In
our continuing series of interviews for our weekly online newsletter, we recently
interviewed Jim Pfaff of the Colorado Family
Institute.
DH: It’s finally beginning to
look like spring here in the Midwest.
Are you still snow-bound out there in Colorado?
JP:
Here on the Front Range just below the mountains we go back and forth from Spring
to Winter all the way until May, but up in the mountains, they’ll have winter
and skiing for some time to come due thanks to heavy snow all winter. They’re not talking Global Warming at the
resorts this year.
DH: What is the mission of the
Colorado Family Institute?
JP: Colorado
Family Institute (CFI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 research and educational
organization committed to strengthening the family. Our goal is to restore and defend traditional
moral principles in the culture by advocating for sound public policy. We are part of a nationwide network of family
policy councils associated with Focus on the Family® and Dr. James Dobson. We
educate and equip churches and citizens on important public policy issues that
affect marriage, life and the family—and ultimately to shape public opinion on
these issues.
DH: How did it get started? How long has it been around?
JP: We
started in 2006 during the marriage amendment effort that year. We had an amendment on the ballot to define
marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
There was also a ballot initiative which would have established Domestic
Partnerships in Colorado, a marriage substitute. Our lobbying arm, Colorado Family Action, led
the effort to pass the marriage amendment and defeat Domestic Partnerships with
a lot of help from the Colorado Catholic Conference and Focus on the Family
Action. I was working for Focus on the
time leading their efforts to support these efforts, and during that time, the
board of directors we had developed asked me to lead the organization myself.
DH: What is your position at CFI
and what does it involve? How long have
you been there?
JP: I
am President and CEO of Colorado Family Action and Colorado Family
institute. My duty is to build the
organization funding base and manage resources and personnel to fulfill our
mission. I also am charged to develop
and implement our long-term strategies and operations
DH: On what issues does your
organization work?
JP: There
are five major issues we focus on at CFI
Marriage
and the Family
We stand for the principle that marriage is and should
remain the union of one man and one woman.
This is a foundational institution in our society which brings stability
and an essential environment for the upbringing of children.
Life
We hold to the truth that life begins at conception and
should end only at natural death. The
protection of life is one of the primary purposes of free government. It is our belief that the 1973 Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court decision runs counter to the principles of liberty for all
individuals. We also believe that
protection for individuals at the end of life is equally important. Therefore we oppose euthanasia and other
methods of ending life before it would otherwise naturally end.
Religious
Freedom
Free exercise of religion is the first and most
fundamental right of Americans protected in the Bill of Rights. Religious
expression should be protected from governmental and judicial control in all
society including in the workplace, in government, in the public schools and
all other public and private institutions.
The
Role of the Judiciary
We believe the role given to judges is to interpret
law, not to make it.
Education
We believe that parents are the primary educators of
children. Many connected with the
government education system believe that parents should take a secondary role
in the education of children. We do not
agree. Parents hire professional
educators—whether through taxes, private school tuition or other financial
means—to assist them in the educational process. But they do not cede control of the education
process to any government entity.
DH: What have been some of your
organization’s greatest successes?
JP:
Through
our efforts, passed a marriage amendment and defeated the Domestic Partnerships
referendum [Referendum I] in 2006 though we were outspend nearly 6 to 1.
DH: Explain how your
organization worked on the Colorado marriage amendment a few years ago.
JP:
We
helped lead the effort to pass the marriage amendment and defeat a referendum
which would have created Domestic Partnerships.
This second measure would have given all the benefits of marriage to
same-sex couples that are available under Colorado law. CFA was a coalition partner with Coloradans
for Marriage. I served as CEO of that
organization. CFA independently led the
effort to defeat the Domestic Partnerships referendum with a lot of help from
Focus on the Family.
DH: How can AdvanceUSA’s readers
help the work you do in Colorado?
JP: They
can go to our website, www.cofamily.org,
and sign up for our email list. They can
also help us with a tax-dedictible donation at www.cofamily.org/donate.htm.
DH: What are some other issues
going on in Colorado? Are you working on
the proposed amendment to protect unborn life from the moment of conception,
and what would you say are its chances of becoming law in Colorado?
JP: There
are many pieces of legislation designed to remove religious belief by
government meddling into business and the private sector.
We are not participating in the coalition for the Human
Life amendment in Colorado. Colorado is
not ripe ground for this particular measure at this time. Our hope is that this will change in the next
2-6 years.
DH: What are the greatest
challenges to CFI?
JP: Growing
our influence as a new organization and maintaining the grassroots momentum we
began in 2006. Colorado is a majority
conservative state which has suffered from certain divisions among social and
fiscal conservatives. But we believe we
are filling in the gap as we work with others to bring that coalition back to
strength.
DH: Thanks for taking the time
to speak with us. Keep up the great
work.