“God didn’t call us to win the battles; he called us to fight the battles. … The winning is up to Him as long as we stand up for righteousness.”
— Mrs. Beverly LaHaye, Founder and Chairman
It was one of those Southern California nights, when Mrs. Beverly LaHaye sat down with her husband to watch the evening news. Barbara Walters was interviewing Betty Friedan, an activist writer, who told Walters that feminism would liberate America’s enslaved women and that she would be their voice.
“I’m speaking for the women of America,” said Friedan, something that intrigued Mrs. LaHaye. “So I thought ‘Well, I’d better hear what she is saying since she is representing us.'”
“I listened and she ended her little, brief interview by saying, ‘And Barbara, I plan to spend the rest of my life seeing that America becomes a humanist nation.’ After what she had said, if that is what a humanist nation was going to be like, I did not want any part of it.”
And thus was planted the seed that grew into today’s largest public policy women’s organization: Concerned Women for America (CWA). Below is a brief history of CWA. We invite you to click on each year to see its highlights and follow us in our stand for righteousness.
1978
Beverly LaHaye watched a television interview of Betty Friedan, founder of the National Organization for Women. Realizing that Friedan claimed to speak for the women of America, Beverly LaHaye was stirred to action. She knew the feminists’ anti-God, anti-family rhetoric did not represent her beliefs, nor those of the vast majority of women.
The first meeting to educate and alert Christian women on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), led by Beverly LaHaye, occurred in San Diego, California. More than 1,200 attended. This was the springboard to beginning Concerned Women for America as a national organization.
1979
Concerned Women for America became officially incorporated as a non-profit in January. CWA’s first newsletter and word-of-mouth communication quickly spread word of the new organization.
Very shortly, CWA leaders realized that we were in a struggle against spiritual forces of darkness, and we needed a strong foundation of prayer support. They organized our membership into powerful Prayer/Action Chapters and provided regular concerns for prayer. CWA would not have survived without the quiet strength of prayer.
President Jimmy Carter named 1979 as The International Year of the Child. CWA began an immediate campaign to expose this United Nations strategy to “nationalize” all children of the world.
1980
CWA joined attorney Michael Farris to declare that extending the ratification of the ERA was both illegal and unconstitutional. This case was eventually won.
Forty women were approved to start Prayer/Action Chapters in 14 different states. As the battle for the family raged, the need for more Prayer/Action Chapters grew.
CWA joined a National Pro-Family Coalition to fight against the liberal White House Conference on Families (WHCF). Beverly LaHaye and her husband, Tim, were named co-chairmen and worked with 150 other pro-family groups to make our views known about the characteristics of the true family. An all-day alternate to the White House Conference called the American Pro-Family Conference was held in Long Beach, California, the same day as the final WHCF. More than 7,000 enthusiastic delegates attended.
1981
The fight against the ERA continued across the states. In Illinois, CWA produced four 30-second TV spots that aired 246 times in the state before the ERA vote was taken. CWA’s budget was $40,000, compared to the National Organization for Women’s budget of $2 million. Still, the ERA was defeated.
CWA’s membership reached 100,000.
CWA joined the Clean-Up TV Campaign led by Don Wildmon.
1982
The Prayer/Action Chapters began to fast and pray every Wednesday until the defeat of the ERA, and God answered our prayers! ERA failed to be ratified by enough states before the June 3 deadline.
CWA’s legal department, led by Michael Farris, represented Suzanne Clarke of Bristol, Tennessee, a young mother sued for slander by the National Education Association. Mrs. Clarke had written a letter to the editor that exposed the NEA’s agenda in the schools. On the eve of the trial in 1984, the judge dismissed the lawsuit for lack of merit.
1983
CWA opened a branch office at 499 S. Capitol Street in Washington, D.C., staffed by Michael Farris, attorney, and Barbara Gibbons, Congressional liaison. The national headquarters remained in San Diego.
A young mother was arrested on Thanksgiving eve when she attempted to remove her second-grade daughter from a reading class at the public school. Vicki Frost disagreed with the school’s required reading book. CWA provided legal representation, and Mrs. Frost left jail the next day in time for Thanksgiving dinner with her family.
Seven fathers from Nebraska were jailed because they wanted their children to have a Christian education in a church school that refused to be controlled by the state. CWA provided legal counsel for the fathers.
1984
CWA held its first national convention in Washington, D.C. Approximately 1,000 people attended this two-day conference.
Michael Farris and CWA succeeded in getting the court to release the Nebraska fathers.
CWA was called upon to represent Vicki Frost and several other parents in a battle over objectionable school curricula. The case was called Mozert v. Hawkins County Schools.
CWA gave legal representation to Betty Batey, a woman arrested for taking her twelve-year-old son away from the custody of his homosexual father.
CWA launched a volunteer lobbyist program called Project 535. The name refers to the 535 elected members of Congress.
Beverly LaHaye wrote the thrilling story of CWA’s origin in a book, Who But A Woman?.
1985
CWA’s national office moved from San Diego to Washington, D.C., at 122 C Street.
CWA launched “Operation Truth,” to abolish alcoholic drink ads on radio and television. Thousands of petitions were delivered to Congress.
In Witter v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind, brought by CWA, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state may not deny education benefits to a blind student because he wants to study to be a minister. The decision was hailed as returning balance to the Constitution’s Establishment Clause.
1986
Beverly LaHaye embarked on a fact-finding mission to Costa Rica to investigate the needs of refugees who had fled Nicaragua because of the Marxist conflict. She met with the first lady of Costa Rica, who enabled her to visit some of the Nicaraguan refugee camps in her country. After this visit, Beverly LaHaye felt led to challenge the members of CWA to help these needy families.
A federal judge awarded $50,000 in damages to the Tennessee families involved in the textbook case, Mozert v. Hawkins County Schools.
Beverly LaHaye testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the confirmation hearings for Judge Antonin Scalia to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1987
President Ronald Reagan was the honored speaker at CWA’s Fourth Annual Convention.
A majority in Vermont rejected an Equal Rights Amendment to their state constitution. CWA of Vermont worked tirelessly until the final victory.
Irina Ratushinskaya Gerashchecko, a Soviet Christian poet, was released after four years imprisonment in her country. Because the prayers and letters of CWA members played a key role in keeping her name in the public’s attention, she attended our national convention and thanked our members.
Beverly LaHaye appeared on “The Sally Jesse Raphael Show” to oppose four unmarried women who had been artificially inseminated and never wanted to be married.
CWA fought to get the truth out about Judge Robert Bork, who awaited confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. CWA spearheaded a national petition drive, provided a 350-member team to lobby senators, and participated in the “Women for Bork” rally.
CWA published its first constitutional issues volume, Christmas in the Schools by staff attorney Jordan Lorence. More than 20,000 copies were sent to parents and school officials.
CWA continued to take teams of members, board members and staff to Costa Rica to care for the Nicaraguan refugees. Their goal was to provide food and medicine and to distribute $1 million worth of clothing donated by K-Mart. These efforts blessed thousands of refugees.
1988
Escuela de la Libertad (School of Liberty) was built and sponsored by CWA in the jungle of Costa Rica for Nicaraguan refugee children. Meanwhile, CWA’s open-air medical clinics at the school offered physical, emotional, and spiritual assistance.
Beverly LaHaye testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the confirmation hearings for Judge Anthony Kennedy to the U.S. Supreme Court.
CWA published a second Constitutional issues volume, The Case for Home Schooling by Christopher J. Klicka.
CWA established a Central American Affairs Department led by Jim Woodall. Beverly LaHaye testified before Congress on human rights abuses by the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
CEO’s of the three major TV networks received nearly 2 million postcards from CWA members and friends asking them not to advertise condoms.
In celebration of CWA’s 10th Anniversary, 45,000 attended a satellite video conference transmitted to 179 sites around the United States.
1989
Nicaraguan refugees, fleeing the tyranny of their homeland, flood into Florida’s Dade County. CWA makes donations of rice, beans, and used clothing to help the most impoverished refugees, and cash donations come within a penny of the amount required for the distribution.
1990
CWA began a daily radio broadcast called “Beverly LaHaye Live.”
Madalyn Murray O’Hair filed a $4 million libel suit against Beverly LaHaye and CWA. After hours of depositions, the judge declared the case “frivolous” and dismissed it on the eve of the trial.
CWA published a curriculum on sex education, “Families, Decision Making and Human Development.”
Due to publicity by CWA, the Secretary of Health and Human Services cancelled a teen sex survey five days after it became public.
Jim Woodall and Beverly LaHaye met with President Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua. It was Christmas time, and President Chamorro joined them in a distribution of food and toys to the poor people of Nicaragua.
1991
At a press conference, Mrs. LaHaye urges the Senate to reject the feminist strategy and to confirm Judge Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court. CWA’s legal counsel testified at the first confirmation hearing for the judge.
CWA obtained a permanent injunction against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which was limiting the distribution of gospel tracts. The U.S. District Court in Boston reached their decision based on two major U.S. Supreme Court cases, both of which CWA/CASE (Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism) had won. These decisions led to several decisions which paved the road for the Gospel.
CWA and other pro-family organizations met with the European companies involved in the production and distribution of RU-486, an abortion drug.
Beverly LaHaye testified before the Committee on Appropriations, Interior Subcommittee, of the U.S. House of Representatives to argue for de-funding of the Endowment for the Arts.
Family Voice, CWA’s monthly magazine is launched. An article exploring the connection between euthanasia and abortion includes an interview of Derek Humphrey, executive director of the Hemlock Society.
1992
A CWA member was appointed to the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces, which recommended against women serving in combat.
The National Religious Broadcasters presented “Beverly LaHaye Live” the Talk Show of the Year Award.
CWA generated a public outcry to the U.S. Senate over the Research Freedom Act (S. 1902), which would end the ban on federal funding for the transplantation of organs obtained from aborted babies.
1993
CWA-Iowa helped defeat the ERA in that state with a 52 percent majority vote.
CWA delivered nearly 350,000 petitions to U.S. senators which urged them to vote against the pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act (S. 25/H.R. 1068). Some were hand-delivered to each senator by Project 535 volunteer lobbyists.
Breast cancer researcher Joel Brind, Ph.D., appeared on “Beverly LaHaye Live” and published an article in Family Voice on how abortion increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer, research squelched by pro-choice bias.
1994
After 66-year-old Joyce Woodall was arrested for praying outside an abortion clinic in Virginia, CWA filed suit against FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act), which limited the constitutional right of free speech to pro-life protesters.
Days before state elections, the Virginia State Democratic Committee files an injunction against CWA to stop the distribution of voter guides. Just one day before the election, CWA and the Family Foundation appealed to the courts, which ordered the ban lifted. Volunteers eagerly distributed the voter guides at the polls.
“Wait for Me,” CWA’s video on teen sexuality and abstinence, takes home four awards from the Southern California Motion Picture Council.
1995
When the U.S. Court of Appeals upholds the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), CWA appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court later refused to hear it.
Beverly LaHaye led a delegation to the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, from where she sent daily radio broadcasts back to CWA’s studio. This was to ensure that the voice for pro-family women was heard.
CWA joined in a boycott of companies tied to RU-486, the French abortion pill, which was being tested on American women.
Family Voice broke the story on mandatory AIDS education in the federal workplace — actually an effort to re-educate and re-orient people’s views. Articles in The Washington Times followed, as did programs on “Beverly LaHaye Live” and interviews on radio talk shows across the country. Soon The Washington Times reported “AIDS training no longer mandatory.” The White House backed off. Legislation was soon introduced in Congress to prevent federal tax dollars from advancing the homosexual agenda.
1996
CWA and the Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism Legal Department won an important victory for religious liberty. Christian evangelism was then allowed at a site for the 1996 Olympic Games, thanks to a ruling by a Georgia state court.
Mailings, “Beverly LaHaye Live,” newspaper ads and Family Voice alerted the nation to the National Education Association’s (NEA) Resolution B-7. This replaced “tolerance of” with “acceptance of” homosexuals and used the word “must.” It also encouraged state affiliates to conduct training programs.
As a result of CWA’s actions, 12 NEA state affiliates disavowed B-9, which required celebration of gay history month; members of several chapters resigned, and teachers across the country refused to celebrate homosexual history month.
CWA produces “After the Choice,” a video for women who are considering abortion — or have already made the decision. CWA provided free copies to nearly 3,500 Crisis Pregnancy Centers, and the video received an Award of Excellence at the 19th International Angel Awards in Hollywood, California.
CWA launched into cyberspace with its Web site at https://concernedwomen.org/, which provided news, broadcasts of “Beverly LaHaye Today,” resources and Family Voice articles. It offers the ability to e-mail one’s elected officials and other key political leaders on current issues. This new outreach received response from nine foreign countries who have listened to “Beverly LaHaye Today.”
CWA representatives attended the U.N. Conference on Human Settlements, Habitat II, in Istanbul, Turkey. CWA presented a workshop titled “Who Owns the Family?” to an international group of delegates.
Worldwide food production and consumption and “food security” were stated themes for a U.N. “mini-conference” in Rome. CWA representatives got out the real story: the U.N. themes of population control and sustainable development.
1997
CWA’s Web site received an Excellence Award from the National Religious Broadcasters.
CWA lobbied at the grassroots and on the Hill to pass the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. The House overwhelmingly passed the ban, including 11 undecided or opposed House members who changed their minds on the day of the vote.
After several years of lobbying, the $500-per-child tax credit was finally included in a budget plan, to begin as $400 in 1998 and increase to $500 in 1999.
An article about Dr. Alfred Kinsey in The New Yorker confirmed the charges of CWA and Dr. Judith Reisman about his fraudulent, immoral research on human sexuality. Beverly LaHaye and CWA members called on Congress to investigate Kinsey’s activities. CWA also launched RSVP America, a program to educate and equip grassroots activists to de-bunk Kinsey.
CWA’s campaign to expose Kiney’s fraudulent research had the Kinsey institute taking notice. In their Fall newsletter, the institute referred to CWA’s work and attempts to discredit it.
1998
CWA-California Bay Area helped gather 60,000 necessary signatures to force the Board of Supervisors to repeal or place on the ballot a domestic partnership ordinance. The Board repealed the ordinance.
CWA co-hosted a press conference to expose Peru’s national sterilization campaign. Participants, including Peruvian women, presented testimony of abuses and documented evidence. Later, sources reported that Peru’s sterilizations decreased 68 percent.
CWA was the only major, U.S. pro-family organization to attend the U.N.’s annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, which aims to mainstream “gender identity and equality” worldwide.
After strenuous lobbying, the House overwhelmingly passed the Freedom from Religious Persecution Act with a veto-proof vote of 375-41.
CWA, along with other pro-family groups, met with Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder to address child pornography and obscenity. We asked him to nationally address the problem of child pornography and to increase prosecutions to the level of previous administrations. As a result, Mr. Holder wrote to and urged all U.S. attorneys to step up prosecution of obscenity and pornography violations.
Influenced by CWA members and Project 535 lobbyists, an amendment that would require parental notification before a minor can receive Title X services, such as contraceptives and abortion counseling, passes committee.
CWA spoke at a press conference which urged legislators to end the marriage tax penalty, which taxes two-income married couples about $1,400 more than if they were unmarried.
In the November elections, after CWA education efforts, voters in Alaska and Hawaii upheld Biblical marriage and rejected same-sex marriage.
The “Truth in Love” newspaper ads appeared across the country. National media quickly covered the ads, which spoke of God’s power to deliver homosexuals. They generated hundreds of calls from individuals wanting to leave homosexuality.
CWA hosted a press conference with other conservative leaders to call for the impeachment of President Clinton. CWA’s statements aired on CNN one hour after the conference.
1999
A CWA representative appeared on ABC’s “Nightline” regarding the impeachment of President Clinton.
Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-Colorado) honors CWA’s 20th anniversary in a speech on the House floor. “CWA is the leading voice for women across the nation embracing and promoting traditional family values,” he said. “Feminists can no longer claim to be the one and only voice for all American women. I am honored to commend CWA for 20 outstanding years of dedicated service.” CWA honored former President Ronald Reagan as Statesman of the Century.
CWA sponsored a news conference focusing on the victims of pornography. Speakers included Rep. John Hostettler (R-Indiana) and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania). Many news stations covered the event, which featured four persons devastated by pornography.
CWA inaugurates the Beverly LaHaye Institute: A Center for Studies in Women’s Issues, which will conduct and analyze research and hold symposiums to encourage balanced research on issues important to women and the family.
CWA representatives attend the United Nations’ Cairo+5 Conference in New York. They joined in pro-family efforts to oppose the population control agenda and provide daily “highlights” via our Web site.
CWA joined the “Truth in Love” campaign for TV and made the ads available on our Web site. The campaign offered hope in Jesus Christ for those caught in homosexuality. As a result, the British Broadcasting Company commissioned a program on homosexual transformational ministries.
With Jill Stanek, a registered nurse near Chicago, CWA broke the story about the increasingly common practice of live birth abortions. These efforts prompted ABC’s “20/20” to conduct an investigation and Congress to hold a hearing on the sale of baby body parts — a plausible motivation for live-birth abortion.
2000
CWA attended the U.N. Beijing+5 Conference which evaluated countries’ progress in ensuring “equality” for women according to the 1995 Platform for Action. With the help of CWA, the Third World countries stood strong and successfully resisted the radical feminist agenda.
CWA began educating members on what exactly embryonic stem cell research means. We also championed the treatment derived from adult stem cell research.
The Supreme Court handed down several major decisions at the end of its term. The Boy Scouts and partial-birth abortion were among these opinions, both decided 5-4. CWA filed briefs in each of these cases.
Continuing the fight over live birth abortion, CWA’s efforts prompted Congress to hold a vital hearing with Jill Stanek and others troubled by the practice.
Through the efforts of CWA and other pro-family groups, Congress successfully passed relief for couples from the marriage tax. This bill, however, was vetoed by the president; an override attempt was unsuccessful.
After approval of the abortion drug RU-486 was unsuccessfully barred in the House, the FDA approved the drug. CWA held a press conference in firm opposition to this decision and explained the inevitable problems to come.
During the extended election, CWA drew people to a greater understanding of our United States system of government, the concept of checks and balances and the importance of the electoral college.
2001
CWA and many other groups rallied around Attorney General John Ashcroft and his confirmation in the Senate, holding a press conference of women leaders, generating 13,233 e-mails to senators, phone calls from members, hand-delivering information to senators and appearing on several major news networks in his support.
Attorney General (A.G.) John Ashcroft overturned a directive from former A.G. Janet Reno that allowed Oregon to impose physician-assisted suicide in 1994. General Ashcroft clarified that any person who violated the Controlled Substances Act would lose his license to prescribe medications. This action followed a CWA meeting with Department of Justice officials, where CWA proposed that General Ashcroft take this very step.
The Culture and Family Institute was established to focus on cutting-edge social issues with particular emphasis on the homosexual activist movement and other forces that threaten to undermine marriage, family and religious freedom.
CWA received United Nations accreditation to be officially recognized at the U.N. as a non-governmental organization (NGO). CWA sent representatives to Istanbul+5, the World Summit for Children, World Conference on Racism to make sure the language in these important documents is consistent with Biblical principles.
President Bush announced his decision regarding embryonic stem cell research which rewards the killing of embryos. CWA was one of few conservative groups openly expressing disappointment over the unethical aspects of the decision.
2002
CWA joined a coalition of pro-life, pro-family groups to launch a campaign of TV ads that boldly declared: “Abortion is a lie.” The ads featured former heroes of the abortion industry — Norma McCorvey of Roe v. Wade, Sandra Cano of Doe v. Bolton and Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a co-founder of the pro-abortion organization NARAL-who called the nation to support life.
The Senate passed by unanimous consent the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, and President George W. Bush signed it into law. Championed by nurse Jill Stanek of CWA of Illinois, and lobbied by CWA’s national staff, this law requires that babies who survive abortion and are born alive must be treated and cared for as persons.
CWA, along with the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Christian Medical Association, filed a legal document known as a Citizen Petition with the Food & Drug Administration to challenge the approval of RU-486, also known as the “abortion pill.” CWA bases this challenge on the flawed approval process for RU-486 and its significant risks to women.
2003
In response to the heroic efforts of Justice Roy Moore to display the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Judicial Building, CWA took a leading roll in gathering support for him through our radio program and rallying Americans on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building to stand for the public acknowledgement of God and to oppose judicial tyranny.
CWA rejoiced as President Bush signed the partial-birth abortion ban, concluding eight years of effort for pro-life activists. A letter to CWA from the office of Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) said, “Your organization and your constituents were invaluable in accomplishing this goal. Hats off to all of you.”
CWA released Hidden Truth: What You Deserve to Know About Abortion, a powerful video exposing the impact abortion has on mothers and fathers, not to mention the unborn babies who lose their lives through these procedures.
In an important move to protect children from online pornography, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Children’s Internet Protection Act, which requires public libraries that receive federal funds for Internet access to use filters to block obscenity and child pornography. CWA staff worked extensively for passage of this law, and the Court’s opinion cited an amicus brief co-authored by CWA in its first footnote.
2004
CWA saw results from its efforts in a campaign for broadcast decency standards. The Jackson/Timberlake Super Bowl incident was the last straw, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) immediately announced an investigation into the halftime debacle. Just days earlier, Congress had held a hearing on the FCC’s failure to endorse indecency standards.
CWA hit the ground running in Massachusetts, where the Supreme Judicial Court declared that marriage could not be limited to man-woman couples and ordered the Legislature to take “appropriate action.” CWA representatives conducted a Lobby Day to equip citizen activists, met with a chief aide of Gov. Mitt Romney (R), spoke at a rally of thousands gathered in Boston in support of marriage, and joined a coalition working to counter the court’s decree.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withheld the morning-after pill from nonprescription use. The decision followed numerous media interviews, public education efforts, and the testimony of CWA experts at an FDA hearing on the drug’s medical and public health problems.
2005
President Bush appointed Commissioner Kevin Martin as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). CWA had endorsed him as the best choice for the position because of his strong stand on broadcast indecency.
President Bush appointee Judge John G. Roberts received Senate confirmation as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States. CWA experts worked tirelessly to seal this confirmation and rejoiced at the fruits of their efforts.
CWA’s Beverly LaHaye Instituted received a $200,000 State Department grant to work with five pro-family Mexican organizations to combat sex trafficking in Mexico, a prime source for victims trafficked into the United States.
CWA joined in the battle for Terri Schiavo, a disabled woman whose husband removed her feeding tube with the court’s permission. Our staff lobbied on Capitol Hill, produced publications, appeared in the media, and issued e-alerts to generate support on her behalf. We also mourned when she passed away after 13 days without food or water.
Congress passed The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, for which CWA had extensively lobbied. This important legislation establishes a national cord-blood registry to facilitate patients’ treatments and allows them to be treated with umbilical-cord blood-stem cells, an effective and ethical treatment for a variety of diseases.
In a rare twist, what began as an attempt to gain international approval for cloning humans for research ended with the United Nations approving a total cloning ban. CWA representatives at the U.N. had long worked for this very result.
2006
CWA’s Leadership Conference in October featured exciting speakers and special media training for state directors at the Leadership Institute.
CWA’s election night project was a big success with 6,800 first-time visitors to our Web site (vs. 4,100 on a normal day) and 548,000 hits (vs. 310,000 on a normal day).
The Beverly LaHaye Institute earned an “Abolitionist” certificate from the U.S. State Department for CWA’s work against sex trafficking.
CWA’s Legal Studies department joined CWA to two amicus briefs in support of FCC decency enforcement and worked with Sen. Brownback’s office on strategy for greater obscenity enforcement.
Our state leaders worked more than 160 state bills in their state legislatures.
Wendy Wright, CWA’s new president, led volunteer lobbyists at the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women meeting and was influential in preventing the U.S. from joining the newly revised, still-absurd U.N. Council on Human Rights.
Dr. Janice Crouse, Senior Fellow and Executive Director of the Beverly LaHaye Institute and Brenda Zurita, Research Fellow for the Institute, traveled to Mexico as part of the Crossing the Bridge Project and met with leaders, toured successful projects and advised our Mexican partners.
CWA President Wendy Wright was named to Washingtonian’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women list.
CWA joined two amicus briefs — one in the Supreme Court on partial birth abortion and one in the Illinois Supreme Court on parental notification.
2007
CWA President, Wendy Wright, and Dr. Janice Crouse, Executive Director of the Beverly LaHaye Institute met with President Bush to discuss national issues.
Wendy Wright was recognized for her leadership by the National Pro-Life Religious Council.
Mario Diaz, CWA’s Legal Counsel, did an interview on “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” on Univision – CWA’s first interview in Spanish.
A Woman’s Path to True Significance, written by Mrs. Beverly LaHaye and Dr. Janice Crouse, is re-released by the publisher.
In spite of a liberal majority in Congress, CWA accumulated a list of impressive victories: no federal funds for Embryonic Stem Cell Research; we stopped a phony cloning ban with two days’ notice as well as hate crimes, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Law of the Sea Treaty, CEDAW; pro-life priorities and abstinence funding were protected; broadcast decency got out of committee, and the House passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
Dr. Janice Crouse was part of a key group of leaders who met in Bermuda to plan the future of the World Congress of Families.
Matt Barber’s leadership led directly to breaking the story of the Folsom Street Fair’s anti-Christian advertisement. The media covered the story widely; Matt appeared on Hannity and Colmes.
The confirmation of Judge Leslie Southwick was a major CWA victory; we participated in press conferences, produced press releases, op-eds, talking point, multimedia items, radio spots and even a YouTube video, but most importantly, we mobilized our members with several alerts. The judge personally thanked CWA for our work.
Dr. Crouse reports that World Congress of Families IV in Warsaw “was a pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family rallying cry heard around the world.” She was a plenary speaker.
2008
President Wendy Wright promoted a pro-life video with actor Eduardo Verastegui.
Wendy Wright organized a petition drive to the U.N. on the anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Wendy worked to get the White House to stop the State Department from supporting a French resolution on “sexual orientation.”
Dr. Janice Crouse attended the Oval Office signing ceremony of new legislation on human trafficking (CWA was one of only 10 groups represented) and testified at a hearing on the Hill to evaluate the new law. The “Zurita Amendment” — as it was informally but widely known among advocates — credits CWA’s own Brenda Zurita for changing how law enforcement is required to gather trafficking crime data.
CWA published the extensive 2007-2008 Supreme Court Year in Review in September.
Wendy Wright traveled to Kosovo to work with government officials on their constitution; she met with the President, Members of Parliament, the President of the Parliament, and Evangelical leaders.
CWA hosted two workshops during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Matt Barber’s Unmasking the “Gay” Agenda was the highest hit article on the CWA website and broke all weekly hit records with just under 68,000 hits in five days.
Our special Election Night coverage earned 1.17 million hits with 15,000 first-time visitors and 15,000 multimedia downloads.
2009
Beverly LaHaye Institute Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Janice Crouse’s latest book, Children at Risk: The Precarious State of Children’s Well-Being in America, was released in October. The book was endorsed by Robert George, distinguished marriage and family scholar from Princeton University.
The Public Eye [The website and publication of Political Research Associates] with its motto “Researching the Right for Progressive Changemakers,” featured a front page article about Dr. Crouse, “Janice Shaw Crouse: A Warrior with Words,” in their Fall 2009, Vol. 24, No. 3 issue. Pam Chamberlain wrote the 10-page article with 26 footnotes that included a wealth of material and information about Dr. Crouse. The National Women’s Law Center published the article in their October journal titling it, “Janice Shaw Crouse: The New Phyllis Schlafly.”
CWA premiered the “ObamaCare Line” YouTube items, one of the most notable projects done by CWA staff to highlight what a call for health care might sound like in the future. The videos spread like wildfire across the social networking world and YouTube.
A key priority was extensive work on the freedom of conscience regulations, including: writing talking points for Evangelical leaders, an op/ed for Human Events, e-alert, Fact Card, telemarketing script, press releases, and two sets of formal comments to Health and Human Services; organizing the webpage with the materials; overseeing CWA’s filing to intervene in a lawsuit filed by attorneys general attempting to overturn the regulations.
CWA now has a presence on social networking sites including two Facebook pages (one for Fans; one for Field leaders), MySpace and Twitter. CWA also began a texting service for cellular devices.
Dr. Crouse was one of only two NGO leaders to testify before the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking on the newly passed Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008.
Dr. Crouse was a plenary speaker at World Congress of Families V in August in Amsterdam.
2010
CWA’s most significant change in 2010 occurred with the appointment of Penny Young Nance as Chief Executive Officer.
At a special briefing on Capitol Hill, the Human Trafficking Caucus lectures were presented by Dr. Janice Crouse, Senior Fellow of CWA’s Beverly LaHaye Institute and Catherine Mackinnon. Rep. Chris Smith called the hearing “the most significant and consequential event” ever sponsored by them.
Dr. Janice Crouse was a major speaker at the International Family Conference in London, England, a regional World Congress of Families event.
Dr. Crouse filmed an hour-long interview with Iranian TV and answered questions from audiences in Beirut, Tehran, and London.
CWA’s Health care effort included coordinating a postcard campaign “I Don’t Want to Pay for Someone Else’s Abortion.”
President Wendy Wright attended the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and wrote an article on a Girl Scout sex education guide from Planned Parenthood at a CSW workshop.
CWA was fully engaged in the vote on the government takeover of our health care system. This was our priority, and we put 110 percent into our efforts. The Senate began debate in December; we worked to get the pro-life Stupak-Pitts amendment in the Senate bill and to defeat the overall bill. CWA was the only pro-family group to score for the life amendments and against the overall bill. We sent weekly alerts, score letters to the Hill, and worked with state leaders in targeted states to set up meetings, make calls and send letters.
Dr. Janice Crouse had the incredible opportunity of debating the legalization of prostitution at the world-famous Oxford Union Debates.
The Mexico City safe house, which CWA helped establish through a State Department grant, now houses 25 girls rescued from sex slavery; their lives are being transformed through the power of Christ.
CWA joined an amicus brief in a Christian Legal Society case on whether a public university can refuse to recognize a religious student group that requires leaders to share its religious beliefs.
CWA continued its SpendingRevolt.com coalition work with bus rallies; a new Family Voice Bulletin on Bible and debt; a national poll 11/3 by the polling company, inc./Woman Trend showing voters the day before were most concerned with spending and morals/values.
CWA continued to follow the Prop. 8 case and its abuses; we submitted an amicus brief in the case.
Wendy Wright appeared on Chris Matthews’ Hardball and CNN in response to the overturning of California’s marriage amendment.
2011
In January, we renewed the fight against nationalized health care. CWA focused its efforts on the House Blue Dogs. Project 535 met with targeted Members, asked them to stay firm on the pro-life provisions; we personally visited other Members. On the day of the vote, Penny Nance and Shari Rendall were on the Hill while CWA staff tweeted about their efforts. They personally asked Rep. Stupak to oppose the bill, and he told them to get 60 votes in the Senate. The bill eventually passed the House.
A major project this year was Stop Funding Abortion/ Defund Planned Parenthood; CWA’s work included first Webcast featuring pro-life leaders, five Representatives, first CWA leaders-only conference call, and we ran radio ads in 13 states.
CWALAC launched a major $1.2 million Spenditol TV ad campaign targeting four states, got the word out via social media, and earned extensive coverage. The YouTube video had over 2 million hits and the Spenditol website over 1.2 million.
A key priority in the Congress was “Cut, Cap, and Balance” (CCB); CWA was one of the first pro-family groups to join the coalition. We worked closely with key Hill leaders, participated in a press conference, sent a score letter to the Hill, met with some 100 House/45 Senate offices, held conference calls with state leaders and sent e-alerts.
Dr. Janice Crouse was a major speaker at the World Congress of Families Moscow Demographic Summit.
CWA submitted an amicus brief in a major sex-trafficking case before the Supreme Court.
CWA launched its Young Women for America project with a goal of raising up young women on college campuses around the country to stand for Biblical values and truth on their college campuses.
2012
Dr. Janice Crouse spoke four times at the Caribbean Regional World Congress of Families Conference in Trinidad.
CWA sponsored three different events at the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women. Dr. Crouse moderated a panel discussion, co-sponsored an event that showed a film on sex trafficking, and spoke at a panel discussion planned by the Beverly LaHaye Institute.
She Votes 2012 — CWA’s Get Out the Vote Campaign was a concerted effort to identify and register conservative voters for the 2012 general election and get them out to vote. Nine states were targeted. Those states received extra funds and resources to conduct voter registration, voter identification, and voter turnout activities to help get out the conservative vote. The states were: Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, North Dakota, Montana, Michigan, and Missouri.
The She Votes bus tour was an outstanding success. It generated lots of media and lots of interest in North Carolina, Virginia, Montana and North Dakota where the bus traveled. People loved the design of the bus, and they were excited by our message of the importance of their vote.
CWA continues to play an important role in the battle to protect God’s model for marriage.
In conjunction with this year’s March for Life, CWA kicked off our “Celebrate Life, Embrace Grace” Capitol Hill event with musicians Matt Maher and Collin Raye. We were joined by 12 Members of Congress and several prominent pro-life leaders including Dr. Alveda King.
On March 1, CWA hosted Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black and other women leaders at our “Obama Health Mandate Demolishes Religious Liberty and Conscience Rights” press conference to protest the mandate.
Dr. Janice Crouse moderated the Opening Plenary Session with opening and closing remarks at the World Congress of Families VI in Madrid.
Dr. Crouse spoke at a plenary session of the World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations” in Rhodes, Greece; one of the organizers commented that Dr. Crouse “stole the show.” Over 500 leaders from around the world are invited to share ideas about building civil societies.
Dr. Crouse was also one of five international pro-family leaders invited to speak at the launching of the National Parents Association in Moscow. A highly-select group of Russian dignitaries, legislators and business leaders met at the Duma to endorse Russia’s new pro-family organization.
On the same day, Dr. Crouse spoke at a Moscow press conference about whether to legalize prostitution in Russia.
Young Women for America has continued to grow. We now have active chapters at Liberty University (Virginia), Cedarville University (Ohio), Ave Maria School of Law (Florida), Jamestown University (North Dakota), Oral Roberts University (Oklahoma), Baylor University (Texas), and the University of Arkansas.
Election night coverage drew significant traffic to the CWA sites. The special “Election Night Central” page received over 415,000 hits with over 5,500 first time visitors. Highest hit election-related articles were “Diaz: Stepping Off the Cliff” and “What Happened? The Third Debate Happened”. We sent out 216 messages on social media sites and received over 13,000 comments. Overall, we received almost five million social networking impressions contributing to this being the largest social media election in history. The She Votes 2012 project continued to be a major attraction with over 187,000 hits.
2013
In January our Young Women for America Chapter leaders joined the CWA team in D.C. to participate in the March for Life, Lobby Day, and a full day of leadership training. It was great to see the amount of energy, inspiration and enthusiasm that this experience generated amongst the young ladies. Their zeal for making a difference on their campuses and for their nation was truly strengthened by this experience, and the camaraderie that was developed by spending the weekend with other like-minded young women greatly encouraged them and spurred them on their way. It was also a fantastic opportunity for them to grow as leaders through the hands-on experience lobbying on Capitol Hill and especially during leadership training in which they were presented with several practical ways to grow their Chapters, host successful events, educate the young ladies in their Chapters, etc.
Dr. Janice Crouse, Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute, was a panelist at a briefing on Capitol Hill in April 2013 sponsored by the scholarly journal, The Family in America. Other panelists were Ross Douthat, columnist for the New York Times, and Kay Hymowitz from the Manhattan Institute.
CWA continued to fight for marriage and the family with three Supreme Court briefs on the historical Defense of Marriage Act and California Proposition 8 decisions.
Dr. Janice Crouse, Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute received the World Congress of Families International “2012 Woman of the Year” Award at a ceremony in Sydney, Australia in May 2013. While attending the event Dr. Crouse also gave a plenary address titled, “Healthy Families, Healthy Economies.”
CWA launched the “Willing” campaign to empower young people to stand up for God’s principles in an increasingly hostile culture.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report changed this year for the first time in 30 years to incorporate CWA’s Zurita Amendment from the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to disaggregate the arrest details found in the “Prostitution and Commercialized Vice” category.
Dr. Janice Crouse, Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute, was a plenary speaker at the international family conference sponsored by the Elspis Centre in Trinidad.
We fought against the assault of our religious freedom in ObamaCare, through the HHS mandate and other pro-abortion, anti-life schemes embedded in the law.
Dr. Janice Crouse, Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute, wrote, “Marriage and Human Rights and Human Dignity,” for the UN Human Rights Council for their “best practices in the application of traditional values while promoting and protecting human rights and upholding human dignity.”
Mario Diaz, Esq., CWA’s Legal Counsel, trained pastors in the best ways to approach the sensitive issue of homosexual marriage in their congregations and communities.
CWA worked to stop President Obama’s radicalization of the third branch of government: the Judiciary.
CWA stood strongly against the packing of the DC Circuit and many extremely radical nominees, like Cornelia Pillard.
CWA continued to stand for religious liberty against the assault by homosexual supporters, judicial activists and the sympathetic Administration of President Barack Obama, writing important commentary and legal briefs standing up for religious freedom.
We fought against government abuses of power toward people of faith, like the IRS scandal and the government use of the Southern Poverty Law Center data classifying Christian groups as “hate” groups.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 included automatic spending cuts and caps known as the “sequester.” This was a bipartisan effort to reduce our spending and our nation’s deficit. CWALAC successfully worked with Members of Congress to ensure that the agreed upon sequester spending levels were not set aside during budget negotiations (as these cuts are the only the government has at reigning in our out-of-control national debt).
Religious liberty is one of the driving forces behind our continued efforts against the abuses of Attorney General Eric Holder. Though still in office, his actions have been under increased scrutiny, no doubt in part because of the efforts of CWA and its partners. CWA was one of the first organizations to call for his resignation.
Senator Lindsey Graham introduced the Unborn Child Protection Act, S.1670 in the United States Senate on November 7, 2013. This legislation would ban abortion after 20 weeks when the baby can feel pain. Despite polling (64% of Americans believe that abortion in the second three months of pregnancy should be illegal) the Majority in the Senate has blocked all attempts to bring pro-life legislation through the Chamber. This measure being introduced with 40 original cosponsors is a loud push forward for protecting the lives of women and the unborn.
Young Women for America was able to triple its presence on college campuses across the nation; we grew from seven Chapters to 21! It has been so exciting to watch YWA grow and expand on college campuses across the nation. Each of our Chapter leaders are incredible young women with a heart for the Lord, their country and the education and spiritual enrichment of their generation.
YWA hosted tabling events on four college campuses this fall, exposing the negative effects of Obama Care. The campuses were: University of North Texas, Ave Maria School of Law, University of Arkansas and Cedarville University. The events were a great success! Hundreds of students at each campus were reached with education on the issue and many students, including those in the medical field, asked great questions regarding the bill and what it will mean for their individual situation. Several of them had stories about how it had already negatively affected their families.
In the beginning of the 2013 Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) threatened to change the Senate rules by evading normal Senate procedure. After threatening to deploy this nuclear option, Reid finally followed through on November 21, 2013, without the consent of the Minority. Despite Reid’s ultimate success, CWALAC was able to help stop this political power-grab for almost a year.
Over the past year military service members have faced increased religious hostility. CWALAC worked hard to include provisions within both the House and the Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would protect service members’ religious beliefs and allows them to freely practice those beliefs.