On February 18, 2021, Gov. Henry McMaster (R-South Carolina) signed S.1, the Heartbeat Bill, into law. Concerned Women for America State Director, Madison Rainey, joined other pro-life leaders at the bill signing ceremony. Read Madison’s press release here.
We are in the final stretch of the Heartbeat Bill. S.1, The SC Fetal Heartbeat Protection from Abortion Act passed the South Carolina Senate, and the life of the unborn now rests with the South Carolina House. If passed, S.1 would prohibit abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected (6-8 weeks) and would be the strongest pro-life bill passed in our state legislature.
The House is set to start debate this week, and we need your help to get it over the finish line.
Please take action!
Please continue to pray. Pray for strength for our legislature to stand up for those who are unable to speak for themselves. Please pray for your representative specifically by name as you contact them.
God bless you for your faithfulness in prayer and action.
Madison Rainey
State Director
Concerned Women for America of South Carolina State Director, Madison Rainey, is quoted in the Washington Free Beacon concerning South Carolina’s heartbeat bill.
Women and girls should not be forced to compete against men playing on women’s sports teams. Concerned Women for America (CWA) of South Carolina is proud to support H3477, The Save Women’s Sports Act. Read our letter of support for the bill here.
This legislation would prohibit biological men from competing on women’s scholastic sports teams and would ensure that female athletes will continue to be afforded the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. When boys compete in girls’ sports, equal opportunity is destroyed. Title IX closed the gap when it became a federal law in 1972 and established that women and girls have equal opportunities. This includes education and athletics.
H3477 legislation has been introduced in the House and referred to the Judiciary Committee, where it has stalled. We are urging the committee to take up this bill, and we need your help.
Please take action!
#1. Contact Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Chris Murphy, and the Speaker of the House, Rep. Jay Lucas, and let them know you want H3477 to be heard and voted on. Also, if you are a member of Concerned Women for America of South Carolina, be sure to let them know.
Chairman Murphy: 803-734-3120 or Contact Page
Speaker Lucas: 803-734-3125 or Contact Page
#2. Contact the bill sponsor, Ashley Trantham, and thank her for standing strong to protect women and girls.
Rep. Trantham: 803-212-6966 or Contact Page
#3. Please forward this e-mail to like-minded friends and family. Encourage them to pray and take action on behalf of this important legislation.
Keep this issue in prayer. We pray that the House leadership will see the importance of this legislation and that God would give them wisdom and discernment. We also pray for Rep. Ashley Trantham as she leads the fight on this issue. We pray that she continues to stay strong as the attacks continue.
For more information on this issue, read CWA’s Protecting Women’s Sports CWA Fact Sheet.
God bless you for your faithfulness in prayer and action.
Madison Rainey
State Director
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” – Psalm 139:13
The South Carolina legislative session has begun, and Concerned Women for America of South Carolina has assessed and set its sights on the bills that we will support, as well as those we will oppose. The first bill we are supporting and very excited about is S1, The SC Fetal Heartbeat Protection from Abortion Act, the “Heartbeat Bill.” S1 would prohibit abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected (6-8 weeks).
We have all experienced the significance of a beating heart. Whether it is at the bedside of a loved one passing from this life into the next or in the doctor’s office hearing the heartbeat of a new life just beginning, with the passage of S1, that same indicator of life will finally be acknowledged and protected in the womb. The legislation would also be the strongest pro-life bill passed in our state legislature.
S1 is scheduled to be debated on the Senate floor this week!
Please take action!
Keep this issue in prayer. We pray that God will confuse the enemy and thwart their plans to potentially block this bill. Pray for your senator by name as you contact them. May he or she be wise and courageous.
For a summary of the proposed legislation, please click here.
God bless you for your faithfulness in prayer and action.
Madison Rainey
State Director
Do you want to make a powerful and effective investment in the state of South Carolina? Consider participating in Concerned Women for America (CWA) of South Carolina‘s first annual Encourage-A-Legislator (EAL) Prayer Project. The project is designed to be simple yet effective as we pray for the hearts and minds of our legislators during the five-month 2021 legislative session.
The EAL Prayer Project impacts state legislators. It does this in two ways. First and foremost, it ensures daily prayer for each legislator. Second, through monthly postcards, it encourages and builds bridges with the conservative legislators and those who do not usually agree with CWA. As prayers are offered on behalf of the legislators, and they receive your postcards, hearts are changed and encouraged. The EAL Prayer Project is not used for lobbying purposes.
We are prayerfully seeking enough faithful volunteers so that each of the 170 South Carolina state legislators will be prayed for during the 2021 legislative session (January 12 – end of May). CWA will provide the postcards; all you have to do is provide the stamps and a commitment to pray and encourage.
If you would like to participate, please e-mail CWA of South Carolina’s state office by December 20. Please specify whether you would like to pray for one or more legislators. Please provide the following information: Name, address, phone, and e-mail address. You will receive your postcards and instructions in early January.
I hope you will join us! I cannot think of anything more powerful than to pray for those in authority, those who make public policy decisions that impact our daily lives.
For Truth and Righteousness,
Madison Rainey
State Director
Does your church conduct voter registration efforts?
As Christian believers, it is our privilege and duty to carefully and prayerfully choose our spiritual shepherds to guide, lead, and reveal Biblical Truth to us for our protection and well-being. Likewise, as Christian citizens, it is our privilege and duty to carefully and prayerfully choose our leaders in civil government for our protection and well-being.
The first step in choosing leaders in civil government is a small one – registering to vote! Sadly, about half of U.S. churchgoers are not registered to vote. Millions of believers are forfeiting their privilege to have their voice, the Christian’s position, heard on a variety of issues that directly impact our society both morally and spiritually. In South Carolina alone, it is estimated that there are over 90,000 Christians who are not registered to vote.
Conducting voter registration in your church is one of the most significant ways to encourage your fellow members to be good Christian citizens. According to the IRS, church voter-registration drives are well within the 501c3 guidelines, and even encouraged, as long as they are non-partisan.
Doing a voter registration drive is not only a service to your members who are not registered to vote but also for those who have moved since the last election and need to update their address for voting. You can also help parents help their children who are away at college to vote absentee. Every time you hold a non-partisan voter registration drive, it is a reminder to the members of your church that voting is part of their Christian life.
Action Needed
Consider conducting a non-partisan voter registration drive at your church. We have everything that you need to host a voter registration drive at your church, including a letter to your pastor! Click here and scroll down the page for voter registration drive resources.
We suggest hosting voter registration efforts at your church these weekends before the November election: September 19-20 and September 26-27. These are the weekends before the last day (October 4) that a person can register to vote or change one’s address. If your church is not comfortable with you having a voter registration table because of COVID-19, consider offering to put information together that can be posted on the church website.
Pray: Pray that your pastor will be receptive to your request for holding a non-partisan voter registration at your church. Consider contacting our office so that we can be praying as well.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 1:9)
If you have any questions, please contact me.
In Truth and Righteousness,
Madison Rainey
State Director
I am very excited to introduce to you Madison Rainey, Concerned Women for America’s (CWA) new South Carolina’s State Director. Madison first learned about CWA and what we stand for when she attended Student Leadership University in Washington, D.C., the summer before her senior year of high school. While there, Madison learned of the strong Biblical and Constitutional principles that CWA holds and became passionate about all in which CWA is involved.
Madison is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Political Science. She currently works at the Carolina Pregnancy Center in Spartanburg, where she works on media relations, event coordination, and pro-life legislation. Madison and her husband Rusty live in Inman, SC with their two dogs Sarge and Maggie.
A note from Madison:
“My desire for CWA of South Carolina is to promote CWA’s seven core values throughout our state and to create a strong state organization by building a dedicated steering committee and local chapters, lobbying and testifying at the state capitol, hosting education events, and more–All for the glory of God. I want others in our state to look to CWA for education on pro-life and pro-family issues, and to join with us in advocating for Biblical and constitutional principles in South Carolina.”
Tanya Ditty
Vice President of Field Operations
Concerned Women for America
Doors of opportunity open for female athletes through sports. But in today’s age of gender identity, this could all radically change. The unfair playing field is happening already. Selina Soule, a high school track athlete in Connecticut, lost her chance to compete in the New England championship last year after two biological males took first and second place in the 55 meter. The International Olympic Committee, the NCAA, most U.S. sports federations and state High School Athletic Associations have created one-sided policies favoring transathlete inclusion and are fueling this assault on female athletes.
Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments of 1972 was crafted to ensure that female athletes could compete in additional sports, and to encourage excellence in competition. Congress, in funding Title IX, understood that boys and girls are physiologically different, and that boys competing against boys and girls competing against girls was fair, because of basic biological and hormonal differences.
That is why I am writing to you today. South Carolina State Rep. Ashley Trantham (R-District 8) is introducing a bill this week that protects opportunities for women and girls in athletics by ensuring them a level playing field. Rep. Trantham’s bill will prohibit biological men from playing on women’s scholastic sports teams in South Carolina.
Historically, women have fought to defend and protect their role in society and their contribution to culture. That’s why I am inviting you to take a stand with me this Wednesday, March 4, to help protect women’s sports in South Carolina.
Take Action:
Date: Wednesday, March 4
Time: 9:15 a.m.
Location: South Carolina State House, 1100 Gervais St 1100 Gervais St, Columbia, South Carolina
Please Pray: Please pray for Rep. Trantham as she moves forward with this legislation. Pray she stays strong when she comes under attack from the enemy.
For more information on this topic, read some of our recent articles here.
Tanya Ditty
VP of Field Operation
Concerned Women for America
Do you, or someone you know, live in or near Spartanburg County? Either way, please read on.
Hello, I am Madison Rainey, the new CWA Prayer/Action Chapter Leader of Spartanburg County. I am very excited to announce our kick-off meeting to be held next Thursday, January 16.
No doubt you are as concerned as I am about the many moral issues threatening our community, state, and nation today. Most people want to work to create a better nation for our children and grandchildren but are unsure of the steps to take.
That’s why I am involved today, and why I invite you to join me at our kick-off meeting. Our Prayer/Action Chapter will meet once a month to educate ourselves on one of CWA’s seven core issues, and then pray and take action on the issue(s). Join us and enjoy fellowship with like-minded individuals. If you are unable to attend our first meeting, be sure to contact me and ask to be put on my email list for future meetings.
When: Thursday, January 16, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Spartanburg, SC in the Duncan Park area. Contact me to RSVP and for the meeting location.
What: Kickoff Meet & Greet. There will be a brief CWA presentation, prayer, fellowship, and refreshments.
RSVP: Please RSVP by Monday, January 13. Contact me at [email protected].
Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Please plan to attend and be sure to bring a friend!
If you do not live in the Spartanburg area, but would like information on how to start a chapter in your area, please reach out to CWA’s national office today. They will be happy to assist and train you as they did me.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Madison Rainey
Spartanburg County Prayer/Action Chapter Leader
Concerned Women for America
[email protected]
Penny Nance joined CWA of South Carolina, State Director Tonya Shellnutt in Greenville, South Carolina, this week to equip the next generation. With over 40 women in attendance, ranging from college students to moms and grandmas, it was a wonderful and multi-generational collection of female leaders. The event focused on how each of us, no matter our age or season in life, are living our Esther moment.
Penny shared that now, more than ever, we need to be courageous and brave while speaking up with a redemptive message. Each one of us has a place in equipping the next generation regardless of our age.
CWA’s collegiate arm, Young Women for America, was introduced and received with enthusiasm. The girls attending who are currently enrolled in college were excited about getting chapters started on their own college campuses. Every attendee received a free copy of Penny’s book, Feisty & Feminine, a Rallying Cry for Conservative Women, an empowering tool for new student leaders.
The event concluded with a wonderful time of prayer for CWA, YWA and Penny.
If you’re interested in hosting your own Feisty & Feminine Workshop, feel free to contact us!
H 3548, the South Carolina Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, is expected to be voted on by our South Carolina Senate TOMORROW.
H 3548 prohibits dismemberment abortions, a method typically used on women who are in their second trimester. At that stage, the unborn baby is 20 weeks or older in development. It is a process which is both gruesome and extremely painful for an unborn child. It is quite easy on an ultrasound to see that the child from the top of his or her head to the bottom of their rump, would be the length of an adult’s hand plus a couple of inches. His or her mother can already feel her baby’s kicks.
The procedure involves tearing the unborn baby to pieces, limb by limb, organ by organ, and ending with crushing the child’s skull. The pain the child experiences in this process is even more intense due to the fact that the nerves are much more sensitive at that stage of a person’s life.
If passed, this bill will protect South Carolina children from experiencing this kind of painful death, let alone the mental and emotional health of the women involved.
“The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn limb from limb. The fetus can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while its limbs are being torn off.” — In Justice Kennedy’s dissent to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Stenberg v. Carhart decision.
We cannot to sit idly by. South Carolinians must take action today and call and ask their state senator to support H 3548 and stand up for those who are unable to stand up for themselves.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
PLEASE PRAY
Pray for your senator by name. Pray the plans of all organizations and legislators working to oppose this act would be thwarted.
For Life!
Tonya Shellnutt
State Director
CWA of South Carolina
[email protected]
sc.cwfa.org
The first annual Feisty & Feminine event was a success! Over 100 women from all generations were empowered to go back to their communities and deliver a courageous and redemptive message of truth, love, and power!
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), was the keynote speaker. She talked about the importance of being courageous and brave while speaking up with a redemptive message. She then explained how to get involved in our statewide initiative, Feisty & Feminine workshops!
It was an honor to have Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant join us as well as many other public policy advocates.
Click here to find out more about Feisty & Feminine workshops. Check our Facebook page for workshop updates, or contact Tonya Shellnut, State Director of CWA of South Carolina, at [email protected] for more information.
A special thanks to the Feisty & Feminine leadership team!
If you are like me, you are alarmed at the direction our country is headed. As a mother of five, I have seen first-hand the disastrous effects our culture has on our families. It is heartbreaking, and no matter how hard you think you have worked to protect your children, the outcome can literally take the wind right out of your sails. My righteous anger catapults me into an understanding of urgency. Our children, grandchildren, and future generations need an army to rise up to do whatever it takes to protect them. We have sat back for too long believing the lie that “our vote doesn’t count.”
I know many of you share in the frustration of the political parties. We have been lied to, cheated on, and abandoned. However, if I really believe God is the author of it all, then I must take comfort in Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
I think of Saul who later became Paul. A murderer, who intentionally sought to kill those who believed in Jesus. How on earth could God use a murderer for His good? We may not have our ideal options for leadership of this great nation, but what we do have is a God who is bigger than all of the disappointment, corruption, and culture disintegration. We must never forget that God can take the unlikely and use them in a mighty way. Our future generations are counting on us to rise up. Will you join our effort to return America to One Nation under God?
We have included for you a comparison of the party platforms, 2016 Party Platform Comparison. You can review the Republican platform outlined in red and the Democratic platform outlined in blue. We want to urge you to take the time to look these over and pass them out to your neighbors, friends, church leaders, and anyone in your sphere of influence who could benefit from knowing the truth.
Pray: Nehemiah 4:10 “And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.’” All good things require effort. Please pray about how you can make a difference in helping restore America to One Nation under God.
Action: First, please distribute this election year resource by forwarding this e-mail and/or printing and distributing it. Print it double-sided on 8 ½” X 14” paper and fold. Second, if at possible please give a gift, of any amount, to enable CWA of South Carolina to continue doing what it does, putting families first through prayer and action. Thank you in advance for your tax-deductible donation. Please send checks to the address below or click here to donate online now.
For Him!
Tonya Shellnutt
State Director
518 Woodberry Road
Rock Hill, SC 29732
sc.cwfa.org
[email protected]
You’re invited!
Have you heard about CWA’s CEO and President Penny Nance’s New Book, Feisty & Feminine: A Rallying Cry for Conservative Women?! It hit the shelves just last month and now you have the opportunity to hear her speak and have a book signed on Thursday, May 12 in Duncan, South Carolina! Join the Carolina Pregnancy Center and popular conservative talk show personality Josh Kimbrell (Common Cents with Josh Kimbrell on 92.9fm/660am) to celebrate the launch of Penny’s new book.
Thursday, May 12
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sully’s at River Falls
100 Player Blvd
Duncan, SC 29334
The cost is $25.00 and includes dinner.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
Be sure to invite a friend!
She hopes to see you there!
Can’t attend? Click here to order her book now!
“Conservative women have never fit neatly into stereotypes, especially conservative Christian women,” says Penny Young Nance. “We’re not the humorless, dim-witted ‘church ladies’ Saturday Night Live has made us out to be. Today’s conservative women are intelligent, well-educated, compassionate, accomplished, funny, and fearless—and it’s time for us to stand up and be heard. In fact, we have an opportunity like never before to offer words of redemption to a world gone mad.”
Click here to find out more about this timely book and watch a video of what Penny has to say about it.
Office of the CEO and President
Concerned Women for America
concernedwomen.org
[email protected]
Thank you, Gov. Nikki Haley! Thank you, CWA of South Carolina members!
YOU did it! Your voices were heard. We are so excited to announce that Gov. Nikki Haley is pursuing an investigation into the unfathomable acts in which Planned Parenthood is choosing to engage.
CWA of South Carolina would like to thank Gov. Haley for listening to our concerns, and taking action. We appreciate Gov. Haley choosing to protect the lives of the unborn and the women who may be hurt by an agency that puts financial gain in front of the preciousness of life. Planned Parenthood has proven they do not stand for women, rather they have betrayed women.
Take Action: Contact Gov. Haley at 803-734-2100 or e-mail her. Thank her enthusiastically for hearing our concerns and opening up an investigation of Planned Parenthood facilities within South Carolina. Be sure to read her letter requesting an investigation.
In a time of negativity, the power of encouragement and appreciation can go a long way. Would you encourage your friends and family to also call and thank Gov. Haley?
Pray: Pray that Gov. Haley will continue to be courageous and intentional to protect women and children. Pray for the truth to continue to be revealed through the Planned Parenthood videos and that lawmakers would do everything they can to protect the lives of innocent children and the wellbeing of women in our great state and around the county.
“After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’” Nehemiah 4:14
Planned Parenthood betrays women and should not be receiving federal funds. They must be investigated on both a national and state level immediately.
View what Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America CEO and President, had to say at a press conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday
Please take action:
Please pray: Ask the Lord to give those who end up investigating on a national level the wisdom to discover the truth and the courage to speak it. Pray the pressure on Gov. Haley intensifies and she does the right thing.
Enough is enough!
A hearty thank you to those who responded to our our last e-alert concerning the undercover video of a Planned Parenthood representative casually describing the harvesting of baby body parts. Since then another video has come out. View both videos here.
Republican Members of Congress have called for a Congressional investigation. If you haven’t contacted South Carolina’s two senators and seven representatives, click here to do it right now. The pressure needs to continue until an investigation is official. Encourage friends and family to do the same.
Let’s ramp it up! Contact Gov. Nikki Haley and ask her to investigate South Carolina’s Planned Parenthood facilities.
Take Action: Contact Gov. Nikki Haley at 803-734-2100 or e-mail her. Ask her to investigate Planned Parenthood facilities within South Carolina immediately due to recent developments. Then, encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Pray: Pray that Gov. Nikki Haley will do the right thing and call for an investigation. Pray for Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood’s Senior Director of Medical Services, who was seen on the first video. Pray for Dr. Mary Gatter, President of Planned Parenthood’s Medical Director’s Council who was seen on the second video. As you can be sure, the stress in their lives has risen to a level they may not have ever experienced. May the Lord call them to the saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ.
“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:22b–26
Added note: Some of you may have seen attempts by some liberals to deflect the claims made by those who produced the videos. Read our response, The Left has Left out Details (Again).
It is a federal felony to traffic human body parts! This week a shocking video from an undercover investigation shows Dr. Deborah Nucatola describing how selling the body parts of aborted children is part of the Planned Parenthood business plan! View disturbing video here.
Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America CEO and President, responds:
“Thirty to one hundred dollars; that’s the price Planned Parenthood appears to be profiting per dead baby. The recent video of Planned Parenthood’s senior director of Medical Services is just the latest in a laundry list of scandals, including aiding and abetting sex traffickers, giving sexual bondage instructions to children, cheating the government, sex-selection abortions, blatant racism, and the failure to report the molestation and rape of minors.
“There appears to be no depths to which this organization won’t stoop for money. When will the federal government wake up and follow the lead of the ten courageous governors who have cut funding to Planned Parenthood?
It’s time for Congress to say ‘Enough!’ If Planned Parenthood provides any worthy services, then they should have no problem raising funds like the thousands of other charities around this nation. Wake up America!”
Silence is not an option! Take action and pray on behalf of unborn babies!
Take Action: Contact Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Rep. Mark Sanford (R-District 1), Rep. Joe Wilson (R- District 2), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-District 3), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-District 4), Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-District 5), Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-District 6), Rep. Tom Rice, Jr. (R–District 7). Ask for a congressional investigation and an immediate defunding of Planned Parenthood. All of their contact information can be found here.
Pray: 2 Timothy says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We are reminded that it isn’t easy. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” We should not fear man. Man cannot take our soul. We need to take heart during these times. Have courage. Put on the full armor of God and speak boldly as we speak. And having done all stand.
Dear Heavenly Father, the God of all creation, forgive us our trespasses. We will no longer be silent. Boldly we speak the truth in love, knowing that Jesus is the victory. Break the hearts of our leaders for what breaks Yours. Destroy the walls of deception and shine the light on the evilness of abortion. As we serve You our Risen Savior, we call on the surpassing power that is from You, not us.
Since the recent U.S. Supreme Ct decision redefining marriage, I am asked, “What can we do”? Only when we as God’s people, and our Christian families, commit to Prayer, Repentance, and Action will we change in our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Here is an opportunity for our Christian families to be strengthened in prayer and God’s Word, to stand strong with Truth for a New Generation. CWA of South Carolina and CWA of North Carolina are partnering with Dr. Alex McFarland’s conference, Truth for a New Generation, on September 18, 19 in Spartanburg, SC. Note that the early bird rate has been extended to July 10.
Nationally known speakers will headline this year’s conference, including the Benham Brothers, Alveda King, Will Graham, Todd Starnes, Lee Strobel, Stephen Meyer, J. Warner Wallace, Erick Stakelbeck and more.
This is an excellent event we are proud to endorse. Won’t you join us? Invite a friend!
