The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society is an organizations that promotes research that attempts to demonstrate the alleged importance of a mother and father with a family consisting of their own biological children as the basic unit of society.

The Center traces its origins back to 1976 when Rockford College

Rockford College

Rockford College is a private American liberal arts college in Rockford, Illinois. It was founded in 1847 as Rockford Female Seminary and changed its name in 1892. The college is known as the alma mater of Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, who was a member of the class of...

 President John A. Howard formed the Rockford College Institute. This group later became The Rockford Institute. In 1997 Howard and Allan C. Carlson

Allan C. Carlson

Allan C. Carlson is a scholar and professor of history at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. He is the president of the Howard Center, a director of the Family in America Studies Center, the International Secretary of the World Congress of Families and editor of the Family in America...

 broke from the Rockford Institute to form the Howard Center. The Howard Center is an independent, non-sectarian organization.

The current chairman of the board is Bill Andrews of Chicago, with a total of fifteen board members including Dallin H. Oaks

Dallin H. Oaks

Dallin Harris Oaks is an American attorney, jurist, author, professor, public speaker, and religious leader. Since 1984, he has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

 who is an honorary board member.

The Howard Center gained some publicity when Carlson, who was then its president, testified in a victorious Washington Supreme Court

Washington Supreme Court

The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and eight Justices. of the Court are elected to six-year terms...

case against gay marriage.