The Family Research Council has been publicly involved in promoting Socially Conservative views on many issues, including Divorce , Homosexuality , and Abortion . ''The Church Report'' ranks FRC first in the category of Christian political organizations. ''The Church Report'' Top 20 List of Political Christian Organizations URL accessed May 12, 2006.
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.
The FRC is associated with James Dobson's Focus On The Family and William J. Bennett .
The FRC policies are in general those of the Christian Right :
- FRC campaigns for an increase in Abstinence -only Sex Education .
- Supports the wide availability of a vaccine for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer, but "oppose any measures to legally require vaccination or to coerce parents into authorizing it." Family Research Council Statement Regarding HPV Vaccines , February 21, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from frc.org.. In 2005, a representative of FRC described vaccination in an interview with ''New Scientist'' magazine as 'potentially harmful, because women may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex.'http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18624954.500 FRC later released a clarification saying, "After extensive study of the vaccine and discussion with medical experts, we concluded that the public health benefits of developing and distributing such a vaccine far outweighed any potential, hypothetical concerns about its impact on sexual behavior. Therefore, we announced in October of 2005 that we would enthusiastically support the development of the vaccine and federal approval of its use, including its addition to the list of vaccines recommended to physicians and of those made available to lower-income families through the Vaccines for Children program." Clarification of 2005 Family Research Council Media Remarks on HPV Vaccine , Family Research Council web site (undated material). Retrieved July 16, 2007.
- They have commented in support of Intelligent Design and the movement's " Teach The Controversy " campaign. Will South Carolina's Science Curriculum Evolve? Washington Watch Daily Radio commentary, June 29, 2006. Intelligent Design Deserves Intelligent Debate Tony Perkins' Washington Update, October 18 2005. No Freedom to Choose in Education , Tony Perkins' Washington Update, January 12 2006.
- Frequently campaign for tighter regulation of pornography, especially internet pornography and indecency on broadcast-TV. Actively opposed the introduction of a .xxx Domain Name , and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the FCC .
- Strongly opposed to legal abortion.
- Oppose research which involves or benefits from the destruction of embryos.
- Opponents of legal recognition of homosexual "domestic partnerships" (in either 'marriage' or 'civil unions').
- Opposes population control measures.
- Advocates for lower taxes and limited government.
- Favors strong military action against "radical Islam ".
- Supports simplifying the tax code, increasing the child tax credit, and the permanently eliminating the marriage penalty and estate taxes.
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