Concerned Women for America (CWA) is a socially conservative, the CWA is involved in social and political movements, through which it aims to incorporate Christian ideology.

The group was founded in San Diego, California, in 1978, by Beverly LaHaye, whose husband Timothy LaHaye was an evangelical Christian minister and author of The Battle for the Mind, as well as coauthor of the Left Behind series. The CWA identifies itself as an amalgam of "policy experts and ... activists[s]" with an anti-feminist approach to politics.

Formation

Concerned Women for America is part of a movement known as the New Christian Right. Organized in reaction to the establishment of its liberal counterpart, the National Organization for Women; and the rising discussion of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), the CWA set out to "fight policies that it believe[d] [to] disrupt traditional gender roles and norms." In the interview, Friedan claimed to speak for American women. Beverly LaHaye did not believe that Betty Friedan was speaking for the majority of women because feminist views were, according to LaHaye, anti-God and anti-family.

In regards to the interview, LaHaye stated that she was convinced Friedan's goal was a "misguided attempt to dismantle the bedrock of American culture: the family", and that she believed Christian women were not included in discussions of women's rights. In this regard, the "concern" that the CWA had behind the name of the group was in response to the worries that feminism would "ruin" America. Such fears and opposition to much of the Democratic Party's ideology during this era led Beverly LaHaye to host a series of conventions and rallies in San Diego, resulting in Concerned Women for America's formation. As a result, the CWA became known as "the largest women's organization of the Christian Right during the 1980s and 1990s." euthanasia, pornography, cloning, drug abuse, secular education, gambling, The CWA focuses on promoting its conservative, Christian-based ideology through seven "core issues".

Abortion

A few years prior to the organization's founding, the Supreme Court released its decisions regarding Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which granted women the right to attain an abortion, and disbanded all state laws restricting such action. Because many of the CWA's members were supporters of the Right to Life movement and strongly opposed these rulings,

The CWA was a proponent of the welfare revisions set out by the 1994 "Contract with America", which aimed to reduce the frequency and acceptance of illegitimate (out of wedlock) births. The CWA lobbies for defunding domestic and international family planning programs, especially those that perform abortions or provide Norplant.

Marriage

As a supporter of traditional gender roles and the nuclear family, As such, the CWA is a supporter of the sanctity of marriage and reproduction, and strongly opposes divorce. The CWA was a supporter of the Defense of Marriage Act The CWA also testified against the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 on the premise that it was biased against those who could not afford to take leave. It is for these reasons that the CWA initially gained recognition as a public policy organization, for it publicly opposed the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings in 1962 and 1963, which banned religious teachings and practices, such as prayers and Bible readings, in public schools.

The dispute quickly escalated as a group of likeminded parents joined Frost and filed a federal lawsuit, resulting in the CWA's public support against the school and People for the American Way, one of its many liberal counterparts. However, they also concede that if it is taught in school, then it needs to be abstinence-only sex education. As described above, the CWA aided the plaintiff in the 1983 case Mozert v. Hawkins, by arguing it is unconstitutional for public schools to require reading material that conflicts with the religious values of parents.

In similar fashion to the Mozert case, the CWA was recognized for its support of Nathan Bishop Middle School and the Providence, Rhode Island school district in the 1992 Lee v. Weisman case. Contrary to Mozert v. Hawkins, in which the CWA protested against the school's nonsecular teaching, Lee v. Weisman resulted in support from conservative Christian organizations, such as the CWA, who fought to defend the maintenance of religious practices in public schools, such as prayer at graduation. The CWA has more influence in international affairs than many other conservative organizations because they are active in the UN. They view CEDAW as a tool to undermine the traditional family and guarantee global abortion and prostitution. Similarly, the CWA sees the CRC (the Convention on the Rights of the Child) as a way for globalists, working through the UN, to "sever children from their families and religious communities", as described by authors Buss and Didi.

Sexual exploitation

The CWA believes that men becoming addicted to pornography leads to the exploitation and victimization of women. In addition to pornography, the CWA opposes prostitution. The CWA believes that legalizing prostitution would increase sex trafficking, not decrease it as other organizations have proposed. a CWA spokesperson said "We believe it is important for all stakeholders in the internet ecosystem to work together to ensure that encrypted DNS does not lead to unintended consequences that harm our children."

Support for Israel

On May 8, 2013, the CWA's board of directors voted unanimously to include support for Israel as part of its core mission. CWA says it would support "laws and policies that strengthen the ties between Israel and the U.S." and the policies "enacted by our State Department, Department of Defense and others that encourage the development of our relationship with Israel." Penny Nance said that support from CWA's founder, Beverly LaHaye, was the biggest driver behind the group formalizing its support for Israel. This relationship is backed by a long history of conservative Christians' support for Israel.

Project 2025

CWA is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025, a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from The Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election.

Leadership

thumb|Penny Nance (left) with [[Kelly Loeffler in 2020]]

President/CEO

  • Beverly LaHaye, President 1979–2006
  • Wendy Wright, President 2006–2013
  • Penny Young Nance, CEO (2010–2013) and President 2013–present
  • Nance was previously a Federal Communications Commission advisor on children's social and media concerns.

Working through the media

In the late 1990s, the CWA garnered attention by way of its midday broadcasts on KFAX, a San Francisco-based Christian radio station. These broadcasts often featured Beverly LaHaye Live, a popular talk-show segment which spoke about the CWA's mission, morals, and aspirations for society. BLI is considered one of the CWA's official think tanks.

Culture and Family Institute

The Culture and Family Institute is one of two of the CWA's research facilities.