Recognizing that healthy families are indispensable to the preservation of a strong and free society, the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI) is dedicated to strengthening the family and affirming the Judeo-Christian values upon which it is based. Established in 1991, MFI is a non-partisan public policy organization dedicated to strengthening families in Massachusetts. MFI engages in research and education on a wide range of public policy issues to strengthen the well-being, health and safety of families - its individual members and the collective unit.

An overwhelming number of research studies over the past decade have proven that strong families comprised of a mother and father in the home produce a healthier society. Similarly, a large body of social science data points to family decline as a major contributing factor behind of some of the most serious problems confronting Massachusetts and the nation, including child poverty, violent crime, substance abuse, and depression.

While many of the issues in which MFI engages are complex, we believe that the best solutions are found through a system of valuing the life and well being of every child, woman and man. To that end, we seek to reduce barriers that threaten family stability and to create a political and social environment where families can thrive and prosper.

MFI has been a proactive, public voice on a number of issues including:

• Educating families and children about the dangers of unsafe Internet use
• Preventing sexual abuse of children
• Enforcing statutory rape laws
• Strengthening, protecting, and preserving marriage between a man and a woman
• Restricting gambling within the Commonwealth
• Providing resources to help fathers meet the financial and emotional needs of their young families
• Educating children and adults on the spread of dangerous sexually transmitted diseases, and the benefits of sexual abstinence
• MFI is an independent, not-for-profit organization and supported through the generosity of our contributors.