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We choose to plant the seed of peace. We set aside our individual desires to “win” and to further our own agendas and put our faith in God, and send this overture on without trying to advocate one position or another, trusting not only God, but our fellow Presbyterians to do what is right not only for our children but for our denomination. We send this overture on in the hope that the next step of the process will cultivate the seed we have planted, faithfully stepping out in mutual trust.

Electronic Vote - Plenary

Affirmative:	509
Negative:	188
Abstaining:	5

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

On this Item, the Church Growth and Christian Education Committee, acted as follows:

Approve with Comment

[Counted Vote - Committee]

Affirmative:	41
Negative:	14
Abstaining:	2

RECOMMENDATION

The Presbytery of Grace overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to direct the General Assembly Council to produce adolescent human development resources based upon Scripture and the Reformed theological tradition. These resources would explore all facets of adolescent development including human sexuality.

RATIONALE

Due to the action of the 217th General Assembly (2006), our denomination currently offers no sexuality curriculum at all for our youth. If we take no action to provide such curriculum, our youth will be deprived of guidance to help them navigate, with the eyes of faith, the challenging waters of our culture.

We live in a culture that constantly bombards its young people with confusing messages through the media and music about sex and sexuality. The issues of sexual activity among teens, teen pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases are vital ones to discuss with our youth. It is incumbent upon the church to speak to and educate our youth in this area of life, offering them sound teaching that is faithful to our biblical understanding, faithful to our Reformed heritage, and relevant to their lives today.

One of the basic struggles of youth is identity formation. Families and the church help Christian youth wrestle with “Who am I?” and “To whom do I belong?” These identity questions cannot be separated from their sexuality. Yet currently the church has no voice, with respect to curriculum, that will equip youth to deal with the reality that sexuality is a major developmental factor of adolescence as teens come to know who they are and what it means to be responsible as one who belongs to God.

Through the ages the Reformed church has dealt with important issue of the day, asking what the Holy Spirit would have us see and do about it. The 21st century is no different. Sexuality curriculum needs to be available to help the youth become informed people, as life and faith collide in their day-to-day world. It is imperative to address this important issue so that the church can empower our youth in the process of maturing faith and wisdom as they continue to develop into Christ’s beloved and responsible disciples.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION

(2008): $0; (2009): $108,495 ; (2010): $0[Mission]

COMMENT

Advice and Counsel on Item 12-08—From the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC).

Item 12-08, on directing the General Assembly Council to produce adolescent human development resources.
The Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC)concurs with the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC)’s advice and counsel.

Advice and Counsel on Item 12-08—From the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC).

Item 12-08 asks the 218th General Assembly (2008) to direct the General Assembly Council to produce adolescent human development resources based upon Scripture and the Reformed theological tradition. These resources would explore all facets of adolescent development including human sexuality.

The Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC) advises that this item be approved as amended: [Text to be deleted is shown with brackets and with a strike-through; text to be added or inserted is shown with brackets and with an underline.]

“The Presbytery of Grace overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) todirect the General Assembly Council to produce adolescent human development resources based upon Scripture and the Reformed theological tradition. These resources would explore all facets of adolescent development, including [~~human sexuality~~] [comprehensive, culturally proficient instruction about the full range of human sexuality issues].”

Rationale

The ACWC welcomes Item 12-08 calling for development of a sexuality curriculum. The PC(USA) currently has no denominational materials to provide adolescents and their families with information and guidance about their development as maturing sexual persons in the context of our faith tradition. Reliable studies make us aware that young people live in a sexually saturated society in which their decisions and behaviors make them vulnerable to a number of emotional and physical challenges. Data on teenage sexuality also reflect gender, racial, and ethnic differences that must be addressed in culturally appropriate materials.

The data is sobering. According to “Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health,” (September 2006) Guttmacher Institute:

Most young people have sex for the first time at about age 17, but do not marry until their middle or late 20s. This means that young adults are at risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for nearly a decade.

By their 18th birthday, 6 in 10 teenage women and more than 5 teenage men have had sexual intercourse.

A sexually active teen who does not use contraceptives has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year.

Of the approximately 750,000 teen pregnancies that occur each year, 82% are unintended. More than one-quarter ends in abortion.

Young African American women have the highest teen pregnancy rate, followed by Latinas and non-Latina whites.

The pregnancy rate among black teens decreased 40% between 1990 and 2000, more than the overall U.S. teen pregnancy rate declined during the same period (36%).

The majority of the decline in teen pregnancy rates is due to more consistent contraceptive use; the rest is due to higher proportions of teens choosing to delay sexual activity.

Despite a decline in teen pregnancy rates between 1995 and 2002, the United States teen pregnancy rates are twice as high as those in England, Wales, and Canada, and 8 times as high as The Netherlands and Japan.

The Center for Disease Control reported in March 2008 that:

At least 1 in 4 teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted disease, or 3 million teens.

The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, with the highest overall prevalence among black girls (nearly 50%). That rate is 20 percent among both whites and Mexican American teens.

However, studies also show that the availability and the quality of sexuality education are important factors in the decisions that young people make about their health and sexuality. A September 2007 resource, “Facts on Sex Education in the United States” (Guttmacher) reports that:

By 2002, one-third of teens had not received any formal instruction about contraception.

There is currently no federal program dedicated to supporting comprehensive sex education that teaches young people about both abstinence and contraception.

More than 9 in 10 teachers believe that students should be taught about contraception, but 1 in 4 are prohibited from doing so.

Despite years of evaluation in this area, there is no evidence to date that abstinence-only education delays teen sexual activity.Moreover, recent research shows that abstinence-only strategies may deter contraceptive use among sexually active teens, increasing their risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Evidence shows that comprehensive sex education programs that provide information about both abstinence and contraception can help delay the onset of sexual activity among teens, reduce their number of sexual partners and increase contraceptive use when they become sexually active. These findings were underscored in “Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior,” issued by former Surgeon General David Satcher in June 2001.

The ACWC lifts up Item 12-08’s rationale that states a “sexuality curriculum needs to be available to help the youth become informed people, as life and faith collide in their day-to-day world.” The data on teenage sexuality reflect the lives of American teens that are struggling to understand the development of their bodies and make decisions about their sexuality. Presbyterian teens are a diverse population and they look to their church for resources that will help them know God’s love and guidance as their bodies develop and they grow into mature adults.

The 217th General Assembly (2006) directed the General Assembly Council (Congregational Ministries Division) and all other PC(USA) entities to use the biblical and confessional teachings that sexual relationships belong only within the bond of marriage of a man and a woman as the standard for the development of any future materials or recommendations for materials. It added that the curriculum should include information on reproductive health to allow for an open discussion between teachers and youth in light of our understanding of God’s plan for sexuality. Given the data on teenage sexual behavior, there is a need for an adolescent curriculum on sexuality that provides comprehensive information and encourages the open conversation between leaders and youth in diverse communities.

Comment on Item 12-08—From the General Assembly Council.

Item 12-08 asks the General Assembly to direct the General Assembly Council (GAC) to produce resources that would explore all facets of adolescent development including human sexuality.

Congregational Ministries Publishing previously produced a human sexuality curriculum that was withdrawn at the direction of the 216th General Assembly (2004). Currently, the PC(USA) does not produce, promote, or make available curricular resources that address issues of human sexuality.

Development of new adolescent development resources that deal with human sexuality would be a multiyear process, necessitating significant additional staff and funds beyond those included in Congregational Ministries Publishing’s current staffing rationale and budget.