The battle to save women’s sports intensified when a biological male recently smashed records on the women’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania. The swimmer, who goes by the name Lia Thomas, beat the second-place swimmer in one race by a full 38 seconds. His time in another race was the fastest in the country. One report quoted him as saying, “That was so easy. I was cruising.”

Frustrated with the march toward irrelevant female sports, at least two teammates have spoken out against the unfair advantage Thomas has over all the female swimmers, “Now they’re having to go behind the blocks knowing no matter what, they do not have the chance to win. I think that it’s really getting to everyone.”

Thomas was a formidable swimmer on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swim team before identifying as a woman, going on testosterone blockers for a year, and returning to the sport on the women’s team.

Thomas dominated the women’s sports competition because, even after hormone therapy, he still has an unsurmountable advantage over even elite female athletes. A number of studies, including the Journal of Medical Ethics study, found that opposite-sex hormones did not alter the athletic-enhancing effects of testosterone on the male body.

A recent study of cross-sex hormone policies like the International Olympics Committee requires, shows the reduction of testosterone does little “to remove or reduce the male advantage by any meaningful degree…Rather, it appears that the male performance advantage is largely retained by transgender women and thus remains substantial.”

Thomas’ crushing wins may have shattered one record too many. Up until now, most female athletes suffered in silence under the unspoken rule not to make waves. Ivy League graduate and author, Abigail Shrier recently told women at Princeton, “Show some self-respect and reclaim your freedom.”

She continued, “Where is the outrage? Imagine, for a second, what it must be like to be a female swimmer at Princeton, knowing you must pretend that this is fair—that the NCAA competition is anything other than a joke. Imagine being told to bite your tongue as men lecture you that you just need to swim harder. “Be grateful for your silver medals, ladies, and maybe work harder next time,” is the message. Imagine what that level of repression does to warp the soul.

Now, imagine, instead, the women’s swimmers had all walked out. Imagine they had stood together and said: We will meet any competitor head on. But we will not grant this travesty the honor of our participation. We did not spend our childhoods setting our alarm clocks for 4am every morning, training for hours before and after school, to lend our good names to this fixed fight.”

Parents of 10 female swimmers also spoke out, reportedly sending a letter to the NCAA, the Ivy League, and University of Pennsylvania athletics officials stating, in part, “At stake here is the integrity of women’s sports. The precedent being set – one in which women do not have a protected and equitable space to compete – is a direct threat to female athletes in every sport.

Watch here starting at 1:20 into the video where Thomas finishes the race and waits as female swimmers continue lap after lap.

At least 36 states, including Pennsylvania, have introduced legislation to save women’s sports by allowing only biological females to play on female sports teams. So far, nine states have passed the legislation.

Profit over protection

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday lifted commonsense safety precautions on the abortion pill, leaving women to fend for themselves during a painful and dangerous ordeal.

Despite the increased risk to women, the FDA dropped the abortion pill from precautions under Risk and Evaluation Mitigation System (REMS). Not because the pill is safer than it was several years ago when it was put under REMS requirements, but because of pressure from the abortion industry. The most critical safety regulation under REMS is the requirement of a physician to dispense the abortion pill in person. The Biden Administration used COVID as an excuse to wave the regulation and now, through the FDA, lifted it permanently. This will allow the abortion pill to be sent through the mail, with no oversight or assurance the drug is being taken safely.

Though we pray for the day when abortion is illegal and unthinkable, we love both the preborn baby and the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. Dropping commonsense safety precautions only perpetuates abortion and at great risk to women.

Women who take the abortion pill are four times more likely to experience complications than women who get surgical abortions. The Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) found a significant increase in emergency room visits over a 13-year period for women who took the abortion pill. CLI found the rate of ER visits grew more than 500%, while the rate for women who had surgical abortions grew more than 300% over the same period.

The abortion pill can cause hemorrhaging, infection, and even death. Without a doctor visit:

• An ectopic pregnancy will go undiagnosed, putting the woman at great risk of death as the baby continues to grow in her fallopian tube.
• An incomplete abortion could go undetected and lead to serious and deadly infections.
• Women frequently misjudge how far along they are in their pregnancies. Taking the abortion pill after 7-10 weeks increases the risk of complications.
• Women with a certain blood type go uninformed that the abortion pill can lead to infertility.

Read more about the dangers of the abortion pill here.

The 2021 Arizona Legislature passed, and Governor Ducey signed a CAP-supported bill that prohibits the abortion pill from being sent through the mail.

CAP continues to be on the front lines of the pro-life fight, as well as the battle for a fair playing field for girls and women, parental rights, and religious freedom. Going into the 2022 session, we are laser focused on the issues that threaten foundational principles we all hold dear. We cannot do it without the support of our ministry friends. Please consider contributing to CAP this year and be directly involved in our 2022 victories.

On behalf of the CAP team and our allies, I thank you for supporting our lifesaving mission in 2021. Your tax-deductible, year-end gift on this Friday will go to great lengths as we defend life, marriage and family, and religious freedom from the extreme decisions pouring out of Washington, D.C.

ICYMI

• The U.S. Supreme Court sent the Texas heartbeat law back to the federal appeals court, which has twice allowed it to stay in effect. Meantime, it continues to save preborn babies. Read more here and here.
• Parents at a Goodyear public high school put an end to a school wide transgender celebration calling for name tags with preferred pronouns and wearing rainbow flag colors to affirm the transgender ideology.
• Pray with our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) for the U.S. Supreme Court, the Mississippi pro-life case the Court is considering, and all those involved. ADF has put together a prayer guide to help cover every detail of the case and the Court. Get it here.
• The Arizona Attorney General asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a CAP-supported pro-life law to go into effect while it makes its way through a court challenge. The law prohibits discriminatory abortions on preborn babies with genetic conditions such as Down syndrome.

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