing when they were killing all those babies?”” I want my grandchildren to know I was doing everything I could to save the lives of babies following them….”
Mrs. LaHaye finished her remarks with a special charge to the current leaders and volunteers of CWA and YWA from Ephesians 6.
And, lastly as an ambassador for Christ and also for CWA, I say according to Paul, “Speak boldly for truth that is taught in God’s word; do not shy away from the truth and ladies and gentlemen, never, never, never compromise the truth that you boldly proclaim.
We have been fighting against aborting babies for 40 years. I want to say to you, Ladies and Gentlemen, … it’s time for us to stop that. It’s time for us to put an end to the killing of babies in America.
And while you’re still standing I just want to close by saying… I tell you I will pray for you – that you will be strong, noncompromising and speaking boldly for truth across the United States coming from areas where maybe there is no CWA chapter maybe there is no prayer chapter that you’ll go back and we will stir it up and wake up Americans and wake up women to stand strong in this evil day.
And be assured that as I leave this position, you will all be in my prayers that we will be effective. May God bless you all. You may be seated.
Natasha Chart, Board Chair of Women’s Liberation Front and Penny Nance, CEO & President of Concerned Women for America wrote an open letter to Dr. Timothy Sands, President of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University asking him to meet with them to discuss eroding women’s rights on college campuses.
President Donald J. Trump will forever be “the first President of the United States to host a meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom.”
Not only that, President Trump brought down the house with a message full of truth and hope.
“America will always be a voice for victims of religious persecution everywhere,” he said to the applause of the attendees, “No matter where you go, you have a place in the United States of America.”
The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God. This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions.
Those inalienable rights that government can’t take away because it does not grant them are the foundation of religious freedom. Those are the sort of human rights on which the United Nations (UN) is supposed to focus, but that have been so blatantly neglected. The president highlighted the problem, “Regrettably, the religious freedom enjoyed by American citizens is rare in the world. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s population live in countries where religious liberty is threatened, restricted, or even banned.”
The president expressed disbelief when he first heard the 80 percent statistic, as most people would. But it is correct. Two hundred and fifty million Christians around the world are experiencing persecution today. We’ve all witnessed a surprising rise in anti-Semitism in recent years. The president spoke of appointing “a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism.”
He expressed his commitment to protect people of all religious faiths, “These evil attacks are a wound on all humanity. We must all work together to protect communities of every faith.”
And that is the most impressive thing about the Trump presidency. More than the inspiring speech, the president has put action behind every word he’s said on this topic. He highlighted some of the things his administration has done:
In this year’s ministerial [a first-of-its-kind religious freedom meeting also created under President Trump], Secretary Pompeo announced plans to create the International Religious Freedom Alliance — an alliance of likeminded nations devoted to confronting religious persecution all around the world …
We’re also urging every nation to increase the prosecution and punishment of crimes against religious communities …
The United States is forming a coalition of U.S. businesses for the protection of religious freedom. This is the first time this has been done. This initiative will encourage the private sector to protect people of all faiths in the workplace.
This last coalition he mentions is yet another ground-breaking effort that comes at a crucial moment in our history. President Trump shows he understands what is at stake. He said, “Too often, people in positions of power preach diversity while silencing, shunning, or censoring the faithful. True tolerance means respecting the right of all people to express their deeply held religious beliefs.”
The president’s leadership on this issue at home is praiseworthy. And his call to the rest of the world was no less inspiring:
Today, with one clear voice, the United States of America calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution …
To stop the crimes against people of faith, release prisoners of conscience, repeal laws restricting freedom of religion and belief, protect the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed, America stands with believers in every country who ask only for the freedom to live according to the faith that is within their own hearts.
When the president speaks in this manner, he truly speaks for all Americans. Religious freedom has always been a unifying force in our land, and we pray that it may spread around the world.
