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News and Events

Jan 18 2022
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CWA Stands for Religious Freedom and the Christian Flag at the Supreme Court

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

Today, Concerned Women for America (CWA) was proud to stand for the Christian principles of our founding in an important First Amendment case before the United States Supreme Court. Annabelle Rutledge, National Director of CWA’s Young Women for America program, delivered an impassioned speech (below) in front of the Court as they heard oral arguments in Shurtleff v. Boston.

 

Statement by Annabelle Rutledge
National Director
Concerned Women for America’s Young Women for America
Delivered January 13, 2022, at the United States Supreme Court
Shurtleff v. Boston Oral Arguments Rally

Good morning everyone

My name is Annabelle Rutledge from Concerned Women for America, the largest public policy organization for women in the nation. I serve as the national director of CWA’s Young Women for America project, which is training the next generation of young women on the Christian and constitutional principles that are the foundation of our liberties and freedoms.

I stand here on behalf of hundreds of thousands of women who want to see an end to the pernicious hostility towards religion that has become all too common in our day and age. If we are being honest, the hostility we see in many cases is directed specifically at Christians.

Many Americans fail to realize that the very foundations of the liberties they enjoy sprout out of Biblical soil. Therefore, in attacking religion as a whole, and Christianity more specifically, they work against their own interests, against their own liberty.

This case is a prime example that sometimes the loudest voices crying for diversity and tolerance are the most intolerant of diversity when that diversity is also inclusive of people of faith with whom they disagree.

The City of Boston has a worthy goal for its flagpole policy in its city hall plaza. The city explained that it wants “to create an environment in the City where everyone feels included and is treated with respect.” Except that “everyone,” according to the City of Boston, does not include Christians—we are apparently the right kind of people to exclude.

The city’s website further explains their policy this way, “We also want to raise awareness in Greater Boston and beyond about the many countries and cultures around the world. Our goal is to foster diversity and build and strengthen connections among Boston’s many communities.”

Accordingly, LGBTQ+ communities are loudly celebrated, their flag displayed with pride, no pun intended. Likewise, flags with Muslim themes from countries other than our own are welcomed with open arms. “Yay, diversity!”

But the flag that represents the faith of the very people who founded the City of Boston (the Puritans) that flag is just not welcomed. For Boston, diversity stops at Christianity’s doorsteps.

Needless to say, this nonsensical policy stands in clear violation of the First Amendment to our Constitution, which states plainly, as applied to the states, that the city “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” In targeting religious speech and somehow saying it is unworthy of the same protections afforded other types of speech, the city violates the most basic principles of justice and fairness, not to mention the essence of our First Amendment.

As we pointed out in our brief before the Court, the city’s attempt to differentiate between religious organizations and civic organizations fails to recognize the nature of our faith. By their very nature, religious organizations are civic organizations. Our concern for the poor and needy, for the weak and oppressed, and for justice and righteousness cannot be contained to the four walls of a building. Call that building a church or call it what you want.

Our faith is a living faith. We are called to go and love our neighbors. We cannot do otherwise.

That faith gave birth to many of the freedoms we enjoy. The faith that is at the root of the City of Boston, whose very city flag contains its motto in Latin words that read, “God be with us as he was with our fathers.”

Fitting, since from the founding of our country, churches have been the most important civic institution, bringing incredible progress. It is why the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 declared that “religion, morality, and knowledge [were] necessary to good government.”

The words of John Adams also stand as a similar reminder when he said that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Religion and faith are not only compatible with our Constitution; they are indispensable to its proper understanding.

We are confident the Supreme Court understands this, and we expect a unanimous Court to send a clear message by striking down this unconstitutional policy.

Thank you.

—

Click here for a PDF version of the statement.

Jan 15 2022
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The Left’s Lie to Women: Your value is tied to your body.

By | News and Events, YWA | No Comments

By Taylor Hunt, Young Women for America Ambassador

In recent light of the Texas abortion ban, Roe v. Wade, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,[1] the climate surrounding abortion has never been more heated. Women protestors[2] on the steps of the Supreme Court swallowed abortion pills to shock and dismay those around them. Signs that read “I do not regret my abortion” or “Thou shall not steal my repro rights” and “Abortion bans are racist” flooded social media and traditional media.

While these men and women think they are standing up for women in the name of equality, they ignore the underlying message entirely. The common thread in abortion is this: women are told they need to have access to abortion to be equal with men. This sexist and misogynistic argument is antithetical to everything for which feminism originally stood.

These activists who push abortion freedom do not realize that their message tells young women that their only value is of a sexual nature, that they (women) need to have an abortion in order to have consequence-free sex like the men in their lives. Not only does this let men off the hook for the creation of children, but it also makes women feel less for not being able to have sex without the thought of getting pregnant.

But a person’s value is not based on their ability to bear or not bear children, and a woman is not any less of a person than a man because of her ability to bear children. Imagine if we celebrated those who were infertile as now “equal with men.” That would be insane; those women who receive an infertility diagnosis grieve it. It’s an awful situation to desire a child and not physically be able to conceive.

Recent science has come out and stated that it is a diagnosis with a stress level similar to cancer. “The infertile women’s global scores on the psychological questionnaire, as well as their depression and anxiety scores, were equivalent to the cancer patients’ scores[3].”

Those women do not have any more or less value in the world than the women who are able to have children. The world has become so jaded on the topic of pregnancy and abortion that the beauty of pregnancy has been washed over and boiled down to good and bad. But the beauty of pregnancy is unmatched to anything in this world.

It’s scientifically proven that in the case that the mother is hurt or injured during pregnancy, the baby can send stem cells to repair organs and tissue. “They found that fetal stem cells directly targeted the damaged cardiac cells and fully integrated themselves into the mother’s heart.”[4]

Researchers found that as early as 21 weeks, a baby responds to a mother’s touch and voice. Erin Clark, a researcher from Utah State University, states, ”Moms who already talk to or sing to their baby bumps might also want to consider rubbing their bellies to connect with the new family member while they’re waiting to meet him or her.

“Touch can be a part of that,” she says. “It’s one of those ways you can connect with your fetus as early as the 21st week.”[5]

And as Christians, we know that babies respond to the spirit of God.

“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” John 1:41 

Not only does the baby help protect the mother, but the mother also protects the baby for nine months. Through the four gestational periods, the mother’s body shifts and changes to accommodate the growing child within her body. Her body will shift, her organs will move, and her hair might thicken. Not all parts of pregnancy are wonderful, as morning sickness and gestational diabetes are awful, but it does not take away from the miracle of pregnancy.

As Christians, we need to make sure not to assign value to a woman because she is able to have children. Women throughout history have been celebrated due to their ability to conceive and bear children, and women who can’t are often shamed or stigmatized. A woman’s worth is not in her womb but in who she is as a human.

[1] Law, Hannah U. Brem |. U. Pittsburgh School Of. “Supreme Court Sets Argument Date for Mississippi Abortion Case.” JURIST – News, 21 Sept. 2021, www.jurist.org/news/2021/09/supreme-court-sets-argument-date-for-mississippi-abortion-case.

[2] Cathey, Libby, and Sarah Donaldson. “Thousands Demonstrate at Supreme Court as Justices Consider Historic Abortion Case.” ABC News, 2 Dec. 2021, abcnews.go.com/Politics/thousands-demonstrate-supreme-court-justices-historic-abortion-case/story?id=81478636.

[3] Gallagher, Paula. “An Infertility Diagnosis Can Be As Stressful As A Cancer Diagnosis.” Evie Magazine, 16 Dec. 2021, www.eviemagazine.com/post/an-infertility-diagnosis-can-be-as-stressful-as-a-cancer-diagnosis.

[4] NRL News. “Can an Unborn Baby Really Send Stem Cells to Repair Its Mother’s Organs?” NRL News Today, 12 Dec. 2016, www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/2016/12/can-an-unborn-baby-really-send-stem-cells-to-repair-its-mothers-organs.

[5] “Unborn Babies Respond to Mother’s Touch.” University of Utah Health, 10 July 2015, healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2015/07/071015_cvarticle-unborn-baby-touch.php.

 

 

Jan 14 2022
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CWALAC Holds the Line to Defend Election Integrity

By | Legislative Updates, National Sovereignty, News and Events | No Comments

In the latest attempt to institute a federal takeover of our elections, House Democrats recently hijacked an unrelated bipartisan National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) bill as a vehicle to expedite Senate consideration of so-called voting rights legislation. This was a futile “moon shot” towards Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-New York) goal of passing sweeping reforms by Martin Luther King Day. H.R. 5746, a Frankenstein creation combining elements of the hyper-partisan For the People Act (H.R./S. 1), John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4), and Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747), passed the House on January 13, 2022, in a party line vote.

All momentum was soon lost as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) reiterated their opposition to eliminating the 60-vote threshold of the filibuster—the only means for the Democrat Majority’s voting rights bill to advance without support from Republicans. Even a last-minute Capitol Hill visit from President Biden failed to generate enthusiasm. Leader Schumer soon sent members home for the weekend with the promise that H.R. 5746, renamed the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, would be their first order of business come Tuesday. The bill will not pass without a change in the Senate filibuster rules, so both are on a path to certain defeat.

H.R 5746 forces states to implement online, automatic, and same-day voter registration measures, opening the door for fraud and expands the unchecked power of the U.S. Attorney General to object to legitimate voter integrity efforts among states. The bill also opens the door to publicly funded political campaigns and candidate campaign salaries, meaning Americans’ tax-dollars are at risk of funding career politicians and candidacies with whom they disagree. The list of poisonous policies continues.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) is holding the line on election integrity. This week, we continued to underscore our strong objections to the latest version of a federal takeover of state voting laws and have declared our unequivocal opposition to abolishing the filibuster. Do not expect this futile mission to end anytime soon. CWALAC will continue to stand against the Democrat majority’s vain crusade to mandate unconstitutional changes to our election laws.

Jan 13 2022
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Nance on SCOTUS Vaccine Mandate Decisions

By | News and Events, Religious Liberty | No Comments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Supreme Court of the United States today struck down the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate for private employers with 100 or more employees.

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, gave the following statement responding to today’s mixed decision:

“The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate for businesses with over a hundred employees was an important victory for every American’s individual and religious freedom.

“It is troubling that the Court suggests that such a mandate could be enforced on healthcare workers and others. Forcing compliance on frontline healthcare workers will cause hundreds of hard-working Americans to lose their jobs; many of these healthcare workers have natural immunity from prior infections. As the case goes forward, we hope the Biden Administration finally listens to the American people and enacts reasonable, unifying policies that actually help people, instead of hurting them further.

“Concerned Women for America will continue to stand up for individual freedom for every American to make the best decision on the COVID-19 vaccination for themselves and their families.”

Jan 13 2022
0

Sensible Supreme Court Opinion Halts Vaccine Mandate

By | Briefs, Case Vault, Gorsuch, LBB, Legal, News and Events | No Comments

In a “per curiam” opinion, meaning a decision authored by the entire Court, instead of a single justice, the United States Supreme Court granted a stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine mandate for employers with 100 or more workers. The rule, therefore, will not go into effect until the case goes through the entire appellate process.

But the Court’s division can be further assessed by the fact that the three more liberal justices—Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan— dissented from the opinion, and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito joined a very strong concurring opinion by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The Court’s sensible approach to the issue simply noted that OSHA’s “emergency standard,” which it used here and which circumvents the usual public notice and comment accountability processes, should be used with precision and caution. Instead, the Court notes that the OSHA rule which applies to 84 million workers “requires workers receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and it pre-empts contrary state laws,” works as “a blunt instrument.” It found the exemptions presented (for employees who work outside 100 percent of the time or who work exclusively outdoors, for example) were “largely illusory.” The rule “draws no distinctions based on industry or risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

The Court found those objecting to the rule were “likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that [OSHA] lack[s] authority to impose the mandate.”

In doing so, the Supreme Court returns power to the states and the people, where it belongs, because the vaccine mandate goes way beyond establishing a simple workplace standard, as the agency is charged to enact, and into establishing nationwide public health policy. Remember, OSHA has never in its history done anything like this.

And here is where Justice Gorsuch’s concurrence is extremely helpful because it acknowledges what most Americans understand. This administrative mandate is trying to accomplish what President Joe Biden could not get done through the people’s representatives. He is trying to enact something Congress up until now has rejected.

If the people want a vaccine mandate, they could easily demand it from Congress. The reality is most people do not. In fact, the President’s approval numbers have been steadily declining. The latest numbers show him at an all-time low of 33 percent.  Fifty-five percent disapprove of his handling of the pandemic.

That is why President Biden had to work through OSHA to establish this national vaccine mandate. He lacks the necessary support to do it otherwise.

Justice Gorsuch wrote:

The central question we face today is: Who decides? No one doubts that the COVID–19 pandemic has posed challenges for every American. Or that our state, local, and national governments all have roles to play in combating the disease. The only question is whether an administrative agency in Washington, one charged with overseeing workplace safety, may mandate the vaccination or regular testing of 84 million people. Or whether, as 27 States before us submit, that work belongs to state and local governments across the country and the people’s elected representatives in Congress.

That power belongs to the people, said the Supreme Court today—to those most immediately accountable to them. The concurrence noticed that “a majority of the Senate even voted to disapprove OSHA’s regulation.” Therefore, it seemed reasonable to conclude “the agency pursued its regulatory initiative only as a legislative ‘work-around.’”

With this decision, the Court re-affirms what it has said in the past, that major questions of doctrine with broad effects on the public are left to the people’s elected representatives, and that they must make it very clear when they are giving such broad power to an agency. The concurrence said this rule, known as the “major questions doctrine”:

[E]nsures that the national government’s power to make the laws that govern us remains where Article I of the Constitution says it belongs—with the people’s elected representatives. If administrative agencies seek to regulate the daily lives and liberties of millions of Americans, the doctrine says, they must at least be able to trace that power to a clear grant of authority from Congress.

And even then, the concurrence suspects that such an intrusive mandate brought through the backdoor of an administrative agency might run afoul of the “nondelegation doctrine,” which “ensures democratic accountability by preventing Congress from intentionally delegating its legislative powers to unelected officials.”

Justice Gorsuch concludes:

On the one hand, OSHA claims the power to issue a nationwide mandate on a major question but cannot trace its authority to do so to any clear congressional mandate. On the other hand, if the statutory subsection the agency cites really did endow OSHA with the power it asserts, that law would likely constitute an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority.

Whatever your view of the COVID vaccine in general, it should be encouraging to all to see the Court protecting the Constitutional structures that guard our liberties in this way. As Justice Gorsuch put it, “The question before us is not how to respond to the pandemic, but who holds the power to do so.”

The rule will be halted for now, but the case will continue. As we await further proceedings let us pray for a wiser, more honest, and unifying approach to fighting the pandemic going forward.

Jan 13 2022
0

Bipartisan caucus on Abraham Accords established

By | International, News and Events, Support for Israel | No Comments

On January 10, 2022, the bipartisan Abraham Accords caucus was established in the United States Congress. Its purpose is to encourage partnerships between the U.S., Israel, Arabs states, and other relevant countries.

The Abraham Accords is an initiative that was begun with the support of both parties during the Trump Administration. It will serve as a foundation for peace in the Middle East; the purpose of these Accords is to encourage the cooperation of the Arab countries and the reestablishment of relations with Israel.

America will benefit from this cooperation as stability grows among those nations. The caucus will continue to add more nations to the Accords and will include European allies who are willing to promote the Abraham Accords.

Concerned Women for America applauds the efforts of all those senators and representatives who have been part of this effort. We look forward to working with them and supporting their efforts to advance cooperation, stability, and peace among nations.

Jan 13 2022
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Dr. Robert Califf’s record coronates him king of chemical abortion

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

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) is set to vote on President Biden’s nominee for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Robert Califf. Califf is a self-proclaimed ardent believer in data and a renowned figure in biomedical science. The average American would logically assume that such a person could be entrusted to protect the health and safety of our nation. The problem is, Califf, who previously served as FDA commissioner under President Obama from February 2016 to January 2017, has a troubling record of corrupting data to prioritize partisan interests over the health and safety of vulnerable women when it comes to abortion.

Until 2016, the REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies) for chemical abortion required the reporting of severe, life-threatening, and fatal adverse events. Under Califf’s esteemed leadership and direction, this requirement was altered so that only deaths be reported. Following this decision, 75 members of Congress sent a bipartisan letter highlighting concerns and requesting comprehensive metrics on the dangers of the abortion pill, mifepristone. Califf never responded. One could cynically assume it is because he knows the danger at hand.

It’s no secret that chemical abortions are dangerous. The Charlotte Lozier Institute found that chemical abortions, which now comprise roughly 44% of all abortions, significantly increase the risk of an emergency room visit, and over 60% of abortion-related ER visits following a chemical abortion were miscoded as a treatment for a miscarriage. The FDA’s December 16 decision to permanently allow this lethal pill to be distributed via mail is astounding given the risk of hemorrhaging, undetected ectopic pregnancies, and more.

Although the FDA’s job is to ensure the efficacy of drugs for all Americans, its safety claims lack any semblance of credibility, as the agency ignores flawed data and fails to strengthen weak reporting requirements. A report published earlier this year on the FDA’s data on deaths and injuries related to the chemical abortion pill, found incomplete data including 500 “uncodable” events. Complete gaps in critical health information are unacceptable especially for a federal entity trusted with oversight of our “health and safety.” Califf perpetuated this issue during his first stint atop the FDA, and we should not blindly grant him another term.

Many Senators seemingly turned a blind eye during his confirmation hearings last month, as Califf garnered “bipartisan” support from members of the committee. When the topic of chemical abortion was raised, Califf promised the committee that the agency’s decisions would always be grounded in the latest and greatest data.  This statement would be more comforting if the current data was not marred by Califf’s own incompetency and lack of discernment during his Obama years.

All of this does not even consider Califf’s ties to pharma. After leaving his first term as FDA Commissioner in 2017, Califf went to work as a consultant and board member for numerous health industry companies such as Cytokinetics, Bitterroot Bio, Centessa Pharmaceuticals, and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. He possesses millions of dollars’ worth of pharmaceutical company stocks. This should raise red flags everywhere. The conflict of interest alone should disqualify him for the job, and if that somehow wasn’t enough, his horrible track record of hindering data to appease the abortion industry at the expense of our health and safety should sound alarms everywhere. His claim to follow the data would be laughable if it was not a clear insult, and my organization, Concerned Women for America is urging the members of the Senate HELP committee to vote against Califf’s nomination. Robert Califf is unfit to lead the FDA. Another Term as FDA commissioner would be detrimental to all Americans, especially women and unborn children.

Dec 31 2021
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Praying for Dobbs

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

Concerned Women for America

Six Month Spiritual Engagement for Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health

 

The December 1 oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health were just the beginning of our pro-life efforts for this case. If the Court keeps to its historical track record of rendering decisions on “controversial” cases in the last weeks of its term, the Dobbs decision will likely be announced by the end of June.

Until the Supreme Court renders its decision, our posture must be on our knees before the Lord. CWA is encouraging our leaders, members, and friends across the country to set aside the fourth Monday of the next six months, beginning January 24, for focused prayer on the Dobbs case. Using the 30 Days of Prayer for Life prayer booklet and our monthly prayer points listed below, we encourage you to gather together people to pray in person, over the phone, or via Zoom.

 

Monday, January 24, 2022

Using the 30 Days of Prayer for Life booklet, read silently or aloud prayers 1, 2, 13, 14, and 15.

Strategic Prayer Points:

  • Pray that the March for Life, held on January 21 in Washington, D.C., had a great spiritual impact on the Justices and their law clerks as they continue to study and prepare their opinions for the Dobbs vs Jackson case.
  • Pray for the media, that they will see the importance of the March for Life in light of the Dobbs case and choose to report on the march and the case both fairly and accurately.
  • Pray that the decision of the Dobbs case will end the federal scourge of abortion on our nation.

 

February – June prayer points will be listed soon.

Dec 24 2021
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Merry Christmas from Concerned Women for America

By | News and Events | No Comments

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful time to reflect on the birth of our Savior and God’s goodness. Scripture tells us that, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:22-23

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

I know 2021 was a tough year for many, but we must never equate adversity with the absence of God.

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

Merry Christmas!


Penny Young Nance
CEO and President
Concerned Women for America

Dec 21 2021
0

Indefensible Roe – The Scientific Track

By | Dobbs, Legal, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, SCOTUS, Substack | No Comments

Do not believe your lying eyes.

This (pictured above) is not a baby. No sir.

If it were a person, then the Supreme Court itself admitted in Roe they would not have made the decision they made to allow her to be crushed and sucked out of her mother’s womb.

It is actually a good thing they didn’t have such confusing pictures back then. In 1973, when Roe was decided, they thought a baby at 15 weeks, as is at issue in the Mississippi law being challenged in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, looked like this:

Much easier to declare that this is some sort of tissue, part of a woman’s body, instead of a baby deserving of love and care. That is why the pro-abortion side in Dobbs wants the justices to keep women back in 1973. Nothing has changed, they argued on the day of oral arguments…

<em><a href=”https://mariodiaz.substack.com/p/indefensible-roe-the-scientific-track”>Click here</a> to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive <a href=”https://mariodiaz.substack.com/”>Substack column</a>. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!</em>

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Dec 16 2021
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Concerned Women for America urges FDA to reverse course on chemical abortion restriction removal

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

Today, the FDA announced its permanent removal of the “in-person dispensing requirement” for Mifepristone. This makes the abortion pill readily available through mail and telehealth services without the supervision of a physician. Research has shown chemical abortion has a four times higher rate of complication than surgical abortion.

Concerned Women for America CEO and President Penny Nance said:

“The FDA’s decision to permanently remove the in-person dispensing requirement for Mifepristone will senselessly jeopardize lives. Shamefully deemed a means to ‘minimize the burden on the health care delivery system,’ this change is nothing more than a political plot to satiate the profit-hungry abortion industry.

“The chemical abortion pill significantly increases the rate of hospitalization for vulnerable women who truly need conscientious care and counsel, not a reckless, mail-order fix. The FDA’s new requirement that any pharmacy dispensing be specially certified is ludicrous and a cheap concession that will do nothing to protect women’s health and safety. This dangerous pill has no place in our healthcare market. We urge the FDA to reverse course.”

Dec 16 2021
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Denny in Newsweek: The Biden Administration is Sending Title IX to the Ash Heap of History

By | News and Events, Sexual Exploitation, Women's Sports | No Comments

A biologically male athlete at the University of Pennsylvania is smashing NCAA women’s swimming records. Will Thomas from Austin, Texas, competed on the men’s team for three years and is now, as a senior, competing as Lia Thomas on the women’s team. Penn press releases are boasting of the wins and shamefully displacing the true women’s swimming program record holders in their history books. Cases like this, enabled by the NCAA’s anti-woman policies, jeopardize the hopes and dreams of female athletes nationwide.

Read the latest from Doreen Denny, Concerned Women for America‘s Senior Advisor, entitled “The Biden Administration is Sending Title IX to the Ash Heap of History” in Newsweek Opinion here.

Dec 10 2021
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Supreme Court Releases Opinions in Texas Abortion Law Cases

By | CWA of Texas, Dobbs, LBB, Legal, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, SCOTUS | No Comments

As we discussed recently, the state of Texas presented a novel problem to the United States Supreme Court by enacting a law prohibiting abortions after a heartbeat is detected, but giving the right of enforcement to private citizens and not to any state official. Today, the Court handed down its opinion dismissing most of the claims but preserving the challenge going forward. Here is a short summary.

When abortionists sought to challenge S. B. 8, the Texas Heartbeat Act, they really had no one to sue because no state official is charged with its enforcement and no private citizen had sued. Still, they tried to push the legal envelope by suing a whole host of people, including state judges or state law clerks, the attorney general, some licensing officials, and even a potential private citizen defendant in an effort to enjoin the law and prevent it from going into effect.

The United States also tried to intervene, given its radical pro-abortion stance under President Joe Biden. That was the easy part (United States v. Texas). Its claim was summarily dismissed by the Court (8-1), as expected, with only Justice Sotomayor dissenting. The United States simply has no business interfering with this state law and basically seeking an unprecedented injunction against all persons in the country. Their effort would break with the most fundamental principles of federalism in our Constitution.

The more interesting challenge (Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson) is a bit more complicated. In its opinion, the Court wanted to stress first what it was not deciding. “In this preliminary posture, the ultimate merits question, whether S. B. 8 is consistent with the Federal Constitution, is not before the Court,” said Justice Neil Gorsuch who wrote the majority opinion.

He summarized, “The Court concludes that the petitioners may pursue a pre-enforcement challenge against certain of the named defendants but not others.” So, who can be sued? Well, not court officials: “Under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, named defendants Penny Clarkston (a state-court clerk) and Austin Jackson (a state court judge) should be dismissed.” Not the attorney general: “Texas Attorney General Paxton should be dismissed.” And not a private citizen prematurely (an affidavit showed he had no intention to sue): “The sole private defendant, Mr. Dickson, should be dismissed.”

But the Court leaves open “other defendants (Stephen Carlton, Katherine Thomas, Allison Benz, and Cecile Young), each of whom is an executive licensing official who may or must take enforcement actions against the petitioners if the petitioners violate the terms of Texas’s Health and Safety Code, including S. B. 8. Eight Members of the Court hold that sovereign immunity does not bar a pre-enforcement challenge to S. B. 8 against these defendants.”

Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from this last pronouncement, saying he would have dismissed the case against “all respondents, including the four licensing officials.”

It also declared “petitioners may bring a pre-enforcement challenge in federal court as one means to test S. B. 8’s compliance with the Federal Constitution. Other pre-enforcement challenges are possible too; one such case is ongoing in state court in which the plaintiffs have raised both federal and state constitutional claims against S. B. 8. Any individual sued under S. B. 8 may raise state and federal constitutional arguments in his or her defense without limitation.”

So, the bottom line is that the challenge to this law will continue as to the allowed defendants.

It is important to note that Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor, expressed considerable frustration with the law in concurring in part and dissenting in part. He wrote, “Texas has employed an array of stratagems designed to shield its unconstitutional law from judicial review.”

It seems clear the Chief views the law as an attack on the Court itself. “The clear purpose and actual effect of S. B. 8 has been to nullify this Court’s rulings … Indeed, ‘[i]f the legislatures of the several states may, at will, annul the judgments of the courts of the United States, and destroy the rights acquired under those judgments, the constitution itself becomes a solemn mockery.’[] The nature of the federal right infringed does not matter; it is the role of the Supreme Court in our constitutional system that is at stake,” he wrote.

We will have to wait for a further challenge to see where the more conservative justices land on the issue.

As I mentioned before, this problem is of the Court’s own making, by injecting itself into the political abortion debate. Texas is simply trying to protect life, which most of its citizens demand, and trying to work within the arbitrary and dubious parameters the Supreme Court has set up. The best way for the Court to guard its legitimacy would be to reverse Roe and Casey in the Dobbs case, and then states like Texas would be free to protect life, without having to come up with innovative ideas to appease the Supreme Court’s personal preferences.

Dec 09 2021
0

Bipartisan Senate Majority Bucks Biden’s Private Sector Vaccine Mandate

By | Defense of Family, News and Events, Religious Liberty | No Comments

On December 8, 2021, a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate voted 52-48 to invalidate the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) emergency temporary standard (ETS) imposing President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on private sector employers with 100 or more employees. Democrat Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) joined all 50 Republicans in passing Sen. Mike Braun’s (R-Indiana) resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, a critical tool at Congress’s disposal to check executive overreach.

Prior to the vote, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee sent a letter to Senators condemning the OSHA ETS rule and urging members to support the resolution. “President Biden’s vaccine mandate exceeds the authority granted to OSHA by Congress and is yet another attempt to circumvent the law and implement through federal government coercion what the American people have rejected,” declared CEO and President Penny Nance. The Senate agreed.

This marks yet another key repudiation of President Biden’s tone-deaf decree, coming soon after the Fifth Circuit Court’s stay on the mandate and a series of district court injunctions nationwide. Should the U.S. House of Representatives also pass the disapproval resolution and send it on to the President’s desk, the question arises whether Biden will have the sense to admit defeat and repeal his order or choose instead to veto and overrule the will of the people, their representatives, and the courts.

To date, nearly 110,000 public comments have been submitted to the Federal Register regarding the OSHA vaccine mandate, with some noting that it is their first time taking formal action to oppose federal rulemaking. Such engagement clearly demonstrates the burdensome toll the mandate has taken on hard-working citizens.

Americans are pushing back with one unified message: We refuse to choose between our livelihoods and our civil liberties. Public health must always be balanced with individual freedom. We will continue to share the latest developments on this unconstitutional rule.

Dec 09 2021
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Nance in Townhall: The One Area Where Youngkin Should Follow Former Govs. McAuliffe and Northam’s Lead

By | Defense of Family, Education, News and Events | No Comments

Parents’ rights in education won Glenn Youngkin (Republican) the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election. Now, in order to live up to the promises of his campaign and turn the tide of Virginia’s leftward lurch in the education system, Governor-Elect Youngkin should follow the lead of his predecessors. He must appoint stalwart members to Virginias Higher-ed institutions governing boards who will stand up for the rights and interests of the people who voted for him.

Read the latest from Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, entitled “The One Area Where Youngkin Should Follow Former Govs. McAuliffe and Northam’s Lead” in Townhall Opinion here.

Dec 09 2021
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Good News!! Don’t Draft our Daughters Wins the Day

By | Draft, News and Events | No Comments
[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]With the Biden Administration and a partisan majority on Capitol Hill pushing destructive policies at every turn, it’s not often that we are able to share good news from Washington, D.C. Today is an exception!

We have confirmed that Congress will NOT be moving forward with a wrong-headed policy forcing young women to register for a potential military draft. Working with our allies in Congress, we stopped the move to draft our daughters in its tracks.

Your donation to Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee makes this kind of work possible.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) was on the frontline of this battle from Day One, drawing a bright line of opposition and leading others to stand strong against this policy. As CWALAC CEO and President Penny Nance emphasized in her opening statement:

“American women are free to serve and proud to serve, but they shouldn’t be forced to serve. Young women today need to know they are respected for their female status and the many essential roles women embrace in all seasons of life as workers, wives, mothers, and caregivers. Setting women up to be sent to war shouldn’t be one of them ….

“Congress has never justified as a matter of military readiness or national security a reversal in selective service policy that would force our daughters under penalty of law to gamble their lives on the lottery of war.”

CWAs Legislative Action Committee fought tirelessly to prevent this unjustified, monumental reversal in military policy from seeing the light of day in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act:

  • We initiated a Coalition Letter galvanizing conservative leaders and grassroots organizations to stand up and fight this policy.
  • We produced a Fact Sheet to educate Members of Congress and provide the case against adding young women to the Selective Service.
  • We provided leading analysis of the text to behind-the-scenes decision-makers exposing the multiple unintended consequences of the far-reaching language.
  • Our Action Center galvanized our grassroots supporters to send thousands of messages to members of Congress urging them to oppose drafting our daughters.
  • We informed of public opinion showing DECLINING support among women since 2016, the last time this issue was debated in Congress.
  • Our Young Women for America team produced a video relating the views and concerns of young women about this policy.
  • We held members accountable for their votes and called out publicly the Republicans who voted for the NDAA with a policy to draft our daughters.
  • We persistently lobbied congressional offices, allies, and lead negotiators to stand firm, sponsor amendments to strike the language, and not give in.

WE WON!  This is a CWA accomplishment worth CELEBRATING.

As you can see, victories like this take a lot of hard work.  Your year-end donation guarantees that the work will continue.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Dec 08 2021
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CWA Stands with Religious School and Parents

By | Defense of Family, Education, News and Events | No Comments

Today, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Carson v. Makin. The case involves a Maine tuition assistance program that discriminates against religious institutions. As Concerned Women for America (CWA) explains in its brief, the case involves serious violations of religious freedoms. The program takes important educational decisions away from families in Maine, treating parents who desire a religious education for their children like second-class citizens.

CWA CEO and President Penny Nance said:

“This state infringes on foundational constitutional rights by denying tuition assistance based on a family’s desire to raise their children according to their faith. Maine’s law seeks to remove religious institutions from the education choices of parents and families who reside there. Parents should have freedom when it comes to their children’s education, whether secular or religious.

“A school’s eligibility to receive funds should not be contingent on the educational institution’s religious beliefs. The state of Maine should honor funds promised in the tuition assistance program regardless of the educational choice of the parent.”

Dec 07 2021
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CWALAC Celebrates Removal of NDAA Provision Drafting Our Daughters

By | Draft, National Sovereignty, News and Events, Press Releases | No Comments

For Immediate Release
December 7, 2021
Contact: Katie Everett, Press Secretary
[email protected]

CWALAC Celebrates Removal of NDAA Provision Drafting Our Daughters

Washington, D.C. – Last night, harmful language requiring women to register for the Selective Service was removed from the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) were instrumental in opposing this monumental reversal in military policy. Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) is grateful for their steadfast leadership. We also thank Reps. Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) –all integral, vocal players in the efforts to defeat this proposal.

Lastly, we want to extend our sincerest gratitude to our leaders in the states and our Young Women for America leaders on college campuses around the country. Your voices were key to ensuring this issue made it to the forefront of debate.

CWALAC will continue to stand for the inherent dignity of women and against the destructive lie that women’s equality means sameness with men. We admire and support the patriotic women who volunteer for military service. Conscripting our daughters and granddaughters to the frontlines of war is entirely different. Assigning priority to “equity” over military necessity would only hinder critical national defense objectives in a wartime crisis.

CWALAC applauds Members for rejecting the shameful fallacy that Congress must rubber stamp the social experimentation of our military to secure critical funding for our troops and national security.

We are thrilled that our leaders have chosen to respect women and their role in serving our nation without sacrificing our daughters on the altar of political correctness. Thank you for eliminating language to draft women.

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Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization with a rich history of over 40 years.

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