SOURCE: Wikipedia, 2020-06-13
The Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam) is a United States-based advocacy group, founded in 1997, in order to affect policy debate at the United Nations and other international institutions. It was formerly known as the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. The 501(c)(3) organization describes its own mission as "to defend life and family at international institutions and to publicize the debate."
What is the ‘global gag rule’, and why does Trump support it?
[Source]
Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute was formally incorporated on 11 August 1997 in Suffolk County, NY with three directors - Seth Perlman, Clifford Perlman and Jane Burke-Robertson Initially nicknamed CAFHRI, the group was founded as an independent non-profit corporation by Human Life International-Canada and then with ongoing support from the headquarters of Human Life International (HLI), based in Front Royal, Virginia. Later nicknamed C-Fam, which subsequently became the group's corporate name, part of the group's mission was to work closely with the Holy See delegation at the UN. Austin Ruse subsequently replaced Anne Noonan as Director and shortly thereafter became president.
In July 2013, Austin Ruse was identified as a key member of the Groundswell group, a shadowy coalition of conservative activists and journalists attempting to make political change within the United States from behind the scenes. Ruse is also the author of two books; "Fake Science" published by Regnery Publishing, and "Littlest Suffering Souls" published by Tan Books.
Disambiguation. Note that there are two "Groundswell" groups:
The London-based Guardian newspaper reported in May 2019that
C-Fam has "emerged from the extreme right fringe on abortion, sexual orientation and gender identity to become a powerful player behind the scenes at the UN."
"With a modest budget and a six-strong staff led by the president Austin Ruse, it has leveraged connections inside the Trump administration to enforce a rigid orthodoxy on social issues, and helped build a new US coalition with mostly autocratic regimes that share a similar outlook."
Source [Guardian, 2019-05-16]: Revealed: the fringe rightwing group changing the UN agenda on abortion rights. Anti-abortion lobbying group using its influence in the Trump administration to help shape policy on the world stage."
In a subsequent article, Reuters reported, "Emails and memos from U.S. officials at the U.N. obtained by Reuters show the influence of the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam), a private U.S. research institute formed to affect policy at the U.N. to align with conservative Catholic views."
[2019-05-30] Special Report: As Trump rewrites health rules, Pence sees conservative agenda born again
In 2015, Stefano Gennarini (Director of the Centre for Legal Studies at C-Fam) publicly criticised Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican, by accusing him of opposing the negotiating position of the Holy See on the issue of sexual and reproductive health. He also went on to accuse economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and a senior UN advisor, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of actively promoting abortion. This received a strong rebuke from Professor Margaret Archer of the University of Warwick, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, who referred to "distorted criticism" and raised concern at Gennarini's "understanding of Catholic Social Doctrine”. This, in turn, drew a rebuke from influential Catholic journalist Phil Lawler who wrote, "Archer’s ad hominem approach, and her unwillingness to engage the real issues in the debate, were unworthy of a social scientist. Her uncharitable attitude is unworthy of someone representing the Holy See."
A number of prominent conservative Catholics served on the organization's board of patrons. However, in 2015 a Catholic priest on the board resigned in protest at Ruse's comment, "The hard-left human-hating people that run modern universities should be taken out and shot." Ruse insisted this was a figure of speech and issued a formal apology.
In February, 2014, the 19-member NGO Committee of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) unanimously approved C-Fam for Special Consultative Status. On April 23, 2014, the ECOSOC granted this status without objection.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has listed C-Fam as an anti-LGBT hate group. The SPLC has characterized the institute as being "heavily focused on global anti-LGBT work", citing its opposition to United Nations efforts to protect LGBT rights and to study and prevent anti-LGBT violence, and praise of American anti-gay activist Scott Lively. In a statement posted on its website, C-Fam responded that SPLC's criteria is biased against its "conservative opponents"; that SPLC has been accused of inflating its list of hate groups; and that the charges were false.
C-Fam< supports the Washington, D.C. Audi Best Buddies Challenge, an annual fundraising and sporting event in order to benefit people with developmental challenges.
The Center for Family and Human Rights is a member of the ultra secretive and powerful Council for National Policy.
March 13, 2017: The State Department announced the official U.S. delegation to the UN's 61st annual Commission on the Status of Women conference would include two outspoken anti-LGBT organizations, including a representative of the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM): an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. [Source: The Discrimination Administration: Trump's record of action against transgender people.]
[2019-05-30]: As Trump rewrites health rules, Pence sees conservative agenda born again.
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