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| The '''Family Research Council''' (FRC) is a ] ] ] ], formed in the ] by ] in 1981 and incorporated ]. The group was designed to be a conservative ] force on ]. In the late ] the group officially became a division of Dobson's main organization ], but in ] ] concerns about the group's lobbying led to an administrative separation. Its function is to promote what it considers to be traditional ]. The current president is ]. | The '''Family Research Council''' (FRC) is a ] ] ] ], formed in the ] by ] in 1981 and incorporated ]. The group was designed to be a conservative ] force on ]. In the late ] the group officially became a division of Dobson's main organization ], but in ] ] concerns about the group's lobbying led to an administrative separation. Its function is to promote what it considers to be traditional ]. The current president is ]. | ||
| The Family Research Council has been publicly involved in promoting ] views on many issues, including ], ], and ]. |
The Family Research Council has been publicly involved in promoting ] views on many issues, including ], ], and ]. | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| According to the organization's website, "the Family Research Council (FRC) champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that ] is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the ] worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society". | According to the organization's website, "the Family Research Council (FRC) champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that ] is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the ] worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society". | ||
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Revision as of 06:50, 16 April 2006
The Family Research Council (FRC) is a Christian conservative non-profit lobbying organization, formed in the United States by James Dobson in 1981 and incorporated 1983. The group was designed to be a conservative lobbying force on Capitol Hill. In the late 1980s the group officially became a division of Dobson's main organization Focus on the Family, but in 1992 IRS concerns about the group's lobbying led to an administrative separation. Its function is to promote what it considers to be traditional family values. The current president is Tony Perkins.
The Family Research Council has been publicly involved in promoting socially conservative views on many issues, including divorce, homosexuality, and abortion.
History
According to the organization's website, "the Family Research Council (FRC) champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society".
"The idea of the Family Research Council originated at the 1980 White House Conference on Families. Among the conferees, James Dobson stood out because of his rare combination of Christian social values and academic and professional credentials. A practicing clinical psychologist and noted author, Dobson had recently transitioned into radio broadcasting and also launched a nonprofit, family service organization. He felt that the time was ripe to establish an organization that would drive the national debate on family issues. In 1983, the Family Research Council incorporated as a nonprofit educational institution in the District of Columbia; its founding board included Dobson and two noted psychiatrists, Armand Nicholi Jr. of Harvard University and George Rekers of the University of South Carolina," it states.
"Under the leadership of Jerry Regier, a former Reagan Administration official at the Department of Health and Human Services, FRC began to link policy makers with researchers and professionals from a variety of disciplines. Gary Bauer, a domestic policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan, succeeded Regier in 1988 and by the mid-1990s the organization had grown into a $10 million operation with a nationwide network of support...", it states.
The FRC is associated with James Dobson's Focus on the Family and William J. Bennett.
Christian Right Coalition Members
Personnel
- Tony Perkins, President
- Colin Stewart, Executive Vice President
- Connie Mackey, Vice President for Government Affairs
- Genevieve Wood, Vice President for Communications
Racism controversy
Largely through the activities of its president Tony Perkins, the Family Research Council has been linked to racist groups and individuals. In the April 26, 2005 issue of The Nation magazine journalist Max Blumenthal wrote that Family Research Council president Tony Perkins has longstanding ties to racist organizations, including a deal with white supremacist, David Duke to share his mailing list. "Four years ago, Perkins addressed the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), America's premier white supremacist organization, the successor to the White Citizens Councils, which battled integration in the South. In 1996 Perkins paid former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his mailing list. At the time, Perkins was the campaign manager for a right-wing Republican candidate for the US Senate in Louisiana. The Federal Election Commission fined the campaign Perkins ran $3,000 for attempting to hide the money paid to Duke."
The Southern Poverty Law Center also links the Family Research Council to racism when it notes Perkins' speech to the Council of Conservative Citizens from May 19, 2001, which it identifies as "white-supremacist".
The SpongeBob SquarePants controversy
In January of 2005, the FRC hosted a banquet in Washington, D.C. in connection with the second inauguration of George W. Bush. Dobson, speaking at the FRC banquet, criticized a video that featured SpongeBob SquarePants and other cartoon characters. The video was distributed by the We Are Family Foundation. Although the video made no reference to sexual orientation, Dobson denounced the We Are Family Foundation for supporting gay rights. He subsequently denied the widespread reports that he was criticizing SpongeBob SquarePants on the ground that the cartoon character (who holds hands with his best friend, Patrick Star) was gay. Both Dobson and the FRC, however, pointed to the incorporation of the video in a curriculum promoting tolerance. A "homosexuality detection expert" at the FRC stated that words like "tolerance" and "diversity" are part of a "coded language that is regularly used by the homosexual community."
Politics and Policies
The FRC policies are in general those of the Christian Right:
- FRC campaigns for an increase in abstinence-only sex education, particually in state schools.
- Representative of the FRC Bridget Maher has commented that vaccinating young women or children against the virus HPV "could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a licence to engage in premarital sex." (Source: New Scientist Magazine 18 Apr 2005). Though they have not commented upon the vaccine specificly since, it is frequently mentioned during their abstinance-only education campaigning.
- They have had minimal involvement in the intelligent design legal incident or evolution controversy, commenting only briefly on the matter while maintaining a neutral stance.
- Frequently campain to outlaw pornography, espicially internet pornography and broadcast-TV. Actively opposed the introduction of a .xxx domain name, and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the FCC.
- Strongly pro-life.
- Supporters of Judge Samuel Alito.
- Opponents of "gay rights" in general - including repeal of sodomy laws (both heterosexual and homosexual), legal recognition (In either 'homosexual marrage' or 'civil partnership' form) for domestic partners, discussion of homosexuality in schools and hate crime legislation.
The FRC publishes frequent e-mail updates, usually in the form of three short articles. These can also be viewed on their website. These articles typically take the form of advocacy for a conservative Christian perspective on current political and social issues.
External links
- Family Research Council home page
- List of issues in which the FRC has sought involvement
- Get to know Tony Perkins discusses controversies surrounding the group's president.
- "That's Unfortunate" a pod for Current TV that discusses the Family Research Council's position on sex education