The Family Research Council (FRC) is a conservative, Christian right group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983. ^[1] FRC was designed to be a lobbying force for conservative legislation on Capitol Hill. In the late 1980s, FRC officially became a division of Dobson's main organization, Focus on the Family, but after an administrative separation, FRC officially became an independent entity in 1992. The function of FRC is to promote what it considers to be traditional family values. FRC is affiliated with a 501(c)(4) lobbying PAC known as FRC Action.^[2] Tony Perkins is the current president of FRC.

In late 2010, the organization was labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center,^[3] citing what the SPLC calls FRC's "propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling." The SPLC further stated that "viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups." ^[4] FRC President Tony Perkins dismissed this as a political attack by a "liberal organization" and "the left's smear campaign of conservatives".^[5] Twenty-three members of the U.S. Congress and four state Governors signed an open letter of support for the Family Research Council in response to the SPLC's designation.

FRC promotes socially conservative views on many issues, including divorce, homosexuality, and abortion. FRC does not limit itself to social conservatism, also promoting a variety of other views.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Family Research Council was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1983. Dr. James Dobson, Armand Nicholi, Jr. of Harvard University, and George Rekers of the University of South Carolina were some of its founding board members.^[1] In 1988, following financial difficulties, the FRC was incorporated into Focus on the Family, and Gary Bauer joined the organization as president.^[6] The FRC remained under the Focus on the Family umbrella until 2002,^[6] when it separated out of concern for Focus' tax-exempt status.^[7] Tony Perkins joined the FRC as its president in 2003.^[8]

Politics and policies

The Family Research Council supports the following policies:

• An increase in pro-abstinence sex education.
• Wide availability of a vaccine for human papilloma virus (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer, but the only public policy measure which they would oppose in promoting the vaccine is an effort to make it mandatory for school attendance. Their position is that it would infringe upon parental rights to make medical decisions for their children, without a sufficient public health justification, as HPV is not transmitted through casual contact.^[9]
• A federal conscience clause protecting the right of medical workers to withhold from certain practices, such as abortion or dispensation of contraception, that they find morally objectionable.
• Intelligent design (creationism) as an alternative to evolution and the ID movement's "Teach the Controversy" campaign.
• Tighter regulation of pornography, especially internet pornography and "obscene, indecent, or profane programing" on broadcast and cable television. Actively opposed the introduction of a .xxx domain name on the grounds that it would legitimize pornography, and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the Federal Communications Commission. Believes hotel pornography may be prosecuted.^[10]
• Preclusion of all legislative, executive, or judicial action at any level of state or local government designed to protect the status of persons based on their 'homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or relationships.'^[11][12]
• Lower taxes and limited government.^[13]
• Simplifying the tax code, increasing the child tax credit, and permanently eliminating the marriage penalty and estate taxes.
• School prayer.^[14]

It opposes:

• Legalized abortion.
• Stem-cell research which involves the destruction of human embryos and funding for the same, instead advocating research using adult stem cells.
• Legal recognition of same-sex domestic partnerships in the form of marriage or civil unions.
• The idea that humans are mainly or completely responsible for global warming.^[15]
• All forms of gambling because it believes it negatively affects one's family, personal, and professional life.^[16]

Publishing and lobbying activities

In their report Funding the Culture Wars, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy lists the Family Research Council as one of the leading organizations funding the activities of the conservative movement. As a non-profit organization, FRC is completely dependent on donations from supporters.

FRC publishes frequent e-mail updates, usually in the form of short articles, which 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.

Values Voter Summit

Every fall, FRC Action (the political action group affiliated with FRC) holds an annual summit composed for conservative Christian activists and evangelical voters in Washington, D.C. In the past, the summit has been a place for social conservatives across the nation to hear Republican presidential hopefuls' platforms, and also a means of providing an early prediction of which candidate will win the endorsement of Christian conservatives.^[17] Featured guests at previous summits include Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Mike Huckabee,^[18] George Allen, Tony Snow, Bill Bennett, and Stephen Baldwin. Co-sponsors of the event included other Christian political action groups, such as AFA Action (part of the American Family Association), the Heritage Foundation, Liberty University, Liberty Counsel and Gary Bauer's organization American Values.^[19]

Controversy

Peter Sprigg

The Family Research Council's Senior Researcher for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg was criticized by gay rights activists^{[20][21][22][23]} when he, in his official capacity as a fellow of the FRC,^[24] stated that gay behavior should be outlawed and that "criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior" should be enforced.^[25] More recently, Sprigg has publicly suggested that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy would encourage molestation of heterosexual service members.^[26] When asked about Sprigg's comments regarding the criminalization of same-sex behavior, FRC President Tony Perkins said that criminalizing homosexuality is not a goal of the Family Research Council, but did not denounce Sprigg's statements.^[27][28] Perkins repeated the FRC’s association of gay men with pedophilia,^[27] saying that "If you look at the American College of Pediatricians, they say the research is overwhelming that homosexuality poses a danger to children." The opinions expressed by Perkins are contradicted by mainstream social science perspectives on same-sex parenting^[29] and the likelihood of child molestation by homosexuals,^[29][30] and some scientists whose work is cited by the American College of Pediatricians have accused the ACP of distorting and misrepresenting their work.^[31]

Southern Poverty Law Center

In its Winter 2010 Intelligence Report, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated the FRC as a hate group,^[32][5] saying that the organization "pushed false accusations linking gay men to pedophilia."^[33][34] FRC President Tony Perkins dismissed the hate group designation as the result of a political attack by a "liberal organization" and "the left's smear campaign of conservatives."^[5] The FRC ran an open letter advertisement December 15, 2010 in two Washington, DC newspapers signed by, among others, twenty U. S. House of Representatives members (including incoming House Speaker John Boehner), three U. S. Senators, four state Governors, and one state Attorney General.^[35][36] The open letter ad stated:

The surest sign one is losing a debate is to resort to character assassination. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal fundraising machine whose tactics have been condemned by observers across the political spectrum, is doing just that.

Similar and related organizations

• American Family Association
• Family Research Institute
• Focus on the Family

See also

• Christian Coalition
• Christian Voice
• LGBT rights opposition
• Moral Majority Coalition

Notes and references

External links

• Family Research Council home page
• Family Research Council election portal
• FRC Action home page
• Ministry Watch

Template:American Conservative Movements