GROUP HOPES IMPORTANCE OF DADS COMES THROUGH

The Family Research Council, a conservative group that analyzes and makes recommendations concerning family matters, hopes this Father's Day will be more than just a day to buy something for dad. It plans to use today to encourage people across the country to realize the importance of fathers in today's society.

"We sense that fathers make an important and irreplaceable contribution in a kid's life," said Larry Huff, director of state and local affairs for the council. "All we're saying is dads are important for kids."

A year the council launched its "Fatherhood Campaign," which included a series of advertisements promoting the slogan, "Being a Dad is Important Business." Today the campaign is stronger than ever.

"What we have to say is important, and our ads have impact," Huff said. "I like to think we've made a big difference in the past year."

The idea behind the campaign is that men have a unique contribution to make to the American family by offering moral guidance for forming character.

It all began with former Vice-President Dan Quale's comments about Murphy Brown and the problems with single parenting. These comments forced the council to start looking for facts to back up its feelings about the value of father.

"We wanted people to realize that men are more than just sperm banks and paychecks," Huff said.

The facts that the council members found astounded them. For instance, 70 percent of all juveniles in long-term correctional facilities did not live with their father growing up, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In a study of 17,000 children published in the academic journal, children living apart from their biological fathers were up to 40 to 75 percent more likely to have to repeat a grade of school and 70 percent more likely to be expelled from school than children living with both parents.

These figures, plus many more like them, were shocking enough to get the council to start making posters and talking to congressmen. They've spent the past year trying to get the message across, and have received overwhelming support.

"This is not a conservative or liberal issue," Huff said. "Even our strongest opponents agree with us on this one. This runs beyond a public policy. Dads are important and we all know it."