The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society is a socially conservative U.S. think-tank and advocacy group that opposes abortion, divorce, and homosexuality, promoting instead the "child-rich, married parent" family.

History

The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society was founded by John A. Howard in 1997. The Center traces its origins back to 1976 when John A. Howard, President of

Rockford College Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a Unite ...

formed the Rockford College Institute. This group later became The Rockford Institute. In 1997 Howard and

Allan C. Carlson Allan C. Carlson (born 1949 in Des Moines, Iowa) is a scholar and former professor of history at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. He is the President Emeritus of the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society, former director of the ...

broke from the Rockford Institute to form the Howard Center. It incorporated the previous Center on Religion and Society, and took over publication of both ''The Religion and Society Report'' and ''The Family In America''. It created and coordinates the

World Congress of Families The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international conference that promotes Christian right values internationally. The WCF is the main event of the International Organization for the Family and focuses on issues like opposition to divorce, ...

, a group known for its involvement with the 2013

Russian LGBT propaganda law For the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating a Denial of Traditional Family Values, commonly known as the Russian anti-LGBT law or as the Russian anti-gay law, is a law of Russia. It was unanimously passed by the State Du ...

and opposing

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

internationally. The current chairman of the board is Bill Andrews of Chicago, with a total of fifteen board members including Dallin H. Oaks who is an honorary board member. As of 2018, the president was Brian S. Brown. The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society and the ''International Organization for the Family'', whose directors include an ultra-conservative Spanish activist linked to the leader of the far-right Vox party, both support the

(WCF) network.

Controversies

In January 2012, Robert W. Patterson resigned from his job as an aide in Pennsylvania's Department of Public Welfare after Governor Tom Corbett's administration rejected a request to allow him to continue as editor of the Howard Center's journal, ''The Family in America''. His column had proposed that "birth-control pills suppress women's sexual pleasure" and suggested "condom use deprives women of "remarkable chemicals" in semen that elevate their mood and self-esteem." In November 2013, Senator

Mark Kirk Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is an American retired politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Illinois from 2010 to 2017, and as the United States representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district f ...

(R-IL) denied a meeting hosted by the Howard Center and the

access to a Senate meeting room. The meeting eventually went on as scheduled after House Speaker

John Boehner John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. representative ...

(R-OH) intervened.Gay rights group hits Boehner for scheduling 'anti-LGBT' speakers on the Hill
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References

External links

* Think tanks established in 1997 Think tanks based in the United States Conservative organizations in the United States {{US-org-stub