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About

Concerned Women for America (CWA) was founded in San Diego in 1979 by Christian Right social conservative Beverly LaHaye. Well connected to the Christian Right network, Beverly LaHaye is married to Tim LaHaye, cofounder of the Moral Majority. According to LaHaye, who continues to serve as CWA's "chairman," she founded the antifeminist organization after hearing Betty Friedan, founder of the National Organization for Women, claim that she was speaking for all American women in her criticism of patriarchy and male chauvinism. LaHaye viewed Friedan's feminist stance as anti-God and anti-family. Originally established to provide a counterweight to the progressive National Organization for Women, today CWA has as many members as NOW and its focus has expanded to six core issues: definition of the family, sanctity of human life, education, pornography, religious liberty, and national sovereignty. The CWA describes itself as "the nation's largest public policy women's organization" the boasts "a rich 25-year history of helping members across the country bring Biblical principles into all levels of public policy."(1)

CWA's mission is "to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens-first through prayer, then education, and finally by influencing our society-thereby reversing the decline in moral values in our nation." According to its vision statement, CWA aims "for women and like-minded men, from all walks of life, to come together and restore the family to its traditional purpose and thereby allow each member of the family to realize their God-given potential and be more responsible citizens."(1)

CWA opposes gay rights, sex education, drug and alcohol education, and feminism, while advocating what it calls "pro-life" and "pro-family" values. It advocates a return to traditional family structures and regards homosexuality as a sinful condition that can be overcome by believing in Jesus Christ. CWA advocates for abstinence-based sex education; their materials can be found in public school curricula that oppose the sex education. (2) CWA is a member of a Christian Right coalition-including American Values, American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and Southern Baptist Convention, formed in 2004 to support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages. (4) Closely associated with CWA is the Beverly LaHaye Institute, a publishing and research organization that weighs in with a wide range of policy analysis-from religious freedom in Iraq to the social conservative agenda outlined in Bush's 2004 State of the Union address. (8)

In a 1987 interview with Ms magazine, LaHaye stated: "Yes, religion and politics do mix. America is a nation based on biblical principles. Christian values dominate our government. The test of those values is the Bible. Politicians who do not use the bible to guide their public and private lives do not belong in office." (2)

Since the beginning of the Bush administration, CWA has increased its focus on national security issues and stepped up its involvement in international conservative coalitions attempting to shift to the right the social agenda of the United Nations. On its "Americans for the Military" page, CWA expresses its pride in the commander-in-chief who leads the men and women in the war on terrorism. However, it believes that military women should be assigned to units in which they will not have an "undue exposure to a substantial risk of capture" and advocates that the military should return to single gender basic training that would separate males and females. (5)

The progressive women's rights agenda that emerged out of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 sparked the formation of an international coalition of conservative religious and social organizations to put their stamp on future UN meetings. In close cooperation with the Bush administration, CWA and other Christian Right groups have gained influence in shaping U.S. positions at the UN regarding abortion, reproductive rights, the AIDS pandemic. Other members of this coalition, including United Families International, International Right to Life Federation, and American Life League, have been granted UN consultative status. Along with such other "pro-family" organizations as Family Research Council and Heritage Foundation, CWA has applied for consultative status. According to Jennifer Butler, associate for Global Justice Issues with the Presbyterian Church USA's UN Office, CWA shares the view that the advent of the Bush administration brought "a new sheriff to town" that would support the Christian Right's agenda at the United Nations. (6) (7)

Please note: IPS Right Web neither represents nor endorses any of the individuals or groups profiled on this site.