Organizational Background and Activities

C-FAM emerged in the late 1990’s as a lobbying organization at the United Nations, where it can still be found today hovering around some international negotiations and discussions. C-FAM is primarily oriented toward undermining international family planning efforts and attacking UN agencies and other multilateral activities.

C-FAM and its pseudo-sister organization, the Population Research Institute (PRI), were founded by Human Life International when that organization was denied accreditation at the United Nations—providing that organization not one, but three voices with which to promote their agenda both internationally and domestically. For years, these groups have attempted to appear as if operating as separate organizations, and only recently created an “official” strategic alliance. (Excellent original reporting on Ruse's organizations has been done by Catholics For A Free Choice and can be read here (C-FAM), and here (CLF).)

Current C-FAM campaigns include intermittent efforts to discredit UN initiatives and organizations, such as CEDAW, UNFPA, and UNICEF. These attacks are undertaken through C-FAM’s signature publication: The Friday Fax and "white papers" from the IORG.

Ruse has shown the world his true colors on several occasions, with statements like this one: “to participate in the UN the way I do you must at least have a veneer of supporting the UN.” He has summed up his work as a consultant to the UN’s Economic & Social Council by saying, “We have so much fun. We sit in the corner of that conference room and cackle…. [I]t’s like working in a shooting gallery…and no matter where you shoot you hit something really good.” (Quotes are from Catholics For a Free Choice’s report on CLF, “Bad Faith Makes Bad Politics”)

C-FAM serves as a parent for the IORG, which exists to research and publish "white papers" around, “institutions that pose direct threats to the family, the unborn, the faith, and national sovereignty.” In addition, they claim to conduct research on philanthropic foundations with an expressed goal to expose “…forces on the world stage that are arrayed against the Church, the family, the unborn, and national sovereignty.” This self-described “think tank” obviously does a lot more thinking than it does publishing—in the past five years they have published only three autonomous papers and reports, along with two "executive summaries" and a Polish translation.

For more information regarding C-FAM and other related conservative Catholic advocacy groups like PRI and HLI, check out Catholics for a Free Choice’s “opposition research”