CFI participates in media debates on science, health, religion and its other areas of interest. Its "Keep Healthcare Safe and Secular" campaign promotes scientifically sound healthcare. It has been an outspoken critic of dubious and unscientific healthcare practices, and engages in public debate on the merit and legality of controversial medical techniques. In 2014, CEO Ron Lindsay publicly criticized
Stanislaw Burzynski's controversial Texas cancer clinic. CFI campaigns for a secular society, for example in opposing the addition of prayer text on public property. The center supports secular and free speech initiatives. On November 14, 2006, the CFI opened its Office of Public Policy in
Washington, DC, and issued a declaration "In Defense of Science and Secularism", which calls for public policy to be based on science rather than faith. The next day
The Washington Post ran an article about it entitled "Think Tank Will Promote Thinking".
Consumer fraud lawsuits against CVS and Walmart In July 2018, CFI filed suit against
CVS in the District of Columbia for consumer fraud over its sale and marketing of ineffective homeopathic medicine. The lawsuit in part accused the CVS of deceiving consumers through its misrepresentation of homeopathy's safety and effectiveness, wasting customers' money and putting their health at risk. Nicholas Little, CFI's Vice President and General Counsel said, "CVS is taking cynical advantage of their customers' confusion and trust in the CVS brand, and putting their health at risk to make a profit and they can't claim ignorance. If the people in charge of the country's largest pharmacy don't know that homeopathy is bunk, they should be kept as far away from the American healthcare system as possible." In May 2019, CFI announced that they have filed a similar suit against
Walmart for their range of homeopathic products. In July 2019, CFI announced that the Stiefel Freethought Foundation was contributing an additional $150,000 to the previously committed $100,000 to support the two lawsuits. In 2020 both cases were dismissed. In September 2022 the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals revived the lawsuits. speaking at the Center for Inquiry, Washington, DC, in 2010
Lack of racial diversity on its board of directors In 2016, the atheist
Sikivu Hutchinson criticized the merger of the secular organizations Center for Inquiry and the
Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, which gave
Richard Dawkins a seat on the board of directors of the Center for Inquiry. Her criticism was that both organizations had all white boards of directors.
Wyndgate Country Club and Richard Dawkins, 2011 During Richard Dawkins' October 2011 book tour, Center for Inquiry – the tour's sponsor – signed a contract with Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as the venue site. After seeing an interview with Dawkins on ''
The O'Reilly Factor'', an official at the club cancelled Dawkins' appearance. Dawkins said that the country club official accepted
Bill O'Reilly's "twisted" interpretation of his book
The Magic of Reality without having read it personally.
Sean Faircloth said that cancelling the reading "really violates the basic principles of America ... The Civil Rights Act ... prohibits discrimination based on race or religious viewpoint. ... [Dawkins has] published numerous books ... to explain science to the public, so it's rather an affront, to reason in general, to shun him as they did." CFI Michigan executive director Jeff Seaver stated that "This action by The Wyndgate illustrates the kind of bias and bigotry that nonbelievers encounter all the time." Following the cancellation, protests and legal action by CFI against the Wyndgate Country Club were pursued. In 2013 this case was settled in favor of the Center For Inquiry.
CSH actions against faith-based initiatives In 2007, CSH sued the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) to block the use of state funds in contracts to faith-based programs for released inmates, claiming that this use is prohibited under the "No Aid" provision or
Blaine amendment of the Florida constitution. The initial decision found in favor of the DOC but, on appeal, the case was remanded in 2010 on just the issue of the unconstitutionality of appropriating state funds for this purpose. While this case was in progress, after the appellate finding, Republican legislators began an effort to amend the Florida constitution to remove the language of the Blaine amendment, succeeding in 2011 to place the measure on the 2012 ballot as amendment 8. The ballot measure failed. In 2015, CHS (now CFI) and the state (along with its co-defendants) both filed for summary judgement. The court granted the state's motion in January, 2016, allowing the contested contracting practice to continue. After consideration, CFI announced in February, 2016, that it would not appeal.
Heckled at the UN CFI representative Josephine Macintosh was repeatedly interrupted and heckled by the delegation from
Saudi Arabia whilst presenting the center's position on censorship at the
UN Human Rights Council. CFI advocated free speech, and opposed the punishment by
Saudi authorities of
Raif Badawi for running an Internet forum, whom they accused of atheism and liberalism. CFI's statement was supported by the American, Canadian, Irish, and French delegates. A student contacted the Center for Inquiry in
Amherst,
New York, to present the idea, which CFI then supported. Ronald Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, said regarding Blasphemy Day, "We think religious beliefs should be subject to examination and criticism just as political beliefs are, but we have a taboo on religion", in an interview with
CNN. It takes place every September 30 to coincide with the anniversary of the publications of the controversial
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons. Blasphemy Day and CFI's related Blasphemy Contests started (in CFI's own words) "a firestorm of controversy". and cited as an example of a wider move towards
New Atheism and away from the more conciliatory approach historically associated with Humanism. == References ==