Emma Waters

Emma Waters is a Policy Analyst in the Center for Technology and the Human Person at The Heritage Foundation. Her work focuses on family, biotechnology, and reproductive medicine. She is a co-author of “A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right” statement at First Things. Her first book, Lead Like Jael, will be released with Skyhorse Publishing in 2026. Emma graduated Valedictorian at Lee University with a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at The Catholic University of America. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.
 

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What is your current position?

I am a policy analyst with the Center for Technology and the Human Person with The Heritage Foundation.

What inspired you to choose this career path?

My work sits at the intersection of technology and the human person’s conception, selection, and development as it relates to emerging biotechnologies, IVF, surrogacy, and the way technology influences our views about marriage and children. It comes as little surprise then that my formative years of college and internships were situated in this realm, too. I fell in love with marriage and family formation research my junior year of college. Not only do ample studies show us that humans flourish best within intact families, and that marriage and children correspond with the highest levels of self-reported happiness, but we have an entire public policy system to help (not hinder) people in their pursuit of this goal. Around the same time, I also started working for a technology podcast in Washington, DC. As the pandemic raged, it struck me that technology was re-imagining our relationship with ourselves, the world, and our children. With few conservative policymakers working on these issues, I wanted to build a formidable policy vision that fought for pro-family measures amid advanced technologies, and not a mere pronatalism.

What are you currently working on?

What I love about my work is that it allows for a creative mix of projects within my portfolio. In February, I joined the board of an organization called Frozen Orphans, which is producing a full-length documentary on the frozen embryo adoption crisis in the United States. As a complement to this project, I am also launching a professional podcast called Rethinking Fertility (check it out this spring) where we’ll dive into all these issues, and more.

My first book, Lead Like Jael, also comes out on March 24^th which explores seven biblical virtues for today’s women of faith. Men and women are distinct, and the Bible offers inspiring stories of women who fought to protect their home, their faith, and their nation—and yet no woman in the canonical Bible ever picked up a sword to fight. I explore lessons from the Bible and today to inspire women to live faithful and wise lives as women, rather than feeling like they just need to mimic the life scripts of men or girl-boss feminism.

Policy-wise, it is never a dull moment. We are working on many initiatives related to Silicon Valley companies who test, select, and destroy human embryos based on over 2,000 conditions related to their health, IQ, personality, or looks (did someone say consumer eugenics?). We are continuing our work raising awareness about the Chinese nationals who are buying babies via international surrogacy agencies in the United States—and in doing so, committing immigration and citizenship fraud. For context, think the Arcadia story in California this summer and Senator Rick Scott’s SAFE Kids Act. Last, our work on restorative reproductive medicine continues to flourish with multiple states introducing legislation to promote root cause care for infertility and reproductive health conditions.

How did you hear about the Claremont Institute?

When I moved to DC, it seemed like everywhere I looked there was an incredible leader in the conservative movement who was or had been involved with the Claremont Institute. All the best people I knew in DC—the doers who really got stuff done—were a part of the Claremont network. Everywhere I looked, the Claremont Institute was there!

What is your fondest memory of the Claremont Institute?

This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the Lincoln Fellowship in California. I loved the social outings with my cohort, the discussions with the discussion leaders, and some of my favorite memories were staying up late with the scholar’s discussing faith, philosophy, and policy ideas.

There are all sorts of educational programs out there for current and rising conservative professionals. What do you think makes the Claremont Institute’s Fellowships unique?

First, the Claremont Institute is a one of the most cutting-edge, politically astute, and rigorous fellowships available in the conservative world. And, it is deeply practical. We don’t merely discuss ideas for abstract theorization, but there is always an eye toward constructive policy change. Nor is it, thankfully, a holdover institution attempting to instill neoconservative and fusionist ideas in the next generation. The content is highly practical for the political world that exists today.

This year our country celebrates 250 years.  In our country’s history what two top stories from the last century resonate with you and why?

The first is Phyliss Schlafly’s political activism around the Equal Rights Amendment. She built a formidable network of mothers and women across the United States to defeat the ERA at a time when most lawmakers thought it was a given. What I love about her story is that she lived seasonally, embracing her family in their younger years before launching into her public campaign work. Second, while she didn’t have the backing of an official institution, her energy, wit, and prolific writing made her more effective than many of her well-funded opponents.

What would the artifact be, if you could hold one piece of history from the early founding of our country and why?

George Washington’s chair—the large wooden seat with the rising sun over its head—that he sat in while presiding over the Constitutional Convention. Benjamin Franklin once remarked that for the entirety of the Convention, he wasn’t sure if it represented a rising or setting sun, but by the end he knew that it represented the rise of a new nation unlike anything the world had ever seen. That image has stuck with me for many years. Imagine the opportunity to see the world, with the vision, wisdom, and self-sacrifice, of George Washington! It is what I aspire to in my own life, and sitting in the chair would be such a meaningful representation of that.

Looking back on history, in which one of the original 13 colonies would you have wanted to live and why?

Virginia, no doubt. My husband’s family has been in Virginia since they landed in the new world 400 years ago… the allegiance runs deep!

What qualities do you believe will make outstanding statesmen/women in this century?

Courage, an unyielding commitment to a Christ-first and America-first order of priorities, and of course, men and women who are able to separate timeless principles from the given policies necessary. As culture, technology, and the economy shift, outstanding men and women are able to meet the needs of the moment without merely being locked into an earlier generations policy framework.

What do you believe is one of the greatest challenges facing the United States?

One of the biggest challenges is the weakening of family stability and social trust. Declining marriage rates, loneliness, and disconnection from local institutions have ripple effects on economic mobility, child well-being, and civic life. Policy debates often focus on markets or government alone, but strong families and communities are the mediating structures that sustain a healthy society. Until we take a “whole of government approach” to prioritizing the best interests of the family in our society, we will continue to decline.

What do you believe has led to our established culture redefining itself in the 21^st Century?

Rapid technological change, social media, and elite cultural institutions have accelerated shifts in norms around identity, sexuality, and authority. Many Americans feel that long-standing traditions are being renegotiated faster than communities can process, creating tension between individual agency and longstanding moral values. Technology is, on the whole, a force for good and blessings when it comes to our ability to advance. But the idea that all progress is a good thing, or even progress in the right direction, paired with this notion that ‘if we can, we should’ has left many people vulnerable to abuse and harm via advancements in reproductive technologies, eugenic human embryo selection practices, unfettered access to smart phones, social media, and pornography for minors, and more.

What book, speech, or movie has left a lasting impression on you and why?

The Godfather stands out because it’s ultimately a story about family, loyalty, and the costs of power. Beyond the crime narrative, it explores what happens when institutions lose legitimacy and people rely on parallel systems of authority and honor. From a cultural perspective, it raises enduring questions about masculinity, moral compromise, and whether protecting one’s family can justify ethically gray decisions — themes that still resonate in debates about responsibility, tradition, and the price of social stability. Plus, it just so happens to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The way the movie weaves together religious themes of faith and fidelity with the brutal eye-for-an-eye justice system, has always left a lasting impression as a keen example of what happens when law and order collapse, and each man seeks to do only what is right in his own eyes.

What books are you currently reading?

I recently finished Catherine Pakaluk’s Hannah’s Children and am starting Paul Kingsnorth’s Against the Machine. With young children running around, if it isn’t reading for work, I am most often catching up on news shows, podcasts, and audio books.

What brings peace of mind to you at the end of a stressful day?

At the end of the day, no matter what happens, Christ is on His throne. God is sovereign. As Abraham Kuyper said, “There’s not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Lord over all, does not exclaim, ‘Mine!’” That is the peace that transcends each political loss and provides strength for each political win. Oh, and the reality that we are immortal here on earth until our work is done. Even amid threats and unrest, God is in control.

Practically, I love when I transition into the early evening. I put on a podcast while my young girls play or we listen to music, and I start making dinner. Sometimes it is simple, but I am working my way through a Half-Baked Harvest cookbook and finding great relaxation and crafting delicious and creative meals for our family. It is such a nice way to decompress and disconnect after a busy day of work.

Where do you see yourself and the United States in five years?

In the next five years, I see myself leading the movement around rethinking our traditional approach to infertility, reproductive technology, and men and women’s reproductive health in the United States. With the Alabama Supreme Court decision in 2024, IVF became part of the national conversation like never before. As more mainstream outlets cover IVF, surrogacy, and designer babies, it is clear to me that 2024 was for IVF what Roe v. Wade in 1973 was for the pro-life movement. There is an incredible opportunity—through law, documentaries, books, podcasts, and grassroots movements—to create lasting change toward truly innovative, life-affirming, and restorative technological advancements that honor the human person and promote the family. The United States, likewise, will be in the years of ‘testing’ to see if the pro-family and America-first measures (culturally, politically, legally) that are being enacted and promoted right now will stick, and if the broader public will buy in. We have a long way to go, and only time will tell if we’re seeing a last shift or just a short-lived reaction.