A welcome development for Haiti
In the midst of DC's biggest blizzard in decades this weekend, I missed an exciting announcement-- on Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced its support for relieving Haiti's international debt. Debt relief for Haiti will free up financing for the country to recover from the January 12th earthquake and rebuild its shattered infrastructure.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has pledged to work with other donor agencies to alleviate this debt burden on Haiti. He said:
The earthquake in Haiti was a catastrophic setback to the Haitian people who are now facing tremendous emergency humanitarian and reconstruction needs, and meeting Haiti's financing needs will require a massive multilateral effort... Today, we are voicing our support for what Haiti needs and deserves -- comprehensive multilateral debt relief.
This development comes on the heels of the religious community's advocacy for debt relief, from brand-new organization, The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, to long-standing advocacy organizations like Jubilee USA. The New Evangelical Partnership celebrated and thanked the U.S. Treasury Department for their call and urged the remaining lending nations and institutions to swiftly forgive Haiti's debt, and continue our call for all aid to come in the form of grants. Jubilee USA also welcomed the Sec. Geithner's statement and said, "we can look forward to the US using its leadership to secure a broader commitment from G7 finance ministers."
And as Hayley Hathaway at Jubilee USA wrote in reference to the recent developments on the Haiti debt relief front at God's Politics today: "For those of us who work for social justice, victory can seem elusive. But then there are times when we mobilize at the right time with the right message and our leaders cannot help but listen and respond. This weekend was one of those times."
Thank goodness. The people of Haiti need all the help we can give.
Standing up to bigotry in Uganda
At the National Prayer Breakfast today, Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama denounced the anti-gay legislation currently under consideration in Uganda, which would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment or even death. From the President's remarks:
We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are--whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.
This condemnation follows months of extensive opposition to the bill by ideologically diverse leaders of the US faith community. These religious voices helped put the issue on the national stage -- a vital contribution to the effort to leverage international pressure against this horrific legislation.
Don't Ask for the facts
Joints Chiefs of Staff chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, saying that repealing the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy "would be the right thing to do." Characteristically, religious right groups reacted with much chagrin and very little accurate information. (For example, Tony Perkins implied that ending DADT would lead to more sexual assault in the military. Seriously.)
For a more honest take, recall the statement released late last year by retired military chaplains in favor of ending discrimination against gay and lesbian members of the armed forces. Drawing on the chaplains' own analysis, in addition to consultation with "fellow Chaplains as well as veterans representing all the Services in all ranks and ratings from E-1 through O-8," the statement refuted pro-DADT arguments ranging from unit cohesion and combat effectiveness to order and discipline to sexual relations among service members.
The difference between these two different faith voices could hardly be more stark. One group reflects on their own experiences serving military personnel's spiritual needs; the other demonizes the LGBT community, even as they risk their lives to protect this country. Since DADT was enacted in 1993, approximately 13,500 members of the military have been dismissed because of their sexual identity. Thousands more still live in fear of the same fate. For their sake, and for our sake as a nation that claims to uphold equality and dignity, it's a good thing military leadership think more like the chaplains than the likes of Tony Perkins.
"Abstinence-only"?
A new study on sex education came out this week, and the mainstream media and blogs are abuzz with the findings. The Washington Post headline was par for the course when it came to the coverage: "Abstinence-only program shows promise."
The trouble with this headline, and others like it, is that it's not clear what the phrase "abstinence-only" actually means here. The phrase "abstinence-only" in common parlance connotes "abstinence-only-until-marriage," right? But that wouldn't be an accurate use of the phrase here, because in fact, the curriculum in the study didn't tell students they had to wait until marriage. Instead, it encouraged young teens to wait "until they were ready" to have sex and prompted them to build the skills and gather the information to make responsible decisions for themselves.
Unfortunately, with groups like Family Research Council claiming that any sex ed program that doesn't promote abstinence exclusively "encourages high-risk behavior," the facts can get jumbled. Heritage Foundation claims "comprehensive sex ed a big flop." But comprehensive sex ed is called comprehensive for a reason-- it doesn't just teach about contraception, it doesn't just teach about abstinence... it's a comprehensive approach! And comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education that encourages teens to delay sexual activity has been shown to work.
Study after study in the past has shown that comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education helps young adults make healthy decisions and delay sexual activity. Study after study has shown that programs that tell students they must wait until marriage before having sex, without equipping them with information to make their own decisions and be smart about those decisions, doesn't work.
Seems to me this new research confirms what we already knew-- equip kids with information, help them develop the skills to make responsible choices, and encourage them to delay sexual activity, and everybody wins.
Interfaith immigration advocacy in Houston
Immigration reform advocates take action nationwide
One of the most tragic results of Haiti's devastating earthquake was the separation of thousands of children from their families. Their plight, which has spurred many faith-based groups to action, reminded me of the children right here in the U.S. who also face the trauma of being separated from their parents by a broken immigration system, as well as the faith groups who work to meet their needs and change the system that harms them. Although immigration reform hasn't gotten much attention lately, faith leaders and advocates are keeping up a nationwide effort to push Congress to pass needed fixes to our broken immigration system this year. Sojourners' Allison Johnson posted at God's Politics about this week's "Day of Witness and Action on Immigration Reform" in Phoenix, which drew 130 Christian leaders from across the country not only to network with each other, but also to connect with local immigrant families affected by our broken system, and hear firsthand about their experiences and needs.
And the exciting event in Phoenix was just one of half a dozen events across the country this week at which faith leaders lifted a public witness for justice for immigrants -- press conferences and prayer vigils were held in congregations and public venues in Denver; Santa Ana, Calif.; Chicago; Memphis; and Miami.
Immigration reform may not be at the top of the political agenda right now, but conventional wisdom in Washington doesn't change the fact that our immigration system separates families, detains people indefinitely in inhumane conditions, exploits workers and keeps millions of people in the shadows across the country. It'll take a broad-based, powerful nationwide effort for immigration reform to send a signal to Congress to act. Be looking for people of faith at the forefront of that movement.
Follow through for health care
As I sifted through State of the Union reactions, commentary and spin today, this Washington Post On Faith essay by Rev. Rayfield Burns' reaction struck me as particularly insightful:
Amidst the political turmoil of the last week, President Obama called on leaders in Washington to avoid "playing it safe" in order to "get through the next election," but instead to "do what's best for the next generation."
That, in my estimation, is the definition of moral leadership. Now it's time for Congress and the Administration to follow through on this call to action...
Scripture teaches us that a moral community does what is necessary to protect the lives of each member of society; it makes room at the table of plenty for everyone. It is long past time that we made room at the life-sustaining health care table of plenty for everyone of God's children.
Amen.
Reminding political leaders of the moral stakes of reform
As healthcare reform negotiations remains stalled on Capitol Hill and Pres. Obama prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address tonight, religious leaders are standing up to remind Congress and the administration that the political twists and turns in Washington don't the change the urgent needs of the millions of Americans who've been waiting far too long for quality, affordable healthcare.
This morning a group of 23 prominent religious leaders, including clergy, scholars, nationally known advocates and ten members of the White House Council for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, sent President Obama a letter stating, in part, "Strong, public leadership from you at this moment could sway leaders who are now wavering and considering putting off or scaling back reform."
Earlier this week, an interfaith letter organized by Faithful Reform in Healthcare was sent to Members of Congress telling them that "[t]his is your moment for political courage, vision, leadership and faith." And yesterday the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops -- in an interesting turn from their previous threats to oppose health reform -- sent a letter urging Congress to pass reform that provides "affordable, quality, life-giving care is available to all."
It's especially important to have voices of moral clarity when the political situation is so murky. Here's hoping lawmakers take the faith community's witness to heart.
Teen pregnancy increase highlights need for common ground solutions
A report released by the Guttmacher Institute today shows that teen pregnancy rates rose by three percent between 2006 and 2007 -- the first increase since 1990:
The teen pregnancy rate declined 41% between its peak, in 1990 (116.9 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19), and 2005 (69.5 per 1,000). Teen birth and abortion rates also declined, with births dropping 35% between 1991 and 2005 and teen abortion declining 56% between its peak, in 1988, and 2005. But all three trends reversed in 2006. [emphasis added]
Guttmacher's summary of their research also stated:
These new data from the Guttmacher Institute are especially noteworthy because they provide the first documentation of what experts have suspected for several years, based on trends in teens' contraceptive use--that the overall teen pregnancy rate would increase in the mid-2000s following steep declines in the 1990s and a subsequent plateau in the early 2000s. The significant drop in teen pregnancy rates in the 1990s was overwhelmingly the result of more and better use of contraceptives among sexually active teens. However, this decline started to stall out in the early 2000s, at the same time that sex education programs aimed exclusively at promoting abstinence--and prohibited by law from discussing the benefits of contraception--became increasingly widespread and teens' use of contraceptives declined.
These findings make a strong case not only for the efficacy of comprehensive sex education, but also for the importance of including such programs in common ground efforts to reduce the need for abortion.
Faith Groups to Congress: Fight, Don't Fold
Today, a huge coalition of faith groups is urging congress to show leadership in the face of political uncertainty and finish the job on health care reform (You can call Congress today at 1-866-279-5474.)
The groups are lifting up a common message: despite the political situation, we cannot turn our backs on the millions of families still suffering needlessly because they lack health insurance or have coverage that costs too much and delivers too little.
Congress's wavering on reform has been discouraging for many health care advocates, but the faith community is holding strong, in the face of setbacks, for those most in need in our communities, and holding on to faith and hope.
A great example of this perseverance is Noel Andersen, an organizer with Interfaith Worker Justice in Nebraska. He recorded some words of encouragement for fellow weary activists:
If you want to follow Noel's lead and keep on fighting, call Congress today at 1-866-279-5474.