“For 50 years, the American people have been fed a disgusting lie that the best and reasonable solution to an unplanned pregnancy is to have an abortion, to get rid of the human life inside a mother’s womb and it will be as if it never happened,” stated Concerned Women for America CEO and President Penny Nance in her op-ed featured in The Daily Caller.
Read the entire op-ed here.
Penny Nance Quoted:
Radio:
Penny Nance on Family Talk Radio Interview: Concerned Women for Life.
Concerned Women for America cosigned a letter to Walgreens and CVS regarding the recent changes by the government to allow pharmacies to dispense chemical abortion. CVS and Walgreens announced their plans to seek certification to stock and fulfill prescriptions for mifepristone (the first part of a two-part regimen to complete a chemical abortion). The letter outlines a long list of potential legal, policy, media, and cultural concerns these pharmacies should consider when deciding on becoming abortion businesses.
Legislation for Life
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and a resolution condemning attacks on pregnancy centers and pro-life groups. By a majority vote, which included all Republicans and even some Democrats, we saw two very moderate bills pass the House.
The Born-Alive Act only strengthens guarantees in existing law for medical care owed to babies who are born alive following an unsuccessful abortion. The resolution would create no new law and simply calls for the condemnation of criminal attacks following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Mississippi abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The majority of those criminal attacks were on pro-life institutions, like pregnancy centers and churches.
Elections Have Consequences
It is a stark example of how elections have drastic consequences on what legislation gets to see the light of day.
Mere months ago, the U.S. House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation that supported abortion-on-demand and up to the point of birth. Following the Dobbs decision and in addition to that bill, the House voted to pass legislation that guaranteed access to abortifacients and conflated the issue of contraception with abortion in order to cause confusion about what the Supreme Court decided in Dobbs (hint: the decision had nothing to do with contraception).
The Born-Alive Act only received floor consideration through procedural maneuvering by the conservative minority in a measure known as a discharge petition. The over 100 attacks against pro-life institutions received no floor consideration.
But what a difference an election makes! While this Congress is held by conservatives with a slim 5-seat majority, control of the House is a zero-sum game, and the U.S. House of Representatives is a pro-life majority. House Republicans put it best when they said, “Following two years of Democrats’ fight for a radical abortion on-demand up until the moment of birth agenda, there is finally a House majority that fights for life.”
Promoting A Culture of Life
Pro-life means much more than what abortion opponents want it to mean, which is anything less than abortion on demand. As a pro-life organization, we wait in eager anticipation of the day when all abortion is illegal and unthinkable. But being pro-life means supporting the kind of policy that creates a culture of life, even when it has nothing to do with new protections for the unborn. That very policy passed the House today.
While the Born-Alive Act specifically protects abortion survivors, it is really about protecting newborns no matter the circumstance of their birth. During President Donald Trump’s Administration, President Trump issued Executive Order 13952, “Protecting Vulnerable Newborn and Infant Children.” That Executive Order described hospitals that “refuse[d] to require[] medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment or otherwise [did] not provide potentially lifesaving medical treatment to extremely premature or disabled infants, even when parents plead for such treatment.” The Order advanced a culture of life by directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to enforce laws that protected newborns and dedicated federal funding to enhancing life-saving treatment for newborns. The Born-Alive Act similarly advances this goal by giving stronger tools to enforce an appropriate medical standard of care for babies who survive abortions.
Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri), who introduced the Born-Alive Act, recognized the cost of the death of a newborn when she said, “Women, fathers, and whole families all suffer deeply from the loss of their child. Our communities are weaker because these bright young ones did not grow up to share their wisdom, laughter, and ingenuity with us.”
The resolution is about calling for justice for crime victims, which should be obvious. Sadly, even access to justice is in question now more than ever while the Department of Justice is being used to increase abortion access through specious legal authority. The resolution condemns the attacks on pro-life institutions, recognizes the sanctity of life, and calls upon the Biden Administration to use all appropriate authority to protect the rights of pregnancy centers and pro-life groups and churches.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who introduced the resolution, explained that the resolution was necessary because “there has been so little accountability for the leaked draft opinion and ensuing violence and intimidation against pro-lifers,” so the pro-life majority in Congress was going to call for justice.
These actions elevate a conversation that advances a culture of life. As Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) said, the Born-Alive bill “protects the lives of the unborn and their mothers,” and the resolution is important because “in the face of a growing movement to devalue the miracle of life, we must also protect every American fighting for life.”
Keep Up the Pressure
Your engagement makes outcomes like this possible. Unless you tell your elected officials that you want to see laws that reflect a culture of life, they will assume that their constituents no longer care, or worse, think that their constituents support the pro-abortion narrative. Thank you so much for reaching out to your legislators, and we look forward to more pro-family votes that reflect Biblical values in the ensuing two years.
Insight from the Next Generation – Sierra Welch, our Young Women for America Ambassador at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shares her thoughts on the intentionality of our creation.
From the moment I was created in my mother’s womb, I was female. There is such power, beauty, and intentionality in this reality. I praise God that He ordained such an important and foundational part of who I am. We are the created beings called to love and worship a holy and marvelous God worthy of all praise. Through His good pleasure and love, He created beings to inhabit and rule over the earth.
We are the form molded by the potter’s hands, and as we read in Isaiah 45:9, “Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles?'”
We do not have the wisdom or infinite knowledge and understanding of God to distrust what He has ordained. Rather, we can trust the God who created the heavens and the earth, the cosmos and the atom, the mountains and the valleys, the oceans and the babbling brooks, none of which compare to the crescendo of creation, man and woman.
We can trust that God created our manhood and womanhood without mistake, without question, and without fear of fault or error. We can also trust that every human life has value, purpose, destiny, and a call by God to salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Every human life has dignity inside and outside of the womb. Both mom, dad, unborn child, and born child have value, are priceless, and have been bought with an unmatched price through the blood of Jesus Christ.
To achieve political victory by deceiving the public about who you are and what you will do once in office is no victory at all. It will not be a win for the candidate who will be eventually exposed as a fraud once elected, and in such a case, it is no win for the people who will be left suffering the consequences of policies they did not really want.
And the truth is that, usually, people can detect and will be attracted to authenticity. But, more important yet, a battle-tested leader who stands by his convictions in support of American families is nearly impossible to beat.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ overwhelming victory in Florida is an excellent example of this longstanding principle…
Click here to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive Substack column. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!
Biden Admin Uses the Department of Veterans Affairs
to Provide Abortion-On-Demand, No Conscience Protections
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is comprised of 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient clinics. It is the largest integrated healthcare network in the world. Sadly, the Biden Administration has used its power to co-opt these facilities under the guise of “medical necessity” for the abortion industry. The action, known as an “interim final rule,” cut procedural corners and effective immediately allowed abortion-on-demand and abortion counseling at VA facilities. There are no clear conscience protections for VA health professionals with objections to abortion.
The rule is a 180-degree reversal in VA policy that only allowed abortions in the tragic cases of rape, incest, and an immediate physical threat to the life of the mother. The rule is also contrary to law. During the opportunity for public comment, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) declared its opposition to the rule. Read CWALAC’s public comment opposing the rule here.
A baby has already been killed under this cruel ploy to violate clear-cut, pro-life protections in law. Not only that, but the Administration wants Americans to pay for it. Taxpayers will be on the hook for over $10 million to provide veterans and their beneficiaries with elective abortions, abortion counseling services, and abortion travel.
The VA asserts that “allowing even one preventable death” is unacceptable. This is tragically ironic. For many Americans, the intentional killing of a baby in the womb, which is what happens in an abortion, is not healthcare and should not be classified as such. All states with laws to protect life include exceptions for the life of the mother.
The right of conscience is an inalienable right given by God and protected from government overreach. At the very least, the rule should have explicitly protected employees with faith- or conscience-based objections to abortion. We cannot count on the Biden Administration to protect their rights. Without clear exemptions, pro-life employees could face a bureaucratic nightmare that can take years before actually obtaining recourse.
Veterans who need help for their service-connected injuries deserve it. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has done little more than turn veterans and their beneficiaries into a campaign prop for a radical, pro-abortion agenda. This rule is yet another sad example of the Administration’s unrestrained and ruthless quest for abortion-on-demand.
The Equal Rights Amendment—Long Gone or Here To Stay?
Answer May Depend on Politicized Justice Department
Recently, the question of ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) emerged once again during Senate confirmation hearings for a new Archivist of the United States, the person in charge of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Colleen Shogan, Ph.D., is President Joe Biden’s pick to lead NARA. She previously worked in the U.S. Senate and the Library of Congress, and she has held various positions on boards and commissions related to American History. She faced rigorous questioning from Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) about her stance on whether NARA could certify the ERA.
What is the ERA, exactly, and why would it be unlawful to certify it? The misnamed resolution purports to ensure that women are equal in the U.S. Constitution. But in reality, the amendment could have a reverse effect on women’s progress. During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee hearing, for instance, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) exposed that—as written—the ERA can be used to enshrine subjective gender identity classifications and abortion protections into the U.S. Constitution.
The ERA also suffers procedural defects. When the ERA passed Congress in 1972, it included a seven-year deadline for ratification. With the deadline fast approaching, CWA’s founder, Beverly LaHaye, held the first CWA meeting in 1978 to share with women in her community the dangers of the ERA and the anti-God, anti-family rhetoric of the ERA’s supporters. Mrs. LaHaye’s goal was to make sure her friends knew how important it was that the ERA stay out of the Constitution. Thanks to her actions and the leadership of others like Phyllis Schlafly, the ERA was three states short of ratification by its 1978 deadline. Congress voted to extend the deadline to 1982. But even by that time, no new states ratified the ERA.
The ERA is dead. There are measures to retroactively “remove” the 1978 ratification deadline on the ERA, like H.J. Res. 17/S.J. Res. 1. But even according to the Washington Post, a news outlet sympathetic to leftist causes, “every time the issue has been litigated in federal court, most recently in 2021, the pro-ERA side has lost, no matter whether the judge was appointed by a Democrat or Republican.” Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion stating “that Congress had the constitutional authority to impose a deadline on the ratification of the ERA and, because that deadline has expired, the ERA Resolution is no longer pending before the States.” A federal trial court with a judge appointed by President Barack Obama upheld the deadline contained in the 1972 resolution and said that Illinois, Nevada, and Virginia’s ratifications—which came after both the original and extended deadlines that Congress attached to the ERA—are not binding for the purposes of the recognizing the ERA.
The Archivist has a unique role in stewarding the rule of law. In addition to preserving the U.S. Constitution and other Founding documents, the Archivist certifies constitutional amendments that states have ratified. The ERA’s procedural defects doom efforts to amend the Constitution using the 1972 resolution. Pro-ERA activists have urged current Archivist David Ferriero to unlawfully certify ratification of the ERA. In response, the Archivist pointed to his “ministerial role” and said that he “defers to [the Justice Department] on this issue and will abide by the [Justice Department] opinion, unless otherwise directed by a final court order.” During her hearing, Dr. Shogan essentially took the same position.
So what is the problem? The approach to defer to the Justice Department is unstable. Principled constitutional lawyers at the U.S. Department of Justice under the previous administration recognized that there was no constitutional basis to ratify the ERA. The Archivist abided by this counsel from the Justice Department, and ERA ratification was put on hold. Unfortunately, with the Biden Justice Department, we are facing a situation where the leftist fox is guarding the constitutional-hen house. This very Justice Department is comfortable recognizing the ability of the Veterans Affairs to provide abortions and abortion counseling to veterans even though federal law explicitly writes out abortion from healthcare benefits for veterans. The ERA analysis from the previous administration’s Justice Department is vulnerable to an activist “reinterpretation” by the attorneys in power under the radical Biden Administration.
Fortunately, there are Members in Congress who are willing to press the matter. Sen. Lankford has already urged Archivist Ferriero to withstand “ridiculous calls to ignore clear guidance from both the court and the Department of Justice and to unilaterally certify the ERA.” Similarly, Sens. Portman, Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) have pressed Archivist Ferriero to stand by the rule of law.
Any pro-ERA attorneys at the Justice Department should heed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s counsel that ERA supporters should start over. Even she did not think that the ERA could be ratified under its 1972 mandate. If the Justice Department were to unlawfully “reinterpret” its understanding of the Constitution in this regard, the Archivist must stand for the rule of law. That is why we must stay engaged on this nomination.
“Eleven Charged With FACE Act Violations Stemming From 2021 Blockade of Mount Juliet Reproductive Health Clinic,” read the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee press release. Translation: The U.S. Department of Justice uses law enforcement to harass the Biden Administration’s political adversaries. They see it all as part of their vengeful crusade to protect “reproductive rights” after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin from the Middle District of Tennessee and Kristen M. Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. Clarke is a pro-abortion radical who testified in Congress in 2020 for the codification of a “Constitutional right to abortion.” She believes, “The right to reproductive care, including abortion care, is inextricably intertwined with the ability of women to attain upward mobility …” and that “limits on access to abortion are not just a reproductive rights issue, but a matter that squarely threatens to undermine racial justice, and that necessitates federal legislation.”
Naturally, President Joe Biden selected Clarke in 2021 to head the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, ensuring this sort of unjust, politically motivated actions against the Administration’s political opponents would materialize.
Meanwhile, DOJ continues to ignore the numerous attacks on pro-life clinics and churches since the Dobbs decision. You might recall CWA was itself vandalized.
The pro-life activists were charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act under an indictment that “alleges that, beginning in February 2021, Chester Gallagher utilized social media to promote a series of anti-abortion events scheduled for March 4-7, 2021, in the Nashville area.” DOJ announced, “If convicted, those charged with conspiracy face up to 11 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.”
As if that were not shameful enough, the politicized department proudly announced that “This case was investigated by the FBI,” which has come under unprecedented disrepute following its disgraceful mishandling of numerous cases. From the Larry Nassar case, where the victim’s families are seeking $130 million for their reckless and cruel mishandling of that case, to the Epstein fiasco, where Ghislaine Maxwell received 20 years in prison for trafficking underage girls to apparently no one because they continue to protect and ignore the “clients” of the dastardly affair to the unprecedented and utterly political search of former President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, the FBI has unfortunately lost all credibility.
And DOJ has been working similarly alongside them. The adverse consequences of these developments cannot be overstated. Thanks to these blatant abuses, millions of Americans feel there are two systems of justice, one for friends of those in power and one for the rest of the country. They are destroying one of the principles that is foundational to our freedoms. John Adams said it best when he described our republic as “a government of laws, not of men.” This is foundational to justice.
The DOJ and FBI’s current despicable behavior reinforces a belief that what matters is not the law but the personnel enforcing it, that the law will be twisted to fit the outcomes they want.
The charges against these pro-life advocates are ridiculous. At a time when we face so many challenges in law enforcement, why would they spend the resources on this type of action? Well, it is evident that it is meant to deter pro-life advocacy going forward. Pro-life, pro-family, freedom-loving Americans are being painted as a threat.
It is worth noting that these actions are not taken in a vacuum. Remember President Biden’s red-flaming speech flanked by two military members where he screamed about “MAGA Republicans”? Perhaps you recall the DOJ’s outrageous labeling of parents as “domestic terrorists.”
This mismanagement and abuse have been catastrophic. We must put an end to it now for the good of our country. Congress must engage even more forcefully. The damage being done will take decades to undo.
No one enjoys being told they are wrong. But this is precisely what we most need when we are blind to the fact that we are indeed wrong about something. The first step to walking away from error is to recognize we stand in one.
This is precisely where many in our society find themselves on the issue of life. And as famous pastor, theologian, and mentor of the great Martyn Lloyd-Jones, G. Campbell Morgan eloquently said, “There is one sure and infallible guide to truth, and therefore one, and only one, corrective for error, and that is the Word of God.”
That is why I am excited to bring you our “For Life” Bible study. Please stay tuned to ConcernedWomen.org for ordering details.
This powerful, error-exposing resource will transform the lives of its student. How can it not? It exposes those who dare wrinkle its pages to the pure, unfiltered, heart-penetrating, two-edged sword of the Scriptures, only asking questions to help the reader reflect on the truths explored. I implore you to engage with it yourself, become familiar with it, and then take the time to disciple others with it.
As with any other two-edged sword worthy of that warning, “handle with care,” it is best if someone unfamiliar with such a powerful weapon is helped along by someone with some mastery of the material. I am praying God will move you to become such a helper.
Remember Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8? The eunuch was reading a passage from Isaiah by himself when Philip approached him and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading” (v.30)? To which he replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me” (v.31)? This study is undoubtedly powerful by itself. But when you teach it to someone else, a true miracle can happen. I pray that many of you will feel called by God to aid in this miraculous work. Would you help me pray for that?
I leave you with a short excerpt from Chapter 3, “In the Womb.”
Samson’s mother was also “childless, unable to give birth,” until an “angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, ’You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.’” Judges 13:2-3. Scripture also tells us he was “dedicated to God from the womb.” Judges 13:5.
What does Samson being dedicated to God “from the womb” imply?
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He was separated from the womb for a specific task. The angel said, “He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Judges 13:5. What does that tell us?
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Life is a Winning Issue: Concerned Women for America CEO and President Penny Nance is featured in Newsweek urging Republicans and their consultants to lead with life in their campaign messages as we get closer to the elections.
For Immediate Release: Contact: [email protected]
September 14, 2022 (703)282-7320
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), the largest public policy women’s organization in the country, today announced its support of Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R-South Carolina) Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act. This bill will protect the unborn from abortion after fifteen weeks gestation.
“Life is a winning issue,” said CWALAC CEO and President, Penny Nance in a press conference with Senator Graham and other policy leaders. “In today’s post-Roe America, we are finally allowed to have the conversation about what we as a society now know—by following the science—about fetal development. We can finally put into place stronger protections to stop destroying human life.”
“We saw abortion extremists show their true colors with so-called Women’s Health Protection Act, better named the Abortion-on-Demand Act. They pushed for taxpayer funded abortion up until the point of birth. This position is out of step with the American people. Unsurprisingly, that bill failed twice on the Senate floor. In a post-Roe poll in June, nearly three-fourths of respondents support a protection for the unborn at 15 weeks.
“Consistently, since 1973, around 70% of the American people have supported restrictions on abortion. Through advances in science, families and medical professionals are now able to understand that at fifteen weeks:
“So, let’s make it clear to the Republican consultants and pollsters—the country knows what happens inside the womb. They know that life is precious.”
CWALAC encouraged other members of the United States Senate to lead with a winning issue for the American people.
To schedule an interview with Penny Nance, please contact [email protected].
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Concerned Women for America is the Nation’s largest public policy organization for women; we are dedicated to promoting Biblical values and Constitutional principles. More information is available at concernedwomen.org
Weak leadership in Washington is unnecessarily wreaking havoc on American families. At the same time President Joe Biden held a tone-deaf, high-class celebration of the passage of the crookedly titled “Inflation Reduction Act,” a dismal inflation report came out saying the consumer price index, a measurement of the price of everyday items such as groceries, rent and gasoline, rose more than expected, once again, to 8.3%. According to a recent analysis, Americans have to pay an extra $717 monthly due to “Bideinflation.”
And it is not just our pocketbooks that are hurting. The stress on parents and the entire household unit is almost unbearable. Our current situation is taking a toll on Americans’ mental health, especially for minorities. A recent LifeWorks Mental Health Index report revealed that “20 percent of Americans are unable to meet basic needs due to inflation.” It also found that those under such pressure “have a mental health score more than 16 points below the national average.”
But Washington is not focused on that; instead, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act will only further aggravate inflation by doling out billions for “green energy” special interest groups. Again, helping families is not the priority.
In the middle of all this, Senate Democrats took time to try to pass radical pro-abortion legislation to force the gruesome procedure on the nation up to the point of birth — something most Americans oppose. The latest Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll tracking the issue shows 71% of Americans support legal limits on abortion, with a whopping 81% believing laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.
Americans want laws that support hard-working families—fathers, mothers, and children. Many in Washington seem insistent on destroying the American household.
It is not just Democrats going along with this cruel, unfocused legislative agenda. Some House Republicans let themselves be used recently to pass what should be called the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) on a 267-157 vote. This anti-family legislation has become a top priority for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), even though it is entirely unnecessary. The pernicious act seeks to further erode the American family unit by destroying its very definition. This radical law would force the acceptance of any definition of “marriage” sought by any state. Plural marriages, open marriages, marriages involving minors or relatives, literally any definition adopted anywhere in one state. Considering the extent of the radical gender ideology permeating our culture today, there is no limiting principle here.
The impact on federal and state law would be seismic. All laws relating to husbands and wives, children and parents would suddenly be up for reinterpretation. The law will open the door for radical activist groups to sue religious individuals, organizations and businesses that the Left knows will seek to abide by the original meaning of marriage as established by God. Religious families and organizations, which are such a stabilizing force in our nation, and desperately needed in such times as these, are continually being held out for special contempt and primed for special interest attacks under legislation such as this one. Who will stand up for these families?
Sen. Schumer says he will force a vote “in coming weeks.” Word on Capitol Hill is that he may try to move on it as early as next week. All senators should stand against it and instead demand the sort of family-supporting legislation that can alleviate the current burdens on American families.
Of course, the upcoming election is the backdrop to all this shameful political gamesmanship. The goal is to manipulate the American people into voting against their own interests by scaring them with lies about Christian, conservative principles. I remember this summer standing outside the Supreme Court in defense of the Texas heartbeat law and fielding the arguments that “Women will die” if the law goes into effect. All lies meant to manipulate the unsuspecting public. Yet, a year later, estimates are that more than fifty thousand babies have been saved from abortion, and no woman has died as a result.
Expect the same political manipulations related to the “Respect for Marriage Act” in the coming weeks. And demand that your senator vote not by the lies and intimidations of the Left but in support of the American families that desperately need it.
Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, appeared on CPAC Now to discuss Walmart’s abortion policy.
Watch Penny’s interview here.
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, signed a joint letter with CPAC and other conservative leaders to Mr. Doug McMillon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart Inc., on Walmart’s decision to provide virtually unrestricted abortion benefits to its employees.
Read the letter below or click here to download a copy of the letter.
August 24, 2022
Mr. Doug McMillon
President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart Inc.
Walmart Inc.
702 SW 8th Street
Bentonville, AR 72716
Dear Mr. McMillon:
As the nation’s largest private employer and grocer, Walmart touches the lives of hundreds of millions of people throughout the freedom-loving world. Yet, millions of American consumers do not realize that by patronizing Walmart, they are funding woke policies they morally oppose.
A perfect example is abortion. In a recent revision to its leave policy, Walmart will now provide virtually unrestricted abortion benefits. In prior years, the company policy was to offer benefits related to abortion only in cases “when the health of the mother would be in danger if the fetus were carried to term, the fetus could not survive the birthing process, or death would be imminent after birth.” But now, Walmart has decided to encourage more abortions by deleting the condition that the mother’s health be in danger “if the fetus were carried to term.” The new policy just says it will cover abortions, “when there is a health risk to the mother, rape or incest, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or lack of fetal viability.” This lawyer-engineered language specifying health in this context means abortion on demand and they know it. “Health risks” unrelated to the baby being carried to term covers mental stress, missing work, or any other reason whatsoever. Walmart is effectively providing funding to their 1.6 million employees and their dependents to cover abortion on demand, including expenditures for the abortion procedure and travel costs and when not available within 100 miles.
The bottom line is that Walmart-supported abortions are sure to increase in the coming years— more babies laid at the altar of “choice” because of your financial contributions. It also does not escape our attention that supporting such a heinous policy conveniently keeps women at their Walmart jobs rather than at home caring for themselves and their babies.
Not only is your pro-abortion policy reprehensible, but your touting of a small increase in adoption benefits as a way to atone for what you know to be an immoral, anti-woman policy is offensive, especially for women. Why was the increase not offered before? Why now? Americans know why.
Abortion is not the only issue where Walmart seems almost eager to offend mainstream conservatives. Whether it is the company’s $100 million embrace of so-called “racial equity” or its effort to punish Republicans for questioning the integrity of the 2020 election, Walmart has sadly become just another woke leftist institution.
Surely as board members with a fiduciary responsibly to your shareholders, you must understand the Walmart’s increasingly woke policies are alienating millions of your customers who will take their business elsewhere. Your founder Sam Walton would be appalled.
In the past, Walmart has relied on conservative organizations and office holders to further policies that benefited Walmart, its shareholders, and its customers. And when anti-capitalist politicians and activists attacked the company for its success and profitability, we stepped up to defend Walmart.
We stood by the company because it was generally pro-family and because we embrace free enterprise and believe in the benefits of capitalism. We can no longer tolerate your leftist policy agenda – particularly when it facilitates the harming of innocent human life.
The political calculus of embracing woke policies to curry favor with leftist politicians might make sense to some. But we can neither condone such a cynical strategy nor forgive Walmart for adopting it. Conservatives who seek a government that reflects their values should take their business elsewhere. And no self-proclaimed conservative official or conservative organization should accept funding from Walmart while it supports the policies of the woke left.
Sincerely,
William L. Walton, CPAC Executive Board Member
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA)
Mercedes Schlapp, Fmr. Senior White House Official, President’s George W. Bush and Donald Trump Administrations
Matt Whitaker, Fmr. Acting U.S Attorney General
Dr. Ben Carson, Founder and Chairman, American Cornerstone Institute & Fmr. U.S Secretary of H.U.D
Jim Demint, Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute and Fmr. U.S Senator (SC)
Mark Meadows, Senior Partner, Conservative Partnership Institute and Fmr. U.S Congressman (NC)
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America
Amb. Ken Blackwell, Former Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission
Terry Schilling, President, American Principles Project
Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council
Bob McEwen, Executive Director, Council for National Policy and Fmr. U.S Congressman (OH)
Jenny Beth Martin
Randy Neugebauer, Fmr. U.S Congressman (TX)
Bob Beauprez, Fmr. U.S Congressman (CO)
Cc:
Gregory Penner, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Cesar Conde, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Timothy Flynn, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Sarah Friar, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Carla Harris, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Tom Horton, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Marissa Mayer, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Doug McMillon, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Randall Stephenson, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Robson Walton, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
Steuart Walton, Board of Directors – Walmart Inc.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise
Chair of the House Republican Conference Elise Stefanik
Rep. Jim Jordan, Ranking Member House Judiciary Committee
Rep. Scott Perry, Chairman – House Freedom Caucus
Rep. Jim Banks, Chairman – Republican Study Committee
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Republican Nominee for Governor, Arkansas
Below is a message we received regarding Walmart’s new plan to expand abortion coverage for employees. Such a far cry from the beliefs of their founder.
This new expansion of abortion coverage is a slap in the face to millions of Americans who oppose abortion and who have looked to Walmart as a family-friendly alternative to other big-name brands like Target that have been on the wrong side of family issues for years.
Walmart has turned its back on its constituents and has chosen to feed the dangerous lie that the value of life is dependent on circumstance. We believe in protecting the life and health of the mother; however, the intentional and direct termination of a baby via an abortion procedure is never required to do so.
Please join us in contacting Walmart to share your disappointment with their new policy and urge them to stop buying into lies in order to appease the woke mob.
CONTACT WALMART:
Copy/paste the text from our sample comment sharing your disappointment with Walmart’s new policy.
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Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, sits down with America First Legal’s John Zadrozny to discuss woke companies who have decided to fund abortion travel for their employees and how pro-life Americans should respond.
Listen to the new episode below. Check out more Concerned Women Today podcasts here.
Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, spoke at CPAC on the issue of life and the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Watch Penny’s video below.
For Immediate Release
August 10, 2022
[email protected]
(202)488-7000
#TossTarget Campaign Exposes Company’s Discriminatory Policies & Political Agenda
Funding Abortion Travel is a “Slap in the Face” to Millions
Washington, D.C. – Today, Concerned Women for America (CWA), the country’s largest public policy women’s organization, is launching a nationwide campaign to encourage Americans to stop shopping at Target stores, to “Toss Target” and find an alternative that better suits their values. In June, Target announced it would fund travel and expenses for their employees who want to go to another state to have an abortion.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that returned abortion policy to the democratic process and allow state legislatures to decide policies that best fit the people of their state, many have enacted laws curtailing abortions. According to Guttmacher research data, more than 70% of the American people support restrictions on abortion.
“Pro-life Americans have the power of the purse and need to stop funding companies that hate us and everything we stand for,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America. “Companies who fund travel to another state for an abortion and don’t provide the extra support for their employees who choose life are practicing discrimination and their actions are a slap in the face to the more the millions of Americans who support life.”
CWA is rallying its state leaders and activists, its Young Women for America chapters and other pro-life organizations and activists to join the effort at the height of the school shopping season. Posted on its website is a list of alternatives to many of the companies that have promised to fund abortion travel for their employees. It also includes sample letters and scripts for letting the executives and managers of the company know why Americans are choosing to shop elsewhere.
“Target has been on the wrong side of family issues for many years and it’s time we take our business elsewhere and let their executives and managers know why,” said Nance. “Their incredibly offensive decision to weigh in on the most important moral issues in the United States of our time, literally weighing in on the side of death, is not only wrongheaded and insidious but downright financially foolish.”
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Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee is the legislation and advocacy arm of Concerned Women for America, the Nation’s largest public policy organization for women; we are dedicated to promoting Biblical values and Constitutional principles. More information is available at www.ConcernedWomen.org
Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, had this to say concerning the defeat of the Kansas Value Them Both amendment:
“The disappointing results on the Kansas pro-life amendment will serve as a great motivator for the pro-life movement going forward. It reveals what we already knew: we have much work to do to promote a culture of love and life in every state.
“The good news is that we are free to do that work with the Supreme Court out of the way unconstitutionally mandating what every state must do. We embrace the opportunity to do the hard work necessary to change hearts and minds— however long it takes. But, we must do better to counter the lies of abortion extremists and to be strategic in our education and outreach.
“This is the democratic process at work. The battle to protect human life at all stages continues. We are confident in our position to achieve ultimate victory.”
