Witherspoon Institute

File:The Witherspoon Institute.jpg]]

The Witherspoon Institute opposes abortion and same-sex marriage{{cite web|url=http://winst.org/family_marriage_and_democracy/WI_Marriage.pdf |title=Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles |access-date=July 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722234851/http://www.winst.org/family_marriage_and_democracy/WI_Marriage.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2012 }} and deals with embryonic stem cell research, and constitutional law.

In 2003, it organized a conference on religion in modern societies.{{cite book | last=Scruton | first=Roger |author-link=Roger Scruton | date=2006 | title=A Political Philosophy | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTK_iPOozq0C&q=%22Witherspoon+Institute%22&pg=PA210 | location=London | publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group | page=210 | isbn= 9780826480361}} In 2006, Republican Senator Sam Brownback cited the Witherspoon document Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles in a debate over a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage. It held a conference about pornography named The Social Costs of Pornography{{cite web|url=http://www.socialcostsofpornography.com/about.php |title=About - The Social Cost of Pornography |publisher=Socialcostsofpornography.com |access-date=2016-04-20}} at Princeton University in December 2008.{{cite web|url=http://winst.org/events/past-events/ |title=Past Events | The Witherspoon Institute |publisher=Winst.org |access-date=2016-04-20}}

Financially independent from Princeton University, its donors have included the Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation.

The institute publishes the online journal Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good.{{cite web|url=http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/ |title=The online journal of The Witherspoon Institute |publisher=Public Discourse |access-date=2016-04-22}} It also provides educational opportunities to high school students, undergraduate students, graduate students, and young faculty members.{{cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/15109/summer-seminar-on-christian-moral-life-now-accepting-high-school-students|title=Summer seminar on Christian moral life now accepting high school students|work=Catholic News Agency|access-date=21 April 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/368112/witherspoon-institute-summer-seminars-matthew-j-franck|title=National Review Online|author=Matthew J. Franck|website=National Review|date=10 January 2014|access-date=21 April 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2014/01/natural-law-and-public-affairs-summer-seminar|title=Natural Law and Public Affairs Summer Seminar|work=First Things|access-date=21 April 2016}} Most of these seminars focus on natural law philosophy and its applications in contemporary fields such as political theory, bioethics, and law.

{{Main article|New Family Structures Study}}

In July 2012, the Witherspoon Institute drew public attention for having funded the controversial New Family Structures Study (NFSS), a study of LGBT parenting conducted by Mark Regnerus, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. The study was criticized by major professional scientific institutions and associations, as well as other sociologists at the University of Texas.{{cite web | url=http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/07/13/ut-austin-scrutinizes-ethics-controversial-same-sex-parenting-study | title=Is the Research All Right? | last=Kolowich | first=Steve | date=13 July 2012 | website=Inside Higher Ed | access-date=7 May 2018 }} The University of Texas conducted an inquiry into the publication and declined to conduct a formal investigation in keeping with its policy that "ordinary errors, good faith differences in interpretations or judgments of data, scholarly or political disagreements, good faith personal or professional opinions, or private moral or ethical behavior or views are not misconduct."{{cite web |url=http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/08/29/regnerus_scientific_misconduct_inquiry_completed/ |title=University of Texas at Austin Completes Inquiry into Allegations of Scientific Misconduct |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |date=Aug 29, 2012 |access-date=December 3, 2012 |archive-date=November 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118134910/http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/08/29/regnerus_scientific_misconduct_inquiry_completed |url-status=dead }} But the university's sociology department said the Regnerus study was "fundamentally flawed on conceptual and methodological grounds and that findings from Dr. Regnerus' work have been cited inappropriately in efforts to diminish the civil rights and legitimacy of LBGTQ partners and their families."{{cite web |url=http://sites.la.utexas.edu/utaustinsoc/2014/03/03/statement-from-the-chair-regarding-professor-regnerus/ |title=Statement from the Chair regarding Professor Regnerus |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |date=Mar 3, 2014 }}

Witherspoon's Public Discourse hired Alana Newman, a writer, musician, and activist known for her advocacy on egg and sperm donation and surrogacy issues, to write articles critical of reproductive technology, including a controversial 2012 article that compared gay parents to sexual predators.{{Cite web |date=2012-10-09 |title=Gay Parents Are 'Sexual Predators' Who 'Exploit' Women's Bodies, Says Right-Wing Blogger |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gay-parents-sexual-predators-alana-newman-blog_n_1951972 |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}

{{Further|Chen Guangcheng}}

On October 2, 2013, the Witherspoon Institute announced{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/chinese-dissident-chen-joins-witherspoon-institute.html | work=Bloomberg | first=Terry | last=Atlas | title=Chinese Dissident Chen Joins Witherspoon Institute | date=1 October 2013}} the appointment of Chinese lawyer and human rights activist Chen Guangcheng as a Distinguished Senior Fellow in Human Rights,{{cite web|url=http://winst.org/2013/10/chen-guangcheng/ |title=Chen Guangcheng Appointed Distinguished Senior Fellow in Human Rights of the Institute | The Witherspoon Institute |publisher=Winst.org |access-date=2016-04-20}} as well as Visiting Fellow of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America,{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/chinese-human-rights-activist-joins-catholic-university/2013/10/02/f8c868bc-2b8b-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Pamela | last=Constable | author-link=Pamela Constable | title=Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng joins Catholic University | date=3 October 2013}} and Senior Distinguished Advisor to the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.{{cite web|url=http://www.lantosfoundation.org/Lantos_News_Template.asp?id%3D182 |title=Promoting Human Rights Worldwide - Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice |access-date=October 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231531/http://www.lantosfoundation.org/Lantos_News_Template.asp?id=182 |archive-date=October 4, 2013 }} In an interview, Witherspoon Institute President Luis Tellez told Reuters: "We're not asking him to do anything specific{{nbsp}}... The main point is he's a truth teller, he tries to tell the truth as he sees it."{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-activist-idUSBRE99100220131002 | work=Reuters | title=Chinese dissident Chen to join conservative U.S. think tank | date=2 October 2013}} Tellez said he expected Chen to continue his advocacy for human rights in China in his appointment, which was set to last for three years.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/02/chen-guangcheng-witherspoon-nyu-china |title=Chen Guangcheng joins conservative institute after NYU departure | World news | theguardian.com |website=TheGuardian.com |access-date=November 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030020933/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/02/chen-guangcheng-witherspoon-nyu-china |archive-date=October 30, 2013 }}

On October 16, 2013, Chen made his first public appearance as a fellow of Witherspoon. He delivered a public lecture at Princeton University titled "China and the World in the 21st Century: The Next Human Rights Revolution",{{cite web|url=http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/10/chinese-dissident-chen-guangcheng-advocates-universal-human-rights/ |title=Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng advocates universal human rights |publisher=The Daily Princetonian |date=2013-10-16 |access-date=2016-04-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414045416/http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/10/chinese-dissident-chen-guangcheng-advocates-universal-human-rights/ |archive-date=2016-04-14 }} co-sponsored by the Witherspoon Institute and the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.{{cite web|url=http://web.princeton.edu/sites/jmadison/calendar/documents/Flyer%202013%201016%20CHEN%20Guangcheng.pdf |title=James Madison Program : China and the World in the 21st Century : The Next Human Rights Revolution |author=Chen Guangchen |website=Web.princeton.edu |access-date=2016-04-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101085038/http://web.princeton.edu/sites/jmadison/calendar/documents/Flyer%202013%201016%20CHEN%20Guangcheng.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-01 }}

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{{portal|New Jersey|Conservatism}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|550835528}}
• [https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/ The Public Discourse: the journal of the Witherspoon Institute]

{{Princeton, New Jersey|state=collapsed}}

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Category:Conservative organizations in the United States

Category:Political and economic think tanks in the United States

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Princeton, New Jersey

Category:501(c)(3) organizations

Category:2003 establishments in New Jersey

Category:Think tanks established in 2003

Category:John M. Olin Foundation