Lutheran Women's Caucus
Encyclopedia
The Lutheran Women's Caucus (LWC) was organized by women in the Missouri Synod in the 1960s and opened up to other synods in the 1970s, during the second wave of American feminism
. The purpose of the LWC was to support the ordination of women in the Lutheran church. Marie Meyer (b. 1938) was responsible for organizing the caucus. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) soon began to ordain women in the 1970s, leaving the primary cause of feminists who were within both the Women's Caucus and ELCA without a primary focus for members, though caucus members of the Missouri Synod continued to be active. Since the mid-1980s, 85% of American and Canadian Lutherans are members of the ELCA or ELCIC.
Today, the Lutheran Women's Caucus supports abortion rights
, and is a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
.
Liberal feminism
Liberal feminism asserts the equality of men and women through political and legal reform. It is an individualistic form of feminism and theory, which focuses on women’s ability to show and maintain their equality through their own actions and choices...
. The purpose of the LWC was to support the ordination of women in the Lutheran church. Marie Meyer (b. 1938) was responsible for organizing the caucus. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
(ELCA) soon began to ordain women in the 1970s, leaving the primary cause of feminists who were within both the Women's Caucus and ELCA without a primary focus for members, though caucus members of the Missouri Synod continued to be active. Since the mid-1980s, 85% of American and Canadian Lutherans are members of the ELCA or ELCIC.
Today, the Lutheran Women's Caucus supports abortion rights
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
, and is a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice was founded in 1973 by clergy and lay leaders from mainline denominations and faith traditions to provide interfaith support for the new constitutional right to privacy in decisions about abortion...
.