Friday February 9, 2007 SGN.org |
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Volume 35 Issue 06 |
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Monday, Oct 06, 2008
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Religious leaders urged to promote sexual health among |
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| Religious leaders urged to promote sexual health among | |
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A coalition of national faith leaders announced that they have issued an Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Adolescent Sexuality that calls for a faith-based approach to helping adolescents understand their sexuality, develop their own moral agency, and make informed choices about their sexual behavior. Published by the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing, this Open Letter is the first of its kind by a group of religious leaders and is historic because it recognizes the sexual rights of adolescents and lays out specific actions that faith communities need to take to promote those rights, including: - Support parents in teaching children and adolescents about sexuality - Create an honest, open environment for discussion of sexuality issues - Collaborate with community organizations to promote adolescent sexual health - Recognize the sexual diversity of adolescents in their congregations, including those who are sexually active and those who are Gay and Lesbian - Address emerging health and moral issues, such as proper use of the Internet The Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Adolescent Sexuality was developed at a colloquium of theologians sponsored by the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. The participants at the colloquium included theologians and ordained clergy from a diverse range of religious perspectives, including Jewish, Baptist, Brethren, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalist. The participants called on religious communities to recognize the realities of today's adolescents who reach puberty earlier and marry later than any other generation in history which means that religious institutions must do a better job of helping adolescents make responsible choices about their sexual behavior. "We live in a society that commercializes sex and encourages sexual experimentation, but too often fails in schools, homes, and religious institutions to provide the guidance and information teenagers need to make healthy moral decisions," said the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing, which is a national multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and society. "Most religious communities are silent on these issues. Fewer than ten national denominations have curricula addressing adolescent sexuality. It is time for faith communities to recognize the sexual rights of adolescents and to help them discern their readiness for mature sexual relationships." According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than sixty percent of adolescents engage in sexual intercourse before they leave high school. About 800,000 teenagers become pregnant in the U.S. each year, and more than one in four sexually involved teens will get a sexually transmitted disease. The United States has provided over a billion dollars for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in the last decade and no funding for comprehensive sexuality education. "As religious leaders, we have a responsibility to speak out against inadequate educational programs that deny young people the medically accurate information they need to protect themselves and others," said the Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield, executive director of the American Baptists of Metro Chicago, a co-founder of the Religious Institute, and a co-creator of this new Open Letter. "We must also oppose coercive regulations, such as parental notification and consent laws, that restrict access to life-saving health and reproductive services." "Stepping up to our responsibilities to help adolescents get the information and support they need requires a strong commitment and new types of training," said Rev. Haffner. "In most churches, synagogues and mosques, human sexuality remains shrouded in silence. The majority of our clergy receives little or no training in seminary on how to address sexuality issues in their congregations, particularly adolescent sexuality. " The Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Adolescent Sexuality is being sent to more than 2,000 clergy across the country as well as the heads of denominations and national religious institutions. The Open Letter will motivate leaders to institute new programs, offer sermons, and provide public witness on the sexual health needs of adolescents in their communities. Copies will also be sent to each member of the U.S. Congress as they debate upcoming legislation on sexuality education and reproductive health. The Religious Institute has previously produced "Open Letters" on sex education, marriage equality and abortion that have helped shape theological dialogue on these sexual justice issues. The creators of the Open Letter are the Rev. Dr. Mariah Britton, Moriah Institute; Alicia Brooks, Yale Divinity School; the Rev. Steve Clapp, Christian Community; the Rev. Mary Foulke, Episcopal Church of St. Luke in the Fields, New York City; the Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield, American Baptists of Metro Chicago, the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; Ann L. Hanson, United Church of Christ; the Rev. Cedric Harmon, Americans United; Dr. Kate M. Ott, Religious Institute; Dr. Su Yon Pak, Union Theological Seminary; Rabbi Laura Novak Winer, RJE, Union for Reform Judaism; and the Rev. Dr. Karen-Marie Yust, Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education. The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing is a multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and society. Over 2,600 religious leaders from more than 40 faith traditions endorse its Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. A Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing press release |
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