Freedom Writer - April 1995 [ref001] Dobson conference slams GOP By Julie Schollenberger,

Freedom Writer - April 1995

[ref001]

Dobson conference slams GOP

By Julie Schollenberger, Esq.

Approximately 568 people attended Focus on the Family's (Focus) "Protecting 
the Family, Defending the Faith" conference for attorneys and their 
spouses held in Colorado Springs at the beginning of March. 

According to Tom Minnery, Focus' vice president of public policy, 
the five-day conference had two purposes: to minister to the attendees 
personally and spiritually, and to inspire them to defend freedom 
of religion through the courts.

With the exception of Gary Bauer's keynote address, most of the plenary 
sessions had the tone and consistency of a mass marriage-counseling 
session. The remainder of the  conference featured legal seminars 
which provided technical information on such matters as suing to stop 
harmful sex education, defending crisis pregnancy centers, suing abortion 
clinics for malpractice, and homosexuality and sexual orientation 
issues.

The most overtly political statements were made by Bauer, president 
of Family Research Council. At the time of the conference, Bauer was 
personally preoccupied with lobbying Congress to defeat the nomination 
of Henry Foster to the position of Surgeon General. Bauer was also 
lobbying to pass the family tax credit bill, which would provide a 
tax credit of $500 for every dependent to "enhance the value of bearing 
and raising children."

Bauer expressed his concern that Republican leaders, including the 
Republican candidates for president, are taking advantage of the pro-life 
movement even as they show their willingness to abandon the abortion 
issue. He called on conference participants to decide whether their 
foremost allegiance was to the GOP or to the cause of "family, faith 
and freedom." 

Assuming their dedication to "the cause," Bauer suggested that the 
only way the pro-life movement will continue to have leverage within 
the Republican Party is to threaten to form a third party if Republican 
candidates continue to compromise their agenda.

Bauer specifically recommended that James Dobson meet with Dole, Gramm, 
Gingrich, and other Republican leaders to say that he's losing patience 
with their lack of commitment to family issues and will be running 
for the Republican presidential nomination himself. Bauer was certain 
that the Republican leadership would immediately offer to do whatever 
it takes to satisfy Dobson so that he won't run. Another pressure 
technique Bauer proposed was to return fundraising appeals with a 
note saying they wouldn't give any money to the Republican party until 
the GOP showed its allegiance to the pro-family agenda. At Bauer's 
suggestion, Focus on the Family drafted a letter to Republican Party 
chairman Hailey Barbour to be signed by everyone in attendance.

It is cause for grave concern that Focus on the Family -- which usually 
strives to appear merely conservative -- finds the Republican leadership 
liberal enough to warrant the formation of a third party even further 
to the right.

_Sidebar: [ref002]Focus sends a letter to the Republican chairman_

_Julie_Schollenberger_is_director_of_the_Institute_for_the_Study_of_
the_Religious_Right._For_more_information,_contact_ISRR_at_P.O._Box_
26656,_Los_Angeles,_CA_90026._

[ref003][ref004] Return to table of contents 

Copyright 1995 IFAS
The Freedom Writer / ifas@crocker.com

[ref001] ../banner.gif
[ref002] letter.html
[ref003] index.html
[ref004] ../../uparrow.gif

        This file is copywritten by the Institute for First
        Amendment Studies.

        Subscribe to The Freedom Writer and Walk Away news
        letters by writing to or telephoneing the Institute
        for First Amendment Studies:

        Post Office Box 589
        Great Barrington, Massachusetts.  01230
        Telephone: (413) 528-3800
        E-Mail: ifas@crocker.com
        Web page: http://www.crocker.com/~ifas