Family Research Council
The Family Research Council, or FRC, is a conservative political interest group that aims to champion marriage and traditional Christian family life. Their mission statement claims, "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 FRC is a non-partisan and nonprofit organization that aims to educate instead of supporting any particular candidate.
Policies
Human Sexuality
The FRC believes that abstinence should be the only type of sexual education taught in school. The organization believes that sex should only occur after marriage and that not teaching any other form of sexual education is the safest way for preventing sex before marriage. The organization also believes that homosexuality is dangerous to anyone who partakes in this activity and to society as a whole. The organization also opposes any action that would make homosexuality equivalent to heterosexuality.
Human Life and Bioethics
The FRC opposes abortion and hopes to help overturn Roe v. Wade in the future. The organization also believes that euthanasia and assisted suicide is unethical, and believes that individuals should help those who are terminally ill by alleviating some of their pain and maintaining their life. The FRC also opposes any science that involves any research on human embryos as they believe that this devalues human life.
Marriage and Family
The FRC believes that children are raised best by their biological parents, who should be committed to each other in a lifelong marriage. The organization also supports adoption, as an alternative to abortion, and opposes divorce. The council also believes that families should receive the same tax breaks that businesses are given, as they believe that the family is the biggest business of all. They also state that parents should be given the right to decide what education their children receive.
Religion and Culture
The FRC believes that the government should not be able to interfere with anyone practicing their religion. However, they believe that the Christian faith deserves the greatest protection by the United States government. The organization opposes any hate crime legislation that prevents individuals from expressing their own moral belief. The FRC believes that their should be no "wall of separation" between church and state.
Media
The FRC wants there to be stronger legislation protecting children from pornography, and that the government needs to take more steps to regulate the pornography industry. The organization also believes that people should be able to control what cable channels they receive, and should not be charged for blocking any channel at any time.
The Courts
History
Dr. James Dobson decided to found the FRC after attending a 1980 White House Conference on the Family. While at this conference Dobson met and prayed with eight Christian leaders at a Washington hotel. The FRC was finally founded in 1983 to combat various media outlets that spoke against family life. Gerald P. Regier, the first President of the FRC, formerly worked in the Department of Health and Human Services under Ronald Reagan. He used various outlets to spread the FRC's message, such as testifying before Congress, providing reports for elected officials, creating legal briefs on family issues, securing appointments for government officials, and offering media commentary.
Gary L. Bauer became the next President of the FRC in 1988, and at this time the FRC became a division of Focus on the Family. Throughout the 1990's under Bauer, the FRC attempted to strengthen its network and experienced a rise in national attention. During this time the organization created a home office in Washington D.C. and a distribution center in Holland, Michigan. In 1992 the organization became an independent nonprofit organization.
In 2000, Keith L.Connor became the new president of the Family Research Council. Connor spent much of his time as president of the FRC to change their policy to focus on a Christian agenda. The organization know focused on preventing abortion, sanctity of marriage, humane care of the elderly, religious liberty, parental choice in education, and tax breaks for families. The organization also decided at this time that they wanted to be known more for what they support than what they oppose.
Tony R. Perkins, a former Louisiana legislator, became the fourth president of the FRC in 2003. Perkins' made the main focus of the FRC fighting for man and woman marriage, and opposing same sex marriage. Perkins also encouraged Christian religious leaders to become more involved in politics and established a new department of the FRC called Church ministries.