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News and Events

Apr 25 2018
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Big Win for the Rule of Law and Justice: Duncan Confirmed

By | LBB, News and Events | No Comments

It’s a win for you as a supporter of Concerned Women for America (CWA), too. I’ve asked you to pray and take action on the nomination of Kyle Duncan for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and you answered the call. Now, Duncan is The Honorable Judge Duncan after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 50-47 vote.

This is good news for those of us who respect the Constitution and the rule of law. Duncan is someone who is committed to the original meaning of the Constitution and is keenly aware of his limited role as a judge.  We need more like him on the bench.

Duncan’s nomination became the number one target of the left because he had boldly stood for religious liberty.  His involvement in some marriage cases, and the well-known Hobby Lobby decision, made him “persona non grata” for the left, and they spent much time, energy, and resources to stop his nomination.

But they have utterly failed. Today, we celebrate Duncan’s nomination and President Trump’s excellent record on judicial nominations. We have said it time and again, but it bears repeating, President Trump has exceeded expectations when it comes to judicial nominations.

Still, we must not let this victory distract us from the work that must still be done in the U.S. Senate. Hundreds of President Trump’s nominations continue to linger in the Senate as Democrats continue to obstruct nominees for merely partisan reasons.

As I write, the nomination of Mike Pompeo to serve as the next Secretary of State has been unnecessarily delayed at the behest of radical, leftist groups that object to a nominee with the highest qualifications possible, merely because of his faith.

Please stay engaged on your knees — and with phone calls, letters, and emails — for these nominees. Personnel is policy, as they say, and if so, we can only be encouraged for what’s to come from these great, qualified, committed candidates.

Apr 20 2018
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Stormy Daniels And Her $130,000 Donation To Planned Parenthood

By | Blog, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, Uncategorized | No Comments

Lest her calm, cool, and collected 60 Minutes interview give the wrong impression, it’s important for us to remember that Stormy Daniels is in no position to establish herself as a role model for women and young girls.

Having received some backlash for accepting what has been characterized as hush money, Daniels is now trying to emphasize her selfless and philanthropic nature by donating the cash. She could have chosen to donate to any charity — perhaps an organization that helps sex trafficking victims or victims of assault and violence. Instead, she has chosen that $130,000 will be going to the bank account of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion vendor who has been caught on tape aiding sex traffickers — and then training employees on how to not say incriminating things on camera to undercover journalists.

This reeks of another expensive public relations campaign by Planned Parenthood to get their name in the press and attach themselves to a national story that isn’t going away anytime soon.

It’s their MO. The Women’s March was shaping up to be huge in 2017, so Planned Parenthood decided to sponsor it and ultimately became a key player in the movement. The March for Lives was a huge national story dealing with gun violence; Planned Parenthood tweeted out their support (and subsequently got slammed for their hypocrisy). The immigration debate – why not? The non-profit supports illegal immigration because they sell more abortions that way.

It’s not much of a surprise that Stormy Daniels is on the Planned Parenthood train and vice versa. Daniels was a “successful” star in pornography and is continuing her run next week with a cover shot on Penthouse along with a nude photoshoot. This is the kind of modern day feminism Planned Parenthood loves, where women shed their dignity and damage their souls in exchange for money and power.

The connection between the porn industry, sex traffickers, and Planned Parenthood is well documented.  Porn is often used to groom sex trafficking victims so they can learn what they are expected to do. When sex trafficked victims become pregnant as a result of their abuse, they are often coerced into having abortions. Planned Parenthood has been caught on film helping pimps obtain abortions for their victims, including minors. The only thing done to fix the situation after it was made public was train employees not on how to identify victims of sex trafficking but rather how to avoid making incriminating statements.

In addition, promoting pornography is not a new concept for Planned Parenthood. In other undercover videos by Live Action, Planned Parenthood staff teaches teenagers how to access pornography and experiment with whips, chains, and choking, all while hiding it from their parents.

Pornography, particularly today’s ubiquitous, violent version, is anything but harmless. Studies have found it can adversely affect the brain, create problems in one’s sex life, become addictive and break apart families, negatively warp views on relationships, and is linked to prostitution and sex trafficking.

The thing is, Planned Parenthood doesn’t even need Stormy Daniels’ money. In 2016, they had excess revenue of $98.5 million. The same year, they also spent an astounding $38 million trying to elect Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. And they recently announced they plan to spend at least $20 million in this year’s midterm elections.

Stormy Daniels and Planned Parenthood have much in common, but the most insidious is the lie (straight of out the pit of Hell) to young women that a life of sexual promiscuity is glamorous and freeing.  Their glossy promotion of pornography casts women as objects devoid of worth beyond their use for the sexual pleasure of men. They divorce body and soul. And they profit from human misery.

Feminist Naomi Wolfe said, “The Victorian woman became her ovaries, as today’s woman has become her ‘beauty.’” There is nothing remotely feminist in the arrangement of sex for money.  Those who promote “sex work” as a valid career choice for women, (ahem, the Women’s March) are guilty of shameful devaluation of women.

It’s time that we were honest about the porn industry. Linda Lovelace, perhaps the most famous porn actress in history, tells the true story of abuse and manipulation at the hands of men who profited from her.  Her story is not unique. Men and women must be disabused of the idea that the smiling faces being violated on camera will walk away whole when the bright lights are off.

Stormy Daniels believes she has been wronged, and maybe that’s true.  I would simply ask her not to hurt others as she seeks whatever it is she needs to feel vindicated. Continuing to perpetuate the lie that abortion and porn are just another choice harms young women.  Money is clearly her love language. I would recommend she choose other ways to spend it.

 

Editor’s Note: A version of this article was published by Townhall.com. Click here to read it.

Apr 20 2018
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“What are we doing about Planned Parenthood now?”

By | Blog, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

One of the most common questions I get from grassroots advocates, supporters or even other D.C. folk is, “What are we doing now about Planned Parenthood?” Although we have proven we can get Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid reimbursement funding redirected to better healthcare providers through a House vote, the Senate makeup is not changing right now, so we are tackling this from a different angle.

According to their most recent annual report, in 2016 Planned Parenthood received approximately $543.7 million from the government. This is a big pot of money that is divided in a lot of ways. The main ways Planned Parenthood receives funding is through Medicaid reimbursement for services performed and through Title X (family planning) dollars and through other various government (state and federal) grants. The healthcare reconciliation bill that failed by one vote in the Senate last year tackled the largest portion: their Medicaid reimbursement, but we are not giving up because that bill failed.

The Title X Family Planning Program was authorized in 1970 and is intended to assist in “voluntary family planning projects,” offering “a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services,” and may not fund “programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” The statute gives the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the ability to determine qualifications for this money. These qualifications are mostly outdated and although the statute firmly differentiates between abortion and family planning, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, is a large recipient of these funds. Obama regulations required all grantees to refer for abortion. This obviously deters many from applying for funds who do not believe abortion is a method of family planning.

Members of the House know this issue well and are currently circulating a letter to the Secretary of HHS to update these regulations. HHS recently issued new Title X regulations lifting the abortion referral mandate, but members of Congress are now asking for these funds to be fully separated from abortion clinics. As it stands, several Title X locations are also abortion clinics, but members are calling to renew similar Reagan Administration regulations (that the Supreme Court upheld) that require Title X service sites to be physically and financially separate from abortion facilities.

This is just one of the ways you won’t hear about on the news that we are working to cut off the government funding stream to Planned Parenthood. Their free ride on the backs of taxpayers is not forgotten in D.C. and is coming to an end.

Apr 20 2018
1

The Explosive Nature of Abiding

By | Legal, News and Events | No Comments

Sometimes we misinterpret Jesus’ familiar call for us to abide in Him found in the 15th chapter of the Gospel according to John. Abiding seems like a tranquil, passive, resting sort of call. And it is, in some respects. Jesus repeatedly calls us to this rest, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We expect this rest though, in all the wrong places — at work, at home, with friends, in the world, basically. That’s where we get it plainly wrong, and it is the source of much of our frustrations.

The rest is in Christ. It is in abiding in Him.

Abiding in Him, however, will have precisely the opposite effect in the world, because the world will hate it. The world will use every means necessary to yank your branch from the vine as quickly and painfully as possible. “How dare you abide!” it says.

Part of the reason is that Jesus called Himself “the true vine” (John 15:1). If the grapevine produces grapes, what shall the “true vine” produce? Exactly. Jesus explained this to His brothers as they pressed Him to go to Judea and “show [him]self to the world” (John 7:4). Jesus replies, in part, that the world, “hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil” (John 7:7).

Truth has that type of explosive effect on the world. The darkness hates (absolutely despises) the light. This was, of course, demonstrated by Jesus’ life.  He said, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God,” (John 3:19-21).

So there is definitely a cost, in human terms, to abiding in Christ. In many parts of the world, it can cost you your freedom or your very life. But the hostility is ready to burst even here in the United States where liberal forces continue to press Christians because of their faith and belief in Scripture’s teachings.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) recently attacked Russell Vought, President Trump’s nominees to be the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, because he shared the Gospel at his Christian college, calling all Muslims to believe in Christ in order to be saved. The Gospel is Islamophobic according to Sen. Sanders. In Sen. Sanders’ judgement, Mr. Vought’s hateful beliefs (the Gospel of Jesus Christ!) disqualify him from public service.

Seventh Circuit nominee Judge Amy Barrett was also attacked by several senators, including Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-California) and former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota), among others, because of her faith. Barrett, a Catholic, believes all people (including those in the womb) are created in the image of God and deserve our love and respect. This is heresy for the radical left. You must support the killing of the unborn, or you will pay a price. The baby in the womb’s intrinsic value is a truth that the darkness will not tolerate. You should not be allowed to earn a living.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), considered by many a potential presidential candidate for the Democrat Party, most recently went after President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. He was enraged by Pompeo’s comments about marriage and sexuality. Again, if you abide in Christ and believe His words about sexual relations, you will be hated. You will be attacked. You will not be welcomed by the darkness.

We could keep going.  District court nominee Wendy Vitter also endured this discrimination because of her religious views recently. These are not isolated incidents, but a troubling pattern of discrimination that should be opposed by all.

Of course, none of this should surprise us. Jesus explained it later on in that passage in John 15, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you,” (John 15:19).

We must not be deterred. This light, this truth that is so uncomfortable to the world is the fruit of abiding.  And this is what we must do. Two glorious truths are exposed as a result of our endurance.  Jesus tells us in verse 8: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” So first, God is glorified; and second, this is how we know we are His. Nothing is more precious than those two things.

Let us be encouraged through it all, then. Let us love and endure in obedience, spreading this truth and light, bearing the fruits of love, in all humility and grace, to the glory of God, until His return. Amen.

Apr 17 2018
1

The Anti-Christian Religious Test Continues

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

You can add another chapter to the left’s escalation of anti-Christian bigotry. Right on the heels of bigoted attacks against Russell Vought and Amy Barrett, the left is once again imposing its unconstitutional religious litmus test against judicial nominee Wendy Vitter, who has been nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Vitter is General Counsel of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and, as with Barrett, the fact that she would actually believe in the Catholic Church’s teaching on abortion is unacceptable to the left.

Such a religious test is explicitly prohibited in the U.S. Constitution by Article VI, Section 3. It reads, “[N]o religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”  But this is exactly what the left is imposing on any person who dares disagree with them on the issue of abortion.

They are absolutely hysterical about a statement Vitter made that, “Planned Parenthood says they promote women’s health. It is the saddest of ironies that they kill over 150,000 females a year. The first step in promoting women’s health is to let them live.” The figure is a reasonable estimation, given the fact that Planned Parenthood’s latest report says it performed 321,384 abortions overall.

Vitter was questioned over and over about her religious beliefs, and she was clear. “I am pro-life. I will set aside my religious or my personal views. My personal views in this role, I need to make a conscious effort and will do so to set this aside,” she answered to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) as he pressed her on the issue.

But the left is ready to explode; they will never accept that. They simply cannot allow any person of faith (who actually believes the church’s teaching) to have any position in public life.

This bitter development recently prompted Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, to write a powerful Wall Street Journal op-ed titled, “Democrats Have Abandoned Catholics.” The bishop lamented the Democrats’ refusal to support Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois) because he is pro-life, among many other things.

You will hear of attacks against Vitter, because she refused to answer specific questions about cases, but this hollow argument is easily exposed as you recall that the left’s most revered judicial champion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also refused to answer specific questions in the same manner — to the praise of those on the left.

This video from when they tried the same tactic against the nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch will suffice:

 

 

Every senator from both the left and the right should stand against the left’s cry for a religious litmus test on nominations. The swift confirmation of Vitter would be a good start to making that clear.

Apr 13 2018
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True Feminism: The Third Choice

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

Reading articles or listening to debates about abortion, I’m always left wondering, “Why isn’t adoption front and center in the national conversation?” Adding adoption as The Third Choice to the stunted “two-choice solution” — abortion or “keeping my baby” — holds promise for many thousands of women and couples. Together, unexpectedly pregnant and childless women can forge a new outlook on adoption.

Can cultural prevailing winds lift up adoption, The Third Choice? In the past few decades, our culture has shifted regarding unmarried pregnant women. In my generation as a Baby Boomer in the south, young women left town under some pretense and returned some months later “having lived with an Aunt” or they “ran off and got married” at the first inkling of a pregnancy, hoping no one was counting the months. For this discussion, I simply want to address our current cultural realities and offer The Third Choice to save the lives of the pre-born baby.

The loosening of shame in our culture has created a new environment where single pregnancy is most often acceptable. What is unacceptable is overlooking and under-emphasizing the adoption option for unwanted pregnancies. It is tragic that too many birth mothers have been propagandized into thinking that the baby in their womb is not a baby but only a conglomeration of irrelevant tissue. The emergence of ultrasound science is proving that a pre-born human is indeed beginning life in the womb. While science is serving women with a needed reality check to pierce the propaganda, many women who chose abortion pre-ultrasound technology face painful regrets that haunt them for a lifetime.

The pro-abortion propaganda which has seeped into our culture has also robbed infertile couples of the joy of parenting. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 7.4 million women have difficulty getting and staying pregnant. And a 2008 American Community Survey estimated that 1.6 million children are adopted. Statistics indicate that childlessness is increasing. While abortion rates are decreasing and pro-life legislation and tax breaks are increasing, “unwanted” babies are still erased from the population rolls, leaving too many couples with empty arms and less possibilities to parent.

Here are two suggestions in simple terms. Adoption is an option that must be rehabilitated. The adoption process is impaired by a bureaucracy that is not only complicated, it is incredibly expensive. Adoption must be elevated in our culture. Part of that process includes changing the national conversation to lift up birth mothers as heroes who, instead of sacrificing the child in their womb, choose to sacrifice nine months of their lives to fill the arms of childless couples. This is the essence of TRUE FEMINISM; a birth mother making The Third Choice to fill the empty arms of an infertile woman.

I am one of the childless women blessed by two brave heroes. They are called “birth mothers.”

Editor’s Note: Today’s post was written by CWA’s friend, Arlene Bridges Samuels. 

Apr 12 2018
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Mike Pompeo Begins Confirmation Hearings for U.S. Secretary of State

By | Blog, News and Events, Press Releases | No Comments

Washington, D.C. — This morning, Mike Pompeo’s confirmation hearings begin for U.S. Secretary of State.

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, had this to say: 

“We are thrilled with President’s Trump choice of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State. As an Army veteran and President Trump’s pick for Director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo has shown collaborative but strong and capable leadership, gaining the trust of those he leads and facing threats to U.S. interests with decisive action. As a congressman from Kansas, Pompeo’s voting record shows he supports family and life, will implement Trump’s extension of the Mexico City Policy, and will support strong families.

“Most importantly, Mike Pompeo is a man who boldly embodies his Christian values and leads fearlessly.

“I have had the honor of working with Mr. Pompeo on many occasions and I am confident that his vast experience across all levels of government makes him an excellent representative of the United States.”

 

For an interview with Penny Nance contact Annabelle Rutledge at [email protected] or 916-792-3973.

Apr 11 2018
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President Trump signs anti-sex-trafficking bill

By | Blog, News and Events, Press Releases, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

Washington, D.C. — This morning, President Trump signed H.R. 1865, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), into law. 

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, had this to say: 

“The President is standing up to Silicon Valley and standing with victims of abuse. FOSTA is the biggest anti-sex trafficking bill that has been signed into law since The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003. This bill closes the loophole that allowed bad-actor websites to not only knowingly facilitate prostitution and sex trafficking, but also to profit from the ads selling women and children against their will.

“Evangelical women see this as ‘caring for the least of these.’ This is a huge victory for all the victims who have been impacted by the compliance, negligence, and intentional exploitation by websites like backpage.com that allowed them to be sold and repeatedly raped.  Concerned Women for America strongly supported this legislation to the point that we were able to thwart efforts by big-money media to sink the bill.

“President Trump signed this bill today, but the reality is that even before the bill was signed, it was driving change. Backpage.com, a classified ad listing service, was seized by the Department of Justice for ‘knowingly facilitating’ prostitution ads as well as covering up sexually trafficked children while publically pretending to do something about it. Not even a full day had passed after the Senate’s passage before the first website that advertised ‘adult escort’ services had been shut down.

“CWA is thankful to our friend, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri), for putting countless hours into writing this bill, working with other members, the Department of Justice, state and local law enforcement, and victims to improve this bill, and seeing it through to the end. Lives are being changed, because of her willingness to stand up for those who need an advocate. We are honored to have stood alongside her in this process and championed the cause.”

For an interview with Penny Nance contact Annabelle Rutledge at [email protected] or 916-792-3973.

Apr 05 2018
1

CWA Advocates for Pompeo’s Swift Confirmation

By | Blog, News and Events, Uncategorized | No Comments

Moving this week is support for President Trump’s new nominee for Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.  You will see CWA becoming more active later this month on the Hill when Pompeo appears in the Senate for his official hearings for his new position as Secretary of State.  This week we joined with other conservative organizations to lend our voice to his swift approval by signing on to a letter of support that will hit the Senate soon.

The letter stated that, “Mike Pompeo’s career also shows a regard for the sanctity of life, the solidarity of the family, and the solemnity of marriage.  These principles will be key in re-building a State Department that, under President Obama, actively pushed a radical social policy around the world.  His belief in religious freedom as a foreign policy priority is equally important in directing the State Department’s efforts to protect the freedom of all people.

“Mike Pompeo will be a positive agent for change at the State Department, and a valuable asset to President Trump in imparting his agenda at home and abroad.  We support his nomination and urge his swift confirmation.”