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Family Archives – Concerned Women for America

Dec 14 2022
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Conservatives Defend Ground on Defense Bill

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Every year, Congress passes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill that governs policies and funding for federal defense agencies. The bill recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is on track for enactment before the end of the year. In a perfect world, the defense bill only focuses on military readiness and fortifying national security. Unfortunately, legislators try to use such an important bill as a vehicle for their non-defense-related pet priorities.

 

At Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), our main job is to be the sticky fly trap for those pet—or perhaps “pest”—priorities. Fortunately, as of this week, our sticky paper has caught the major vermin. We gave decision-makers clear, achievable goals – stop women in the draft, no bankrolling Big Marijuana, and keep out woke data collection mandates. Your activism and our direct communications with staff and legislators made it possible to kick out these bad provisions from the NDAA.

 

Stop Women in the Draft

  • This year, we once more combatted the existential threat of women in the draft. For several years now, certain legislators—Democrat and Republican—have tried to expand the Selective Service to include women. Thankfully, families and advocates batted off this latest attempt to draft our daughters. Leaders like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and his colleagues staked their ground early on by demanding a vote to amend the bill if it included women in the draft. NDAA bill negotiators Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) listened to these legislators and constituents and ensured no Selective Service expansion.
  • We are grateful for the women who volunteer to serve, which includes daughters and mothers at CWA. We also pray towards a world in which we never need the draft. But it is contrary to reason and morals to force women—who would be 18-25—into the draft. Doing so takes away the only reason for a country to fight in the first place: to defend the family at home. If everyone is on the frontlines, the only thing being protected is government for its own sake, and this is antithetical to the proper role of government. The government exists to protect us and not the other way around.

 

Bankrolling Big Marijuana

  • Besides stopping women in the draft, activists successfully intercepted a drug deal to include the unrelated, unsafe “SAFE Banking Act” into the annual defense bill. Law enforcement input was the nail in the coffin. First, the National Sheriffs’ Association gave legislators a grave warning of the harm that the Unsafe Act would bring. The Sheriffs’ Association shared that amid the rising crime wave, its members are seeing a form of THC-induced psychosis when booking criminal defendants. Second, the Department of Justice provided an assessment that law enforcement is in no way prepared to handle the influx of money laundering likely to come from the Unsafe Act’s enactment.
  • The only thing the Unsafe Act achieves is legitimizing the marijuana industry, enabling criminal behavior. It gives marijuana businesses access to the federal banking system, and it grants access with no regulation or guidance for the financial and law enforcement industries. Enactment only exposes the economy to money laundering, and there will be little to show for the benefits proponents proclaim.

 

Woke Data Collection Mandate

  • Finally, negotiators said “no thanks” to woke data collection efforts, which have been kicked out of the bill. These efforts seek to inoculate “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” into as many areas of federal law as possible. This time, it was mandates on data collection of veterans and small business loans from the federal government. However, there is no limit to the ways in which the Left will try to include radical gender ideology in federal law.
  • It is worth noting that these provisions are but a snapshot of the unrelated riders that legislators often try to attach to the annual defense bill. Most bills “die” before they ever reach the level of consideration by a congressional committee. Some of these bills are great ideas and worthy of merit. But that is no excuse to cut corners—or as we say in the legislative world—circumvent “regular order.” This practice of cutting corners makes the NDAA more controversial than it needs to be. National security is critical, and no pet project, much less one fueled by leftist ideology, should dilute that goal.

 

Making our opposition loud and clear from the beginning helped focus this bill on national security. It is only with raising our voices and hard work that we have a shot at keeping out advances by the Left.

Dec 09 2022
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Remain Encouraged

By | Colorado | No Comments

Greetings from Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Colorado. CWA volunteers from around the country spent a week in Georgia going door-to-door, encouraging Georgians to vote in the December 6 senate run-off race. Colorado was represented as I canvassed with CWA. The election results were not as we desired – sending a pro-abortion, anti-family Senator back to Washington, D.C. However, we must be aware of God’s timing and ways, even when we do not understand.

 

We remain encouraged that God is still on His throne, and He sees all. Psalms 87:5 reads: “Truth will spring up from the earth, and justice will rain down from heaven.” (TLV)

 

As 2022 closes, remember that CWA of Colorado is committed to following God’s call, and through prayer and action, we will find hope in God for the road ahead!

 

God Bless you in 2023!

 

Karen Pennington
State Director
CWA of Colorado

Dec 08 2022
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Nance to American Girl: shame on you

By | News and Events, Vulnerable Children | No Comments

Penny Nance statement on American Girl’s book pushing puberty blockers:

 

“Shame on American Girl for teaching girls as young as three years old to hate their bodies.  What happened to teaching girls that they are beautiful just the way they are?” asked Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization. “Advocating that young girls consider altering their bodies through puberty blockers or surgery exploits vulnerable and impressionable children. In the same way that it would be dangerous to tell a young, underweight girl struggling with an eating disorder to consider gastric bypass surgery, why are we encouraging a young girl struggling with her female identity to mutilate her body? There used to be a time when parents trusted corporations like a doll company to send positive messages to their daughters, but unfortunately those days are gone. Parents need to stop buying goods from woke corporations pushing this dangerous and manipulative agenda on their children.” 

Dec 07 2022
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Groups to GOP: “Marriage Matters”

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

It is the sad reality that this week, the Respect for Marriage Act (better named the Disrespect of Marriage Act) passed both chambers of Congress. It now heads to the President’s desk to become law. Disappointingly, legislators in the Senate and House who tout pro-family values voted the exact opposite by voting to advance the bill. Find out how your Senator voted here and how your Representative voted here. Disrespect Act supporters overlook the religious freedom concerns posed in the bill and have redefined marriage from a commitment between a man and a woman to something else entirely.

 

Although these legislators failed to represent their constituents, there is hope to be had. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) said, “The attempts to derail this piece of legislation were probably more focused and robust than any other bills I’ve worked on in the last two years.” Sen. Sinema is right; coalition members and constituents mobilized in a way that was shocking to many members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans. It has long been believed that the marriage argument was dead and that the average American did not care about the definition of marriage. This is a large reason Democrats decided to move on this legislation; they saw it as a winning issue with little to no opposition. However, that belief has proven to be false.

 

Here at Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), we urged legislators to vote no. This summer, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the Disrespect Act, and 47 Republicans voted in favor of the bill. This was of great concern, as there were no religious freedom protections. Twelve Senate Republicans voted to advance the bill with the addition of an abysmal and meaningless religious freedom amendment. These Republicans wrongly voted “yes.” It might be said that little advance notice and no committee hearings caught them off guard. However, they now understand loud and clear their constituents’ support for Biblical marriage. They have had ample time to understand the concerns of this bill and their constituents’ position. We experienced some breakthrough, as fewer House Republicans supported the bill in their vote this week than over the summer.

 

CWALAC will continue to defend marriage as God intended, as we know this leads to healthy family units. Marriage is a sacred union created to reflect Christ and His bride, the church. Marriage sanctifies those in the union in a unique way that God has intentionally and purposefully created, through the commitment of a woman and a man. Further, children need and have a right to both a mother and father, as God intended. It is cruel to tear a child away from their biological parents to fulfill the desires of an adult. Although God can restore and redeem all situations, it is not hard to see the problems that often arise in homes that are lacking a mother or father. Each provides an irreplaceable and important role in a child’s life to have the optimal environment to flourish.

 

The government has a responsibility to punish evil and praise good (1 Peter 2:13-14). Unfortunately, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act does neither in promoting what God has deemed unholy as good. This bill will affect people of faith trying to live out their religious convictions; it will affect the family unit, and, furthermore, it will create the opportunity to harm children. Therefore, CWALAC will continue to advance pro-family policies.  

Nov 30 2022
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Young Women for America: 1 Corinthian 16 Culture Warriors

By | News and Events, YWA | No Comments

Urgency, faith, courage, strength—these words characterize the women we have the privilege to disciple through Young Women for America (YWA). YWA is an initiative of Concerned Women for America to mentor and disciple female high-school students, college students, and young professionals in their faith. There are over 150 YWA leaders across the country. They are our daily reminders of the command in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to “stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.” With the help of the Lord, these women are able to swim against the cultural tide telling every beautiful young woman that she should get to do with her body what she wants, when she wants, no matter who—including herself—gets hurt in the process.

 

This mentality is a dead-end road to fulfillment. It unfortunately characterizes the identity politics movement every American is steeped in today. This is especially true for identity politics related to gender and sexuality. How do we know? Take a look at the following statistics:

  • The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as LGBTQ has doubled over the past decade, from 3.5% in 2012 to 7.1% in 2021.

Gen Z adults who identify as LGBTQ have increased from 10.5% in 2017 to 20.8% in 2021.

Millennials, ages 26 to 41, identifying as LGBTQ increased from 5.8% in 2012 to 10.5% in 2021.

  • People who identify as LGBTQ could make up 10 to 15% of the adult population “in the not too distant future,” as Gen Z and millennials comprise an increasing share of the adult population.

This trend affects Gen Z and Millennials disproportionately—especially women—”Gen Z women are roughly three times more likely than men to identify as LGBTQ and Millennial women are about two times as likely than men to identify as such.”

 

The generational divide reveals views on sexuality that differ from the general Christian view of sexuality. Future marriage stats will inevitably reflect this variation. And if the trend holds up, more women will be affected than men.

 

Any arrangement besides a stable, traditional marriage—same-sex, open, divorced, abusive, and so on—inhibits the flourishing of everyone involved—man, woman, son, daughter. Government action like the so-called Respect for Marriage Act—which is an attack on people of faith with Biblical views of marriage—unnecessarily throttles us away from the only arrangement in which people will flourish. The next generation, especially the women of the next generation, will pay the price.

 

But the attitudes, actions, and beliefs of this constituency do not represent all Gen Z or Millennial Women.

 

YWA leaders in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas were brave enough to speak in support of Biblical marriage, while the U.S. Senate was actively considering the Respect for Marriage Act. Through social media, they encouraged their Senators who voted to support traditional marriage. This is no easy thing when the majority of women their age would rather support noncommittal sexual encounters or even just stay silent. The light of their commitment to the truth burns bright as every institution in American society continues to lean left. Right where they are in their high schools, their college campuses, and their jobs, they epitomize 1 Corinthians 16:13.

 

They are unlike their peers, but they are not alone. Through the YWA network, they are able to connect with one another. As an initiative within Concerned Women for America, these women also receive Titus 2 reinforcements—older Christian women mentoring younger Christian women. Whether they get credit or not, these young women are courageously doing the right thing for themselves and for their peers by speaking truth to power. They are tilling the ground for those around them to reap the rewards that come from a stable, traditional marriage and identity found only in Christ.

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Nov 27 2022
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It Takes One to Know One

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

It Takes One to Know One: Activist Groups that Sued for Same-Sex Marriage are Same Groups Peddling Fear about Suits Against Same-Sex Marriage

 

The Senate is expected to wrap up its vote on S.4556, the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act,” this week. All votes so far have been to advance the bill. Senators will now vote on the bill itself. There is an amendment supported by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Minnesota), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) to include references to religious liberty that unfortunately falls short of accomplishing anything significant.

 

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), the nation’s largest public policy organization for women, has been sharing its opposition to the bill and the amendment. We are defending the merits of God-designed marriage in the halls of Congress. We are letting Senators know that the bill does not just codify same-sex marriage; it codifies a prohibition against preferring to place adoptive and foster kids in husband-wife households. The self-styled religious liberty amendment continues to leave wedding vendors like cakebaker Jack Phillips and website designer Lori Smith in the cold. Faith-based child welfare service providers remain vulnerable to litigation related to placing kids in traditional families. The Act gives activists renewed momentum.

 

There are precious few days on the legislative calendar. Why is Congress spending it on codifying same-sex marriage?

 

Activist groups have successfully drowned out every other priority. It is not just about conservative versus liberal policy. One priority drowned out is child welfare. Leftist activists appear unwilling to ask Congress to spend its time on even ideologically center-left child-focused legislation like the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. And Congress is apparently willing to let its priorities be decided by the leftists even though, as explained earlier, the rights and benefits for same-sex marriage are under no threat. Congress is not even taking time to pass the the annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, during these last few days of the legislative calendar. These are lost days and weeks for votes on policies that help America and its families.

 

The leftist rally for codification of same-sex marriage comes from insecurity. The Left has long used courts rather than legislatures to make radical changes in policy. But this way of policymaking is unstable, is subject to the whim of activist judges, and requires constant maintenance.

 

Thus, activists push for codification in the Respect for Marriage Act. They point to Justice Clarence Thomas’s concurrence in the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization as impetus for the Respect for Marriage Act. Activists waive Justice Thomas’ nonbinding opinion in the air because it accurately describes the right to same-sex marriage as being another court-created right. They overlook the majority opinion limiting the scope of Dobbs to the overturn of the court-created right to abortion. They peddle fear, like the American Civil Liberties Union, which described “the right to marry potentially at risk.”

 

It is a classic case of “takes one to know one.” The activists are paranoid about being sued out of the right to same-sex marriage because they sued into the right to same-sex marriage. Observe the number of cases after United States v. Windsor (2013)—which held the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional—and leading up to Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)—which held that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriages. In 2013, there were at least 17 lawsuits challenging marriage amendments in state constitutions, many of which were filed shortly after Windsor.

 

The same shortcut that activists used to get power is now their downfall. To close the gap, they have taken hold of the legislative calendar. Untold riches are spent to advance the radical individualism of the pro-abortion and gender ideology agenda. Imagine if they put it towards policies that help families instead.

 

At CWALAC, we continue to fight the good fight for marriage. But we do not lose sight of why government is involved in marriage in the first place. Foremost, marriage policy must build strong foundations for kids and families. Thus, we have spent almost as much time—if not more—advocating for policies like the Standing With Moms Act by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and the Unborn Child Support Act by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota). The Unborn Child Support Act incentivizes states to have a child support program that provides for costs of parenting that many know begin well before the baby’s first birthday. The Standing With Moms Act, which CWALAC worked closely with legislative staff to create, would create a website called life.gov that would list local resources available for expectant moms and families at all levels of government and the private sector.

 

Twelve senators who traditionally support religious liberty policy voted to advance the Respect for Marriage Act. We are clear-eyed about the likelihood that they will vote to pass the bill. But we will continue to dutifully make the case for the sake of advancing pro-family policy at the federal and state level.

Nov 13 2022
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Pray for the Kentucky Supreme Court

By | Kentucky | No Comments

“The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” James 5:16 (BCL)

 

November 8 was a great day for many Kentucky counties. Election victories across the state offer Kentucky a reason to be hopeful as we look toward the 2023 legislative session in Frankfort with a fresh body serving our Commonwealth.

 

Unfortunately, despite the tireless efforts of Kentucky’s pro-life movement to secure protection for the unborn, Amendment 2 was defeated, and the lives of the most vulnerable Kentuckians once again face great peril.

 

On Tuesday, November 15,  the Kentucky Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of the state’s pro-life laws that protect the unborn from abortion in all cases except the life of the mother.

 

As pro-life Christians, we know that our hope does not rest in the decisions of a court but in Christ alone. We are instructed in Hebrews 14:16 to “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.”

 

Join me today in praying for Attorney General Daniel Cameron and his team, who is representing Kentuckians and defending the Human Right Protection Act and the Heartbeat Law against abortion advocates.

 

Let us also pray for our Kentucky Supreme Court that they will interpret the Kentucky constitution rightly and determine that the right to an abortion does not exist in the language of the Founding Fathers of Kentucky.

 

Serving Kentucky Through Prayer and Action,

Jennifer Pendleton

State Director

Nov 13 2022
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Thank you for your prayers

By | California | No Comments

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Restrain your voice from weeping  and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:16a

 

Thank you so much for all your earnest efforts to move those in your circle of influence to get out the vote. While the election results have been mixed and are still not certain, your communication to educate your friends, neighbors, and family members about the election made a difference. Thank you also for sharing the reality of abortion and the danger of recent legislation – it has so much impact. Let’s continue to pray that our nation will line up with Godly values.

 

Many of you joined me in Sacramento, even in the pouring rain, as believers united with one heart in prayer for our culture to honor God and preserve the family. We gathered on the steps of the State Capitol on Election Day to intercede for local and state leaders and for the hearts of the 40 million people living in California to draw near to the Lord and seek Him.

 

Pray that we will have the strength to persevere regardless of the outcome of the election. Let’s remind ourselves that it took nearly 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. We are on the side of God’s heart, and all the work we do here on earth has the strength and power of our supernatural Father behind us. God is on the throne, and He has great and mighty plans for His people.

 

“No longer will you be called Forsaken,  nor your land named Desolate; And they will be called the Holy People,  the Redeemed of The LORD; and you will be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.” Isaiah 62:4a, 12

 

God bless California!

Marlo Tucker
State Director

Nov 03 2022
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Even Lawyers Deserve Free Speech

By | News and Events, Press Releases, Religious Liberty, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

For Immediate Release:

November 03, 2022    

Contact: [email protected]
[email protected]

Women’s Groups File Joint Amicus Brief to Protect

Free Speech in Legal Profession

 

“Lawyers cannot be held hostage by political activism”

 

Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) and Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) have filed a joint amicus brief calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit to uphold rights to freedom of speech under the First Amendment in the case of Greenberg v. Lehocky.

 

In 2020, Pennsylvania’s Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(g), a rule limiting attorney speech rights, was struck down by the  U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court approved a revised version of Rule 8.4 (g) imposing a sweeping restriction on conduct that is harassment or discriminatory based upon race, sex, “gender identity” or expression, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic status. CWA and WoLF urge the 3rd Circuit to uphold the U.S. District Court decision that Pennsylvania Rule 8.4(g) violates free speech protections under the First Amendment. 

 

“WoLF and CWA see eye to eye that a direct threat to women in Rule 8.4(g) is intimidating attorneys from truthfully declaring what a woman is,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWALAC, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization. “Protecting the status and dignity of women and girls on the basis of immutable sex characteristics is a shared interest that transcends politics. CWA proudly joins with our allies on the Left in this brief to fight for the fundamental right to speak freely and openly that a male is male and a female is female. Lawyers cannot be held hostage by political activism that seeks to redefine basic facts as harassment or hate speech.”   

 

“Attorneys must be allowed, both inside and outside the courtroom, to speak freely and clearly about basic facts, including the fact that men are male and women are female,” said Mahri Irvine, Executive Director of the Women’s Liberation Front. “This new rule endangers legal professionals; they could be accused of ‘harassment’ simply for making factual statements about men and women in the courtroom and in a wide variety of professional or social settings. Under this new rule, practicing law has become a more perilous profession for attorneys who do not believe in gender ideology.”

 

As the brief explains, the impact of speech codes is evident in current court cases seeking to protect the sex-based rights of female athletes who are displaced by males identifying as women:  “A lawyer’s assertion that a particular competitor is not female, for instance, may be viewed by some as ‘denigrating’ the competitor based on ‘gender identity’ and therefore subject to sanction under Rule 8.4(g).”

 

“Rule 8.4(g)’s prohibitions create a viewpoint-based chilling effect that will make it harder for lawyers to engage in the very thing that CLE’s, bench-bar conferences, and similar events should contain: free and open discussions and debates about important issues,” the WoLF and CWALAC amicus brief concludes.

 

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

 

##

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee is the legislation and advocacy arm of Concerned Women for America, the Nation’s largest public policy organization for women; we are dedicated to promoting Biblical values and Constitutional principles. More information is available at www.ConcernedWomen.org

 

WoLF is the country’s largest radical feminist organization; WoLF’s mission is to restore, protect, and advance the rights of women and girls through legal argument, policy advocacy, and public education. More information is available at www.womenarefemale.org.

Oct 23 2022
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Encourage-A-Legislator Prayer Project – Colorado

By | Colorado, Uncategorized | No Comments

Encourage-A-Legislator Program

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” – I Timothy 2:1-2

The Call to Prayer

I Timothy 2:1-2 instructs us to pray for our leaders. Concerned Women for America’s (CWA) Encourage-A-Legislator (EAL) program offers our members and friends the vehicle to do this in an easy and meaningful way. It ensures consistent prayer for each legislator, and it encourages and builds bridges with conservative legislators as well as those who do not normally agree with us.

 

Whether a legislator is a believer, non-believer, conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, independent, or other, they need our prayers. This next legislative session, CWA plans to deliver those prayers.

The Goal

The goal of the EAL program is to encourage each member of the State House and Senate by praying for them on a regular basis and sending them a postcard throughout the legislative session

 

The EAL program is never used to lobby and, therefore, is never confrontational. It is simply a great way to lift up those in authority and encourage them in their responsibilities.

The Commitment

We provide the name and address of the assigned legislator(s) and the postcards, and you commit to praying for your assigned legislator(s) daily, if possible, while the legislature is in session, and then mail an EAL postcard monthly until the conclusion of the five month session.

The Colorado Legislature

The 2023 Colorado Legislature is in session from January 9 till approximately May 8 and consists of 65 House members and 35 Senate members.

Answer the Call

Sign up today to be an encourager—it couldn’t be easier!  Sign up by contacting CWA of Colorado at 303-903-5283 or by email at [email protected] and provide them with your name and physical mailing address. Be sure to specify how many legislators you would like to encourage. They will then enlist you as an encourager and send you a packet of postcards and instructions in early January.

Spread the Word!

Please encourage your friends and family to sign up.

 

Consider making this a family project by involving your children.

 

Print and distribute information about this great opportunity to pray and encourage your state legislators. Click here for a printable push card. Print them double-sided on cardstock or order them through the contact information above.  

Oct 18 2022
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Biden Admin Uses VA to Provide Abortion-On-Demand

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

Biden Admin Uses the Department of Veterans Affairs
to Provide Abortion-On-Demand, No Conscience Protections

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is comprised of 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient clinics. It is the largest integrated healthcare network in the world. Sadly, the Biden Administration has used its power to co-opt these facilities under the guise of “medical necessity” for the abortion industry. The action, known as an “interim final rule,” cut procedural corners and effective immediately allowed abortion-on-demand and abortion counseling at VA facilities. There are no clear conscience protections for VA health professionals with objections to abortion.

 

The rule is a 180-degree reversal in VA policy that only allowed abortions in the tragic cases of rape, incest, and an immediate physical threat to the life of the mother. The rule is also contrary to law. During the opportunity for public comment, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) declared its opposition to the rule. Read CWALAC’s public comment opposing the rule here.

 

A baby has already been killed under this cruel ploy to violate clear-cut, pro-life protections in law. Not only that, but the Administration wants Americans to pay for it. Taxpayers will be on the hook for over $10 million to provide veterans and their beneficiaries with elective abortions, abortion counseling services, and abortion travel.

 

The VA asserts that “allowing even one preventable death” is unacceptable. This is tragically ironic. For many Americans, the intentional killing of a baby in the womb, which is what happens in an abortion, is not healthcare and should not be classified as such. All states with laws to protect life include exceptions for the life of the mother.

The right of conscience is an inalienable right given by God and protected from government overreach. At the very least, the rule should have explicitly protected employees with faith- or conscience-based objections to abortion. We cannot count on the Biden Administration to protect their rights. Without clear exemptions, pro-life employees could face a bureaucratic nightmare that can take years before actually obtaining recourse.

 

Veterans who need help for their service-connected injuries deserve it. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has done little more than turn veterans and their beneficiaries into a campaign prop for a radical, pro-abortion agenda. This rule is yet another sad example of the Administration’s unrestrained and ruthless quest for abortion-on-demand.

Oct 10 2022
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The Equal Rights Amendment—Long Gone or Here To Stay?

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

The Equal Rights Amendment—Long Gone or Here To Stay?
Answer May Depend on Politicized Justice Department

 

Recently, the question of ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) emerged once again during Senate confirmation hearings for a new Archivist of the United States, the person in charge of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Colleen Shogan, Ph.D., is President Joe Biden’s pick to lead NARA. She previously worked in the U.S. Senate and the Library of Congress, and she has held various positions on boards and commissions related to American History. She faced rigorous questioning from Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) about her stance on whether NARA could certify the ERA.

 

What is the ERA, exactly, and why would it be unlawful to certify it? The misnamed resolution purports to ensure that women are equal in the U.S. Constitution. But in reality, the amendment could have a reverse effect on women’s progress. During a 2019 House Judiciary Committee hearing, for instance, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) exposed that—as written—the ERA can be used to enshrine subjective gender identity classifications and abortion protections into the U.S. Constitution.

 

The ERA also suffers procedural defects. When the ERA passed Congress in 1972, it included a seven-year deadline for ratification. With the deadline fast approaching, CWA’s founder, Beverly LaHaye, held the first CWA meeting in 1978 to share with women in her community the dangers of the ERA and the anti-God, anti-family rhetoric of the ERA’s supporters. Mrs. LaHaye’s goal was to make sure her friends knew how important it was that the ERA stay out of the Constitution. Thanks to her actions and the leadership of others like Phyllis Schlafly, the ERA was three states short of ratification by its 1978 deadline. Congress voted to extend the deadline to 1982. But even by that time, no new states ratified the ERA. 

 

The ERA is dead. There are measures to retroactively “remove” the 1978 ratification deadline on the ERA, like H.J. Res. 17/S.J. Res. 1. But even according to the Washington Post, a news outlet sympathetic to leftist causes, “every time the issue has been litigated in federal court, most recently in 2021, the pro-ERA side has lost, no matter whether the judge was appointed by a Democrat or Republican.” Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion stating “that Congress had the constitutional authority to impose a deadline on the ratification of the ERA and, because that deadline has expired, the ERA Resolution is no longer pending before the States.” A federal trial court with a judge appointed by President Barack Obama upheld the deadline contained in the 1972 resolution and said that Illinois, Nevada, and Virginia’s ratifications—which came after both the original and extended deadlines that Congress attached to the ERA—are not binding for the purposes of the recognizing the ERA.

 

The Archivist has a unique role in stewarding the rule of law. In addition to preserving the U.S. Constitution and other Founding documents, the Archivist certifies constitutional amendments that states have ratified. The ERA’s procedural defects doom efforts to amend the Constitution using the 1972 resolution. Pro-ERA activists have urged current Archivist David Ferriero to unlawfully certify ratification of the ERA. In response, the Archivist pointed to his “ministerial role” and said that he “defers to [the Justice Department] on this issue and will abide by the [Justice Department] opinion, unless otherwise directed by a final court order.” During her hearing, Dr. Shogan essentially took the same position.

 

So what is the problem? The approach to defer to the Justice Department is unstable. Principled constitutional lawyers at the U.S. Department of Justice under the previous administration recognized that there was no constitutional basis to ratify the ERA. The Archivist abided by this counsel from the Justice Department, and ERA ratification was put on hold. Unfortunately, with the Biden Justice Department, we are facing a situation where the leftist fox is guarding the constitutional-hen house. This very Justice Department is comfortable recognizing the ability of the Veterans Affairs to provide abortions and abortion counseling to veterans even though federal law explicitly writes out abortion from healthcare benefits for veterans. The ERA analysis from the previous administration’s Justice Department is vulnerable to an activist “reinterpretation” by the attorneys in power under the radical Biden Administration.

 

Fortunately, there are Members in Congress who are willing to press the matter. Sen. Lankford has already urged Archivist Ferriero to withstand “ridiculous calls to ignore clear guidance from both the court and the Department of Justice and to unilaterally certify the ERA.” Similarly, Sens. Portman, Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) have pressed Archivist Ferriero to stand by the rule of law.

 

Any pro-ERA attorneys at the Justice Department should heed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s counsel that ERA supporters should start over. Even she did not think that the ERA could be ratified under its 1972 mandate. If the Justice Department were to unlawfully “reinterpret” its understanding of the Constitution in this regard, the Archivist must stand for the rule of law. That is why we must stay engaged on this nomination.

Oct 07 2022
0

Nance: American Academy of Pediatrics are failing America’s families

By | News and Events, Press Releases, Sexual Exploitation, Vulnerable Children | No Comments

For Immediate Release: October 7, 2022
Contact:  [email protected] | (703)282-7320

 

American Academy of Pediatrics are failing America’s families

 Pushing “Gender-affirming Care” Risks Health of Children

 

Washington, D.C. – As the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) meets this weekend in Anaheim, California for its annual convention, Concerned Women for America (CWA), the nation’s largest women’s public policy organization representing women and families of all ages across every state in America, blasts AAP leadership for pushing radical experimental “gender-affirming” practices.

 

In a letter sent to the AAP’s President and President-elect, Concerned Women for America CEO and President Penny Nance questions its practices amid controversy over a resolution from member pediatricians demanding the AAP review research standards of treating children questioning their identity.  

 

“Under your leadership, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is failing children, adolescents, parents, and families,” reads the letter. “Your disregard for the mental, emotional, and physical harm of gender ideology being forced on children is evidenced by the alarming trend in so-called ‘gender affirming care.’ Pediatricians are trusted physicians for parents of a newborn child. Like any mother and father, they should know that babies are fully formed male or female humans, not ‘born in the wrong body.’ Any case of an intersex condition or disorder of sexual development is exceedingly rare.

 

“As doctors sworn to do no harm, it is tragic that you are on the side of defending harm to children. Your organization promotes the use of unapproved puberty-blocking drugs to slow the normal healthy development of a children’s body, bones, and brain for “gender exploration. These drugs have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration who has warned of serious side effects, including swelling of the brain, vision loss, and suicide ideation.

 

“Pediatricians should know that natural maturation is a critical part of a child’s health and well-being.  Doctors who understand normal childhood development should know it is better allow children to grow up with a healthy body intact, not mutilate a child’s body to conform to his or her developing mind – which is not fully developed until after the pediatric years,” the letter reads. 

 

Most alarming, the American Academy of Pediatrics is failing to allow any rigorous challenge to today’s destructive prevailing orthodoxy about so-called “gender affirming care.”

 

Nance’s letter cites the hypocrisy of AAP President Dr. Moira Szilagyi’s claim in The Wall Street Journal that “It doesn’t push medical treatments or surgery; for the vast majority of children, it recommends the opposite.” A Reuters special report has revealed a skyrocketing rise in use of puberty blockers and hormones, as well as mutilating surgeries.  From 2019-21, 776 double mastectomies were performed on 13–17-year-old girls under the banner of “gender affirming care.” 

 

For a full text of Nance’s letter can be found HERE. To schedule an interview with Penny Nance, please contact [email protected].                            

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Concerned Women for America is the Nation’s largest public policy organization for women; we are dedicated to promoting Biblical values and Constitutional principles. More information is available at ConcernedWomen.org

Oct 05 2022
0

Breakthrough—Marriage Act Ceasefire, Retreat Gives Time to Build Case for God’s Design

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Sometimes, it seems like very few legislators in the U.S. Congress listen to what the American people have to say. This is especially true for legislation related to family values. It sometimes seems like in Washington, D.C., the media and the consulting class are able to drown out the voices outside the beltway. But more often than we sometimes appreciate, voters’ voices break through.

 

It is in this vein that I want to encourage you with our partial victory over the “Disrespect of Marriage Act” in the U.S. Senate. Thanks to your engagement, the U.S. Senate punted a vote to further undermine the institution of marriage and religious liberty until after the elections.  Don’t get me wrong, there is still much work to be done. The word on the Hill is that Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) is pushing for the Senate to take up the Act during the week of November 14, 2022.

 

But Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) understands that it is your voice that truly matters. When we asked you to share your unique stories with your Senator, you stepped up. In a show of force and might, thousands of you reached out to defend traditional marriage and the people and groups that believe in it. Your engagement made it possible for wins like the delayed vote in the Senate and comments by senators like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) walking back initial signals that they would support the bill.

 

Those with the opportunity also fostered greater understanding among those who disagree. Young Women for America’s Andrea Silvera from Charlotte, North Carolina, met with the office of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) about the Act. Sen. Tillis publicly supports the Disrespect of Marriage Act. Andrea was able to share why a pro-life Catholic pregnancy center licensed by the state health department would no longer be welcome to partner with the government. Andrea shared how the true losers would be the mothers, babies, and young children in need who receive clothing, houseware, and hope that there are people and a God willing to help them even at their most vulnerable. These types of meetings take up time but contribute to the deeper work of changing hearts and minds.

 

We are in a period of ceasefire, so what now? As it says in Scripture, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV). Our culture and our government pressure us to reject God’s design for marriage. Our task is to defend it.

 

The consequences of attacks on the family like the Disrespect of Marriage Act flow downstream to the most vulnerable in our society—children. Every child deserves a mother and a father, and both are instrumental to a child’s healthy development. We know it is not always possible, but government should do whatever possible to encourage the most beneficial policies for children, which includes first and foremost, strong families. Children who grow up without a father, for example, are vulnerable to becoming adults with behavioral problems, mental and physical health problems, and challenges forming healthy relationships. Single motherhood and paternal abandonment continue to rise. It is estimated that 13.2 million children, or 1 in 5 children in the U.S., receive child support. Over 400,000 children are in foster care today, the number one reason being neglect and abuse in the home. No child deserves the pain of an absent parent. The Disrespect of Marriage Act not only further decouples marriage from children’s rights, but it totally displaces the conversation about how children today are suffering from parental separation in favor of a conversation about the government validating feelings between “consenting adults.”

 

Beneath any discussion of marriage is a deeper conversation about the meaning of family. It is overwhelming to imagine making a thorough defense of marriage in what may be a brief interaction. Not to mention the additional responsibility to do so “with gentleness and respect.”1 Peter 3:15 (NIV).

 

Be assured that “the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say,” Luke 12:12 (NIV), meaning that He will give us the words to say at the moment when we need them. Whether it is a phone call with a Senate office, forwarding an article to a friend, or a Bible study with a Prayer/Action Chapter, our voice can be used to advance God’s will for marriage.

Sep 29 2022
0

Putting Families First

By | News and Events, Press Releases | No Comments

For Immediate Release:
September 29, 2022
Contact:[email protected]
(703)282-7320

 

Putting Families First
RSC’s Family Policy Agenda Shows True Leadership

 

Washington, D.C.  – Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), the largest public policy women’s organization in the country, today applauded the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) “Family Policy Agenda.” The RSC, led by its Chairman Jim Banks (R-Indiana), released the agenda indicating the policy priorities of the next Congress, should Republicans take control.

 

“Bravo to Chairman Banks and the entire Republican Study Committee for this thorough and comprehensive plan to address the issues American families are facing today,” said CWALAC CEO and President, Penny Nance. “Whether it is protecting our children from radical gender ideologies in school, cyber threats online, and deadly drugs or implementing policies that help single mothers and family-owned businesses, this strategy will put government on a path to help families succeed.

 

“Leadership is telling the American people what they will do if elected. We applaud the RSC releasing this agenda in advance of the election to show how drastically different the policies of a Republican-led Congress will be compared to the ones we’ve had for the last year and a half.

 

“Biden and the Democrat-controlled House and Senate have led us to the brink by pushing a radical agenda. Time to put government back where it belongs, at the service of American families, and not at the service of special political, ideological, technological, or financial interests.”

 

CWALAC will work with the RSC and other members of Congress to implement these policies.

 

To schedule an interview with Penny Nance, please contact [email protected].

 

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Concerned Women for America is the Nation’s largest public policy organization for women; we are dedicated to promoting Biblical values and Constitutional principles. More information is available at ConcernedWomen.org

Sep 27 2022
0

CWA to Host Morning Coffee Talk in Pinellas Park, Florida

By | Florida | No Comments

Do you or someone you know live in the Tampa, Pinellas Park area? If so, I invite you to join me for coffee and conversation on Saturday, October 22!

 

Gloria Savalli of Pinellas Park will be hosting a Morning Coffee Talk, and I will be speaking about the hard issues that impact our nation, state, and communities and proactive ways to engage from a Biblical perspective.

 

God has been stirring believers to pray and get informed about the issues affecting life, faith, and family. Learn how to use your voice to influence policy.

 

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, October 22

Time: 10:30 -11:30 a.m.

 

RSVP me at [email protected] with your name and how many will be attending. Directions to the Coffee Talk after RSVPing.

 

Mark your calendar, make plans to attend, and be sure to invite some friends!

 

If you do not live in the Pinellas Park area, would like to host a Coffee Talk in your area, and/or would like more information about CWA of Florida, contact me! I’m happy to let you know of the many opportunities for involvement in our great state.

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

 

Sincerely,
Ruth Smith
State Director

Sep 27 2022
0

CWA to Host Morning Coffee Talk in Lake Mary, Florida

By | Florida | No Comments

Do you or someone you know live in the Lake Mary area? If so, I invite you to join me for coffee and conversation on Wednesday, October 5!

 

Janet Quinones of Lake Mary will be hosting a Morning Coffee Talk, and I will be speaking about the hard issues that impact our nation, state, and communities and proactive ways to engage from a Biblical perspective.

 

God has been stirring believers to pray and get informed about the issues affecting life, faith, and family. Learn how to use your voice to influence policy.

 

Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, October 5

Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Location: Panera Bread, 864 S. Sun Dr., Lake Mary, FL 32746

 

RSVP me at [email protected] with your name and how many will be attending.

 

Mark your calendar, make plans to attend, and be sure to invite some friends!

 

If you do not live in the Lake Mary area, would like to host a Coffee Talk in your area, and/or would like more information about CWA of Florida, contact me! I’m happy to let you know of the many opportunities for involvement in our great state.

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

 

Sincerely,
Ruth Smith
State Director

Sep 27 2022
0

CWA of Virginia Thanks Attorney General Miyares

By | Virginia | No Comments

Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Virginia recognizes the importance of election integrity and applauds Attorney General Jason Miyares’ decisive action for election integrity.

 

On Friday, September 9, Attorney General Miyares announced the creation of the Election Integrity Unit at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The 20-member Election Integrity Unit, composed of attorneys, investigators, and paralegals, will investigate and prosecute violations of election law, provide legal guidance, and work with law enforcement to ensure both legality and purity in Virginia’s elections.

 

In a press release, Attorney General Miyares stated, “I pledged during the 2021 campaign to work to increase transparency and strengthen confidence in our state elections. It should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. The Election Integrity Unit will work to help to restore confidence in our democratic process in the Commonwealth.”

 

The right to a fair election is personal to the Attorney General as his mother fled from Communist Cuba, an oppressive regime that suppressed her right to vote and the right to speak freely.

 

Take Action!

Contact Attorney General Jason Miyares here and thank him for working to ensure Virginia elections are fair and transparent and that every legal vote is counted. Put “thank you” in the subject box and add your comments in the details box.

 

Forward this email to family and friends.

 

Join us in prayer: Father God, You tell us in Your Word that You “detest lying lips, but delight in people who are trustworthy.” Proverbs 12:22. We thank you for Attorney General Miyares’ commitment to do this with our election system. Guide his Election Integrity Team to find any election fraud committed and effectively prosecute violations so that we can have fair elections representing the will of the people of Virginia. In the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, we pray, amen.

 

Thank you!

Looking Unto Jesus,
Teresa Pregnall
State Director

Sep 26 2022
0

Press Release: Fighting for Female Athletes: Women’s Groups File Amicus Brief on Indiana Law

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

For Immediate Release:

September 26, 2022

 

Contact: [email protected]

[email protected]

Fighting for Female Athletes: Women’s Groups File Amicus Brief on Indiana Law

Left and Right Coalition Unite to Protect Women’s Sports

 

Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) and Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) have filed a joint amicus brief calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit to overturn an injunction on Indiana’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act that requires sports participation in elementary and secondary school to be based on biological sex, male and female, or be designated as coeducational or mixed sex.    

 

Indiana’s law, which took effect on July 1, is among women’s sports laws passed in 18 states since 2020 to ensure female athletes maintain their rights to safety and fair play in sex-separated sports. In July, federal Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson granted a preliminary injunction, allowing a male student to continue playing on the girls’ softball team. In early September, the Indiana attorney general’s office asked the 7th Circuit Court to overturn Judge Magnus-Stinson’s ruling.

 

“WoLF and CWA represent women on opposite sides of many issues, but we agree on what a woman is,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWA, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization. “Protecting women and girls is a shared interest that transcends left/right politics. CWA proudly joins this brief with allies in the cause from the Left to fight for the fundamental rights, including to participate in single-sex sports, of women on the basis of sex.”   

 

“The obvious harms experienced by women and girls when males are allowed to intrude into women’s sports is traumatizing, and our organizations are gravely concerned with the psychological gaslighting and compelled speech that is occurring on a regular basis in these types of situations,” said Mahri Irvine, PhD, Executive Director, Women’s Liberation Front. “Students, coaches, school employees, and parents should never be forced to pretend that males are females, or vice versa. Journalists or judges using language like ‘transgender females’ or ‘transgender girls’ to describe males is misleading, disingenuous, and confuses well-meaning members of the public who simply want all students to be supported and empowered. The result is a dishonest narrative based on personal belief systems rather than science or objective reality.”

 

“If the Court fails to vacate the district court’s preliminary injunction, it will mark a fundamental shift in American law and policy that strips girls and women of their rights, threatens the physical safety of female athletes, and undercuts means by which women can achieve educational equality. It would not only revoke the very rights and protections that specifically secure women’s access to school athletics but would do so in order to extend those rights and protections to men claiming to be women,” the WoLF and CWA Amicus Brief reads.

 

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

 

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Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee is the legislation and advocacy arm of Concerned Women for America, the Nation’s largest public policy organization for women; we are dedicated to promoting Biblical values and Constitutional principles. More information is available at www.ConcernedWomen.org

 

WoLF is the country’s largest radical feminist organization; WoLF’s mission is to restore, protect, and advance the rights of women and girls through legal argument, policy advocacy, and public education. More information is available at www.womenarefemale.org.

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