Tag

Dr. Shea Garrison Archives – Concerned Women for America

U.S. National Intelligence Priority: WHO Director-General’s Ties to Communist China

By | Blog, International, National Sovereignty, News and Events | No Comments

CWA’s Vice President of International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison, wrote the following op-ed published on CNS News.

“In his Senate confirmation hearing last week, Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), remarked that the Chinese authoritarian regime is working diligently “to supplant us as the world’s superpower.”

The fact that Communist China strategically orchestrates its goal of world domination by infiltrating, influencing, and funding organizations and leaders in the U.S. and around the world, should be taken very seriously by U.S. national intelligence.

Although the extent of the World Health Organization’s collaboration with China is still to be determined, investigation is warranted into WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party — ties which may be critically relevant to the early spread of coronavirus and which are still potentially dangerous.

During Tedros’ campaign for WHO director general, the Ethiopian Registrar made a series of allegations in an article called “Why TPLF is Desperately Fighting for Dr. Tedros to be the Next DG of the WHO.” The TPLF, or Tigray People’s Liberation Front, is an historically Marxist-Leninist revolutionary party which ruled under cover of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front during Tedros’ time as minister of foreign affairs. Tedros is one of the nine executive members or “politburo” of the TPLF.

Read Dr. Garrison’s Entire Piece Here:

U.N. Report Promotes Abortion, LGBT ‘Rights’ Over Human Rights

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

CWA’s Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison, teamed up with Emilie Kao, director of the DeVos Center for Religion & Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation on an opinion piece published in The Washington Times.

“Billions of people around the world exercised their religious freedom during Holy Week, but a new United Nations report threatens to undermine both this freedom and women’s rights.

The report of Ahmed Shaheed, the U.N. expert responsible for protecting religious freedom, advances a “progressive” agenda of abortion and new “rights” based on membership in sexual identity groups. It seems the U.N. is willing to trample the rights of the vulnerable and undermine the credibility of universal human rights to promote the values of a small number of wealthy countries — a travesty the Trump administration should oppose.

The report to the infamous U.N. Human Rights Council undermines the empowerment of women and girls by lumping their concerns together with novel claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It includes a controversial interpretation of “gender equality” that promotes acceptance of transgender ideology and the concept of multiple, fluid, “gender identities.””

Read Dr. Garrison and Emilie Kao’s Entire Piece Here:

GARRISON, TRAFICANT: China’s Reach Into Mainstream America Comes With A High Price To Pay

By | Blog, News and Events | No Comments

CWA’S International team made up of CWA’s VP of International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison and Legislative Strategist Ashley Traficant teamed up on an Opinion Piece published this week in The Daily Caller.

“The White House recently received a classified report from U.S. intelligence confirming what many already suspected — China’s public reporting of COVID-19 cases and fatalities is “intentionally incomplete” and “fake.” Furthermore, with currently over 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, if the Chinese government had acted 3-weeks earlier, the number of early cases world-wide could have been reduced by 95%.

While the world pays the price, staying barely one step ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government focuses on a propaganda war to skirt culpability and shift blame to the U.S. for the virus’ origin.

But China’s game of manipulation and attempts to undermine the U.S. at the highest levels of government and civil society is nothing new. With over 350,000 cases today in the U.S., COVID-19 is evidence that U.S. leaders and citizens should always be watchful, holding the Chinese government firmly accountable.”

 

Read Dr. Shea Garrison and Ashley Traficant’s Entire Piece Here:

From left to right: Dr. Shea Garrison, Concerned Women for America International Affairs; Alfonso Aguilar, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles and International Human Rights Group; Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organization of American States; Steven Aden, Americans United for Life; Gualberto Garcia-Jones, International Human Rights Group “On January 28, 2020, international pro-life organizations held a second meeting between and Sec. Almagro to discuss his upcoming reelection in March 2020 and to encourage him to promote the right to life in the American states.”

How Life is Winning in the Americas

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

Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated Luis Almagro on winning reelection to serve as Secretary General of the Organization of the American States (OAS). Secretary Pompeo commended Almagro for his work promoting democracy in South America and holding Castro accountable in Cuba.

While CWA International is grateful for Almagro’s stance against socialism, including against the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela, there have been concerns regarding his history of proabortion statements

Thankfully, prior to his reelection Secretary Almagro affirmed the right to life and his commitment to uphold that right as a pillar of the OAS convention stating:

“[…] definitely, the principles of religious freedom that I have mentioned and the principles of the right to life are fundamental principles and rights […] The application of the fullest validity of Article 4 of the American Convention is essential.”

Article 4 of the American Convention on Human Rights declares: “Every person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception.”

It is hard to overstate the significance of this statement by Secretary General Almagro.

This statement is the result of CWA International meeting privately with Secretary Almagro twice in the last three months, working diligently alongside other coalition partners to ask him to defend life and the unborn as the leader of the OAS.

After speaking with him about the importance of protecting all life and upholding the national sovereignty of each member state of the OAS, Secretary Almagro committed to include provisions in his election platform stating abortion is not an international right and affirming the national sovereignty of the countries who oppose abortion. Almagro also promised to support the freedom of religious-based organizations.

The OAS is comprised of 35 member states from North, Central, and South America, including the U.S. and Canada, as well as the Caribbean. According to Article 1 of its charter, OAS was formed in order to achieve “an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.” It is a regional entity similar to how the United Nations is a global one.

When Almagro was first elected Secretary General five years ago, he espoused the need for access to abortion:

“[T]he Americas continue to have some of the most restrictive laws regarding sexual and reproductive rights and freedoms [euphemism for abortion], and that reality has to change” [emphasis added].

This directly contradicts the OAS American Convention, not to mention the real healthcare needs of women.

This is why it was imperative Secretary Almagro declare his support for the OAS position on life. The secretary general’s role is to uphold the existing documents and principles, not project an agenda onto it.

Thankfully in March, Secretary Almagro committed publicly to upholding the American Convention and affirmed the right to life as set forth by OAS.

Though CWA International continues to work with Secretary Almagro to resolve some differences regarding defense of the family, we are excited he has made these pro-life declarations in a candidate forum prior to his reelection. We look forward to working alongside him to uphold OAS’s stance on protecting life from conception.

We join Secretary Pompeo in praising Secretary General Almagro’s promotion of freedom in the Americas and pushing back against the repressive socialist regimes of Venezuela, Nicaragua, and communist Cuba. We applaud him for also promising to protect the dignity and life of the unborn.

True freedom for all people.

 

Why the Global Protect Life Rule Is Right for the U.S. and Nations Around the World

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

CWA’s Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison, has just collaborated with Susan B. Anthony List’s research arm, Charlotte Lozier Institute, to develop an On Point policy paper to combat international abortion advocates. Dr. Garrison wrote this policy paper to educate Capitol Hill members on how to keep life protections in foreign policy, giving them the talking points to protect the Trump administration’s pro-life stance around the world.

“In January 2017, President Donald Trump took a bold and unprecedented executive actionto restore the Mexico City Policy and extend its reach through Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA), commonly known as the “Global Protect Life Rule.” With this action, President Trump updated and significantly expanded the scope of limitations on U.S. abortion-related funding, also significantly decreasing the amount of taxpayer dollars going to organizations who actively promote or perform abortion. U.S. foreign aid is now better funneled to alternative foreign organizations who are providing necessary healthcare in developing countries, while also respecting these countries’ cultural values and national sovereignty.”

Read the rest of the article on the Charlotte Lozier Institute site here.

Something Smells About Bernie’s Self-declared ‘Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian’ Platform

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

Concerned Women for America’s Vice President of International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison wrote the following opinion article published in Town Hall:

Senator Bernie Sanders’ accusation of bigotry, aimed at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, is ironic given that AIPAC is a bi-partisan group that supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something that Bernie says he also supports.  Bernie also wants “an independent, democratic, economically viable” Palestinian state, the same objectives outlined in detail in President Donald Trump’s recent peace plan — yet Bernie has publicly rejected that, too.

Something smells about Bernie’s ongoing declaration that he is both “pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian.” He has digressed to the same modus operandi favored by the Palestinians — hurling racist accusations, refusing to engage — with the attitude that nothing is ever good enough.

When “Peace to Prosperity,” President Trump’s Middle East peace plan, was announced last month, the Palestinians escalated violent attacks, injuring and killing both Israelis and Palestinians. Refusing for months to even engage with the U.S., they rejected the plan before even seeing it. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank called it a deceptive plan, expanding Israeli settlements and promoting apartheid (another form of bigotry). Hamas in the Gaza Strip said that armed and united Palestinian resistance against the “occupying power” is the only way to confront the “dangerous deal.”

It is important to realize that this “dangerous” deal that incites violence in the Palestinians, and outright rejection from Senator Sanders, requires Israel to make a significant transfer of land for a new Palestinian state that is comparable in size to the pre-1967 territory of the West Bank and Gaza — something that Sanders says he wants. It also provides substantial opportunity for economic growth with a massive investment of $50 billion supported by new infrastructure.

The economic part of this plan (which makes up at least two-thirds) is particularly significant, as it hopes to empower and create stability among the Palestinians, breaking their cycle of terrorism, poverty, and reliance on foreign aid. Again, these are goals that Sanders has said that a peace plan must have. Estimates for potential economic growth from the investment is to double the (currently stagnate) Palestinian GDP in ten years with the creation of over one million new jobs, cutting the poverty rate in half.

Read the Entire Piece Here:

Garrison: ERA Does Not Secure Equal Rights for Women

By | Blog, Feminist / Women's Issues, News and Events, Politics/National Sovereignty | No Comments

Our Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison, was quoted in the National Catholic Register:

Shea Garrison, vice president of international affairs at Concerned Women for America (CWA), observed, “The idea of an ‘equal rights’ amendment sounds great for women who want equality and ‘empowerment.’ However, the ERA, as it is written, does not secure equal rights for women. Rather, it puts us at risk to lose the gains we’ve made in the past 50 years. Here’s why: It says ‘equality of rights … shall not be denied … on account of sex.’ So, it is true that restricting access to abortion could be seen as discrimination against women since abortion is only applicable to women. But it also could work the other way — a man could say any law or special policies on child care, marriage, alimony, etc., put in place to specifically protect women is discrimination against him. Private women-only spaces like sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms, or domestic violence shelters could also be seen as a form of sex discrimination or violation of this amendment.”

“The bottom line,” Garrison explained, “is that this is bad policy that will hurt women, not give us equal rights. Women are already equal citizens under the law of the United States, and we will continue to use established law such as Amendment 14, Title IX, or the Equal Opportunity Act of 1963, etc., to wipe out any inequalities that we still may face.”

Calling the ERA “a war on women,” Concerned Women for America adds that this misguided amendment — if it were ever to be revived and passed — would:

  • Wipe out all ability to use any laws using “sex” as a defining characteristic, therefore overturning workplace and family laws that protect women.
  • Overturn privacy laws that define who may use men’s and women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.
  • Attack religious-freedom laws in situations where faith-based groups recognize distinctions between the sexes, such as in women-only domestic violence shelters run by faith-based organizations.
  • Be used to write abortion rights into our U.S. Constitution with the rationale that restricting access to abortion is a form of gender discrimination (since it singles out women for a physical trait unique to them).
  • Affect Social Security, Medicare benefits, health-insurance benefits and more.

Read more of the article on the ERA here.

CWA staff with AIPAC staff for briefing

CWA LAC’s Actions on Iran and U.S. targeted killing of Soleimani

By | Blog, International, News and Events, Politics/National Sovereignty, Uncategorized | No Comments

Concerned Women for America has been busy these last eight days to keep you updated and your voice heard in the midst of the targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani and subsequent events. Here are highlights of the work we have done this week to cover this momentous event.

Talking Points

On Friday, January 3, we sent out briefing points to ensure you had a detailed explanation of the targeted killing of Soleimani and the context surrounding these events. Realizing this is a significant moment in history, we want to make sure you have real-time knowledge of what’s happening and what it means for the United States and your family.

Briefing:

CWA International hosted a briefing Tuesday, January 9, with The Heritage Foundation’s Senior Research Fellow on the Middle East, Jim Phillips, for our staff, state leaders, and supporters. Jim gave us an in-depth presentation on Soleimani, Iran’s threat to the United States, their low-intensity war of terror led by Soleimani, Iran’s history of aggression, the threat to Israel and the impact of the death of Soleimani on all of the above. Check out Jim’s article in the Daily Signal for some of his insights on the situation: “How US Strike Against Iranian General Changes Rules of Game in Iraq, Region.”

Hill Letter

CWALAC sent a letter to the House opposing Thursday’s vote on H. Con. Res. 83, the war powers resolution seeking to undermine the President’s ability to react in a timely manner to protect American personnel and facilities and downplay the immediacy of the threat presented by Soleimani. It is important to note a concurrent resolution, like this one, is non-binding—this bill is nothing more than a pseudo-press release by House Democrats. Unfortunately, this bill passed, largely along party lines 224-194, with eight Democrats opposing and three Republicans supporting. One of the Republicans supporting, Rep. Mat Gaetz (R-Florida), said he supported the strike on Soleimani but feels Congress should be consulted for any further action.

(Here is a great article on this resolution and the War Powers Authorization in context of recent events with Iran)

Garrison and Traficant: Anti-Semitism is on the Rise

By | Blog, International, News and Events, Religious Issues, Religious Liberty, Support for Israel | No Comments

Concerned Women for America’s International Affairs team consisting of Dr. Shea Garrison and Ashley Traficant, published an article in The Hill showcasing how Anti-semitism is on the rise throughout the world.

Jeremy Corbyn, the soon-to-be former leader of the U.K.’s Labour Party, was defeated in a landslide election last week.

But while Corbyn announced his resignation and Labour lost dozens of seats, the anti-Semitism of his party remains endemic throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. Seventy-five years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is on the rise.

Tel Aviv University cites a 13 percent increase in anti-Semitic attacks worldwide in 2018, with the U.S., U.K., France and Germany having the highest number of incidents.

According to a CNN survey, memories of the Holocaust are fading while anti-Semitic stereotypes flourish. Forty-four percent of Europeans think anti-Semitism is a growing problem. But 28 percent say it is a response to the actions of Israel, while 18 percent feel it is “a response to the everyday behavior of Jewish people,” meaning a sizeable portion of Europeans blame the victims of anti-Semitism for its increase.

German anti-Semitism commissioner Felix Klein has even warned that it may not be safe to wear a kippah (Jewish skullcap) in public in Germany. Germany has seen a 70 percent increase in violent acts against Jews since 2017, but not all instances of anti-Semitism are violent. Unaddressed resentment and hateful stereotypes can be precursors of violence.”

Read the Entire Piece in The Hill Here:

The UN Is Pushing Abortion On Developing Countries, But The Trump Administration Is Fighting Back

By | Blog, Feminist / Women's Issues, News and Events, United Nations | No Comments

CWA’s Vice President for International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison, wrote the following Op-Ed published in the Daily Caller.

Once again, the United Nations is pushing abortion into developing countries under the guise of “accelerating” progress for women. And once again, the Trump administration is fighting back.

Backed by Western organizations and money, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), Norway and Kenya staged a summit last week in Nairobi to reflect the narrow interests of abortion proponents. Among supporters are the abortion-promoting organizations Plan International, the Gates Foundation, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Women Deliver, the U.N. Foundation, and She Decides.

Coming on the heels of the September U.S. Joint Statement on Universal Health Coverage, the summit seems a direct contradiction against 21 U.N. member states committed to “not support … ambiguous terms and expressions, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights in U.N. documents.” In response to the summit, the U.S. issued another statement on behalf of eleven countries reaffirming a commitment to protecting life and protesting that the priorities of the event do not enjoy international consensus.

The  Nairobi Summit claims to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) which negotiated reproductive health and population issues with representatives from 179 countries. But U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter wrote pro-abortion groups actually used this year’s summit as “a vehicle to try and further their agenda” saying they “are attempting to rewrite ICPD’s … language … with an alternative set of commitments that go beyond what was agreed to by member states in the original ICPD.”

Read Dr. Garrison’s entire Piece Here:

CWA Panel Advocates to Capitol Hill: How Human Rights are Best Protected in Foreign Policy

By | Blog, News and Events, Social / Cultural Issues | No Comments

Last week Concerned Women for America was on Capitol Hill advocating for the proper role of foreign policy in protecting human rights. The CWA and Heritage Foundation cosponsored panel was featured by Faith and Law and titled “Divisible, Not Incompatible: Strengthening Human Rights by Preventing Their Politicization”. CWA’s Vice President of International Affairs Dr. Shea Garrison spoke about U.S. leadership in international human rights advocacy along with Emilie Kao from Heritage Foundation, Benjamin Bull Esq. of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and Dr. Aaron Rhodes, President of the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe.

The hour-long panel explained to Hill staff members how in international human rights advocacy, God-given, natural, or unalienable rights (like religious freedom, freedom of speech and conscience) are increasingly being conflated with manufactured “rights” that are in actuality only the social and economic goals of particular interest groups.

Today so many organizations advocate in the name of “human rights” that economic and social goals are often confused with fundamental or unalienable rights. This is a problem leading to less individual freedom, not more. Dr. Aaron Rhodes’ book, The Debasement of Human Rights: How Politics Sabotage the Ideal of Freedom, identifies and explains this dangerous trend in the international human rights movement.

Examples of advocacy for social or economic goals in the name of “human rights” include: the right to a clean environment, the right to a free university education, the right to free internet access, the right of a biological male to compete on women’s sports teams, the right to legalized abortion, and even the right not to be offended. As individuals, we all have different opinions about whether these goals are desirable or even valuable. Panel members pointed out that by primarily protecting our “natural” human rights, we also protect the freedom to pursue our different political goals and ideological preferences.

Panel members also explained that confusion about fundamental rights can be dangerous, as it offers cover to authoritarian and totalitarian governments who provide economic and social benefits to citizens as a demonstration of their support for “human rights.” But these governments, like China and Venezuela, at the same time continue to oppress fundamental unalienable rights like religious liberty, freedom of the press, or free speech. As the Declaration of Independence states, the purpose of government is to secure unalienable rights and any government that does not is illegitimate.

To help clarify the difference between God-given natural rights and economic and social goals, Secretary Pompeo recently announced the U.S. Commission on Unalienable Rights to ground U.S. foreign policy on human rights in America’s founding principles. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, as well as the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) are guides for the commission.

The panel ended with suggestions as to how the U.S. can best shape human rights policy and strategy and how natural rights are best protected when they are protected for all, not for members of particular identity groups. In addition, Dr. Garrison discussed how robust protection of natural rights, such as religious freedom, can ultimately lead to economic and social prosperity.

Listen to the panel here. 

Read Dr. Shea Garrison’s Washington Times Article “How China is home to the worst human rights crises of our time’: It’s why the U.S. Commission on Unalienable rights is so necessary.”

 

 

Dr. Shea Garrison on One America News Network: Ivanka Trump’s Work to Empower Women

By | Blog, Feminist / Women's Issues, International, News and Events | No Comments

CWA’s Vice President of International Affairs, Dr. Shea Garrison, appeared on One America News to discuss her recent opinion piece about first daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her qualifications to lead women’s empowerment around the world.

Read Dr. Shea Garrison’s Opinion Piece Here in National Review.

Ivanka Trump Is Right about Empowering Women

By | Blog, Feminist / Women's Issues, International, News and Events | No Comments

CWA’s Vice President for International Affairs, Shea Garrison writes an op-ed featured in National Review examining Ivanka Trump’s initiatives to cultivate women’s full economic potential.

“A  recent article in the Los Angeles Times criticizes Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump for working to empower women in the global economy. Trump, a 37-year old businesswoman and entrepreneur (with a degree from the Wharton School of Business), leads the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP), the first comprehensive “all of government” initiative to help women and girls in developing countries overcome barriers to economic participation and maximize their potential.

Filled with uninformed condescension and sexist statements, the article questions Trump’s role as an advisor and a leader of U.S. development assistance. In actuality, the biased article fails to acknowledge that Ivanka Trump is the first leader within a U.S. administration to effectively focus on what she calls the “most underutilized resource” in the developing world — the power and genius of women. For those of us who have worked in the world of women’s economic empowerment and have seen the dynamic and lasting change it can bring to families and communities, her efforts in this arena are greatly appreciated.

In light of pervasive global poverty and income inequality, Trump’s desire to cultivate women’s full economic potential hits on two excellent points: First, that sustainable development uses a holistic approach to increase the capability and participation of all people in the community — instead of just focusing on the “end goal” of economic growth; and second, that development aid has historically included what Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen called the “extensive neglect of the interests and agency of women.””

Read Dr. Garrison’s Entire Piece Here in National Review:

How China ‘Is Home to the Worst Human Rights Crises of our Time’: It’s Why the US Commission on Unalienable Rights is so Necessary

By | Blog, International, News and Events, Religious Liberty, United Nations, United Nations | No Comments

United Nations headquarters in New York City, USA

CWA’s Dr. Shea Garrison, the organization’s Vice President of International Affairs, writes a new opinion piece featured this week in The Washington Times.

“The Trump administration led the fight for human rights at the U.N. General Assembly last week, calling out China for forced internment of more than 1 million Uighurs in “training camps” to be “re-educated” and “saved” from their culture, language and faith.

According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, China is the perpetrator of “the worst human rights crises of our time.” China denies this, touting itself a defender of human rights by providing “development, health, nutrition, and housing” — its own “approach” to human rights that has nothing to do with individual freedoms.

China’s approach is not surprising given that international human rights advocacy is so “watered down” by political agenda that it’s hard to tell the difference between protecting God-given natural rights and government entitlements.

To help rectify this, Mr. Pompeo recently announced the U.S. Commission on Unalienable Rights to ground U.S. foreign policy on human rights in America’s founding principles of individual dignity and freedom. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, as well as the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), are guides for the commission.”

Click to read the entire article here:

Click here for additional articles from Shea Garrison:

 

Dr. Shea Garrison presents on the Role of Women in Society, Economics, Peace, and Security

By | Blog, Family Issues, International, News and Events, Uncategorized | No Comments

Dr. Shea Garrison, CWA’s Vice President of International Affairs, was recently invited to Hungary to present at the Budapest Demographic Summit III, September 5-6. Hosted by the Hungarian government, the conference brought together leaders from all over the world to share their ideas and experiences in strengthening families and promoting effective family policies.

Among those presenting were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Minister of State for Family and Youth Affairs Katalin Novak, as well as other senior officials from Serbia, Australia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Brazil. Religious representatives included leaders from both Christian and Jewish congregations.

Dr. Garrison spoke about CWA’s commitment to both family and life and how research and practice demonstrate that women’s full and “meaningful” participation in other areas of society—such as within the economy and in peace and security processes—greatly contributes to stable societies, sustainable economic growth, and family development.  She was quoted as saying, “We believe the best way to preserve the family is to defend the sanctity of life, particularly the life of an unborn child. In addition, we value motherhood and strong, cohesive families. Women have a unique role in building strong societies that goes beyond the care and nurturing of a family.”

Dr. Garrison discussed two U.S. strategies–the Women’s Global and Development Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP) and the U.S. Women, Peace, and Security Strategy (WPS)–as examples for how governments and civil organizations can support stronger families and communities by taking significant steps to ensure women’s full participation in all areas of society.

Other U.S. representatives included Valerie Huber, Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Global Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Emilie Kao, Director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, the Heritage Foundation.

Additional Photos of Dr. Garrison’s visit to Hungary: