Presbyterian Church USA - Revision history

Zbjust at 21:00, 5 October 2018

2018-10-05T21:00:27Z

Zbjust at 22:12, 11 August 2018

2018-08-11T22:12:29Z

Zbjust at 22:06, 11 August 2018

2018-08-11T22:06:06Z

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Zbjust at 21:36, 11 August 2018

2018-08-11T21:36:41Z

Zbjust at 21:29, 11 August 2018

2018-08-11T21:29:08Z

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Msleasman: /* Infertility & Reproduction */

2013-05-10T15:40:20Z

‎Infertility & Reproduction

Msleasman at 15:40, 6 February 2012

2012-02-06T15:40:15Z

Msleasman at 15:37, 6 February 2012

2012-02-06T15:37:34Z

Msleasman at 15:22, 6 February 2012

2012-02-06T15:22:08Z

Msleasman at 14:48, 6 February 2012

2012-02-06T14:48:30Z

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 ==[[:Category:Science & Technology|Science & Technology]]==
 ====[[Stem Cell Research]]====
 '''Official Statement:''' from PC(USA), "Biomedical Ethics: 2001 Statement," 461-464.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:12, 11 August 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	Official ~~website~~: https://www.pcusa.org/	+	Official Denominational Website: https://www.pcusa.org/

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Official website: https://www.pcusa.org/
-==Beginning of Life==
+==[[:Category:Beginning of Life|Beginning of Life]]==
 ===[[Abortion]]===
 '''Official Statement:'''  from "Abortion/Reproductive Choice Issues" (2016) See also ''Problem Pregnancies and Abortion''<ref>https://www.pcusa.org/resource/problem-pregnancies-and-abortion/</ref>; ''Problem Pregnancies: Toward a Responsible Decision''<ref>https://www.pcusa.org/resource/problem-pregnancies-toward-responsible-decision/</ref>; and "Abortion: ACSWP Introduction"<ref>http://index.pcusa.org/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm</ref>
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
-==Infertility & Reproduction==
+==[[:Category:Infertility & Reproduction|Infertility & Reproduction]]==
-===[[Reproductive Technologies Statements|Reproductive Technology]]===
+===[[:Category:Reproductive Technologies|Reproductive Technologies]]===
 '''Official Statement:''' See "The Covenant of Life and the Caring Community"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/_resolutions/covenant-of-life-and-covenant-and-creation.pdf</ref>
-==Healthcare & Medicine==
+==[[:Category:Healthcare & Medicine|Healthcare & Medicine]]==
 ===[[Access to Healthcare]]===
 '''Official Statement:''' from "Health Care: ACSWP Introduction" See also "Christian Responsibility And A National Medical Plan" (1991)<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/resolution-christian-responsibility-and-national-m/</ref> and "Life Abundant: Values, Choices and Health Care" (1988)<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/life-abundant-values-choices-and-health-care/</ref>
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 :In 2002, the 214th General Assembly approved the Resolution on Behalf of the Uninsured. ("Health Care: ACSWP Introduction")<ref>http://index.pcusa.org/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm</ref>
 ==Science & Technology==
-===Genetic Ethics===
+==[[:Category:Science & Technology|Science & Technology]]==
 ====[[Gender Selection]]====
 '''Official Statement:'''
@@ Line 49: / Line 53: @@
-==End of Life==
+==[[:Category:End of Life|End of Life]]==
 See "In Life and in Death We Belong to God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/paper-life-and-death-we-belong-god-euthanasia-assi/</ref>

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 ==Infertility & Reproduction==
-===Reproductive Technology===
+===[[Reproductive Technologies Statements|Reproductive Technology]]===
 '''Official Statement:''' See "The Covenant of Life and the Caring Community"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/_resolutions/covenant-of-life-and-covenant-and-creation.pdf</ref>
 ==Healthcare & Medicine==

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 ==End of Life==
 See "In Life and in Death We Belong to God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/paper-life-and-death-we-belong-god-euthanasia-assi/</ref>
 ===[[Definition of Death]]===

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ===[[Contraception]]===
 '''Official Statement:'''
-:"" ( {add citation info})
+:"We affirm that abortion should not be used as a method of birth control." ("The Covenant of Life and the Caring Community"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/_resolutions/covenant-of-life-and-covenant-and-creation.pdf</ref>)
 ==Infertility & Reproduction==
 ===Reproductive Technology===
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:''' See "The Covenant of Life and the Caring Community"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/_resolutions/covenant-of-life-and-covenant-and-creation.pdf</ref>
-:"" ( {add citation info})
-−
-===[[Frozen Oocytes]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
-:"" ( {add citation info})
 ==Healthcare & Medicine==
 ===[[Access to Healthcare]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:''' See 1991 Resolution on "Christian Responsibility And A National Medical Plan"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/resolution-christian-responsibility-and-national-m/</ref>; and 1988 Policy Statement "Life Abundant: Values, Choices and Health Care"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/life-abundant-values-choices-and-health-care/</ref>
-:"" ( {add citation info})
-−
-===[[Conscience Issues]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
-:"" ( {add citation info})
-−
-===[[Medical Tourism]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
-:"" ( {add citation info})
-−
-===[[Organ Donation & Transplantation]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
-:"" ( {add citation info})
-−
-===[[Privacy of Healthcare Information]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
-:"" ( {add citation info})
 ==Science & Technology==
 ===Genetic Ethics===
 ====[[Gender Selection]]====
 '''Official Statement:'''
 :"Abortion is not morally acceptable for gender selection only or solely to obtain fetal parts for transplantation." (Minutes of the 204th General Assembly (1992), Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 367-368, 372-374<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>)
@@ Line 154: / Line 75: @@
 :"Thus the fundamental judgment that has to be made in the matter of passive euthanasia is whether the person in question is dying or not.  This is not the same thing as asking whether a patient is terminal.  A person with a certain form of cancer may clearly be terminal, but this does not necessarily mean that the individual is confronted by impending death.  The dying condition obtains when it becomes apparent that no available medical treatment will reduce the disability or improve the capabilities of a terminal patient facing impending death.  The effect of medical treatment in this case cannot be to prolong life, but at most to prolong dying by marginally forestalling impending death.  The determination of the condition of dying is fundamentally a medical judgment that will need to be rendered by qualified medical personnel.  Once the judgment is made, the situation can be analyzed in terms of our obligation to protect from harm.
 :In such a situation the obligation to protect human life from harm does not require us to treat the condition that is leading to death.  On the other hand, it does require us to accompany and care for persons in every relevant way. Certainly it obliges us not to abandon persons, leaving them to die alone. Instead, protection from harm means that we will remain with them, offering company and support as they confront the inevitable implication of their own finitude.  Additionally, medical treatment designed to relieve pain and make persons more comfortable would continue to be very much in order. Entailed in this commitment to accompany dying patients is a readiness to undertake medical treatment that will prolong dying if requested by patients, assuming their competence.  Perhaps most often in the situation of dying, the person will be unable to make judgments or requests of this sort.  Here, where doctors and guardians are necessarily entrusted with the decision, no moral obligation to treat the dying patient exists." ("The Nature and Value of Human Life"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>)

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Beginning of Life==
 ===[[Abortion]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:'''  From Denominational Page "Abortion Issues."<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref> See the following resources: ''Problem Pregnancies and Abortion''<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/problem-pregnancies-and-abortion/</ref>; ''Problem Pregnancies: Toward a Responsible Decision''<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/resource/problem-pregnancies-toward-responsible-decision/</ref>
 :"the artificial or induced termination of a pregnancy is a matter of careful ethical decision of the patient . . . and therefore should not be restricted by law . . ." (Minutes of the 182nd General Assembly (1970), United Presbyterian Church in the USA., p. 891<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>)
 ''Position on Problem Pregnancies''
-:"When an individual woman faces the decision whether to terminate a pregnancy, the issue is intensely personal, and may manifest itself in ways that do not reflect public rhetoric, or do not fit neatly into medical, legal, or policy guidelines. Humans are empowered by the spirit prayerfully to make significant moral choices, including the choice to continue or end a pregnancy. Human choices should not be made in a moral vacuum, but must be based on Scripture, faith, and Christian ethics. For any choice, we are accountable to God; however, even when we err, God offers to forgive us." (Minutes of the 217th General Assembly (2006), Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 905<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>)
+:"When an individual woman faces the decision whether to terminate a pregnancy, the issue is intensely personal, and may manifest itself in ways that do not reflect public rhetoric, or do not fit neatly into medical, legal, or policy guidelines. Humans are empowered by the spirit prayerfully to make significant moral choices, including the choice to continue or end a pregnancy. Human choices should not be made in a moral vacuum, but must be based on Scripture, faith, and Christian ethics. For any choice, we are accountable to God; however, even when we err, God offers to forgive us." (Minutes of the 217th General Assembly (2006), Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 905<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/oga/publications/journal2006.pdf</ref>)<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>
 :"The church has a responsibility to provide public witness and to offer guidance, counsel, and support to those who make or interpret laws and public policies about abortion and problem pregnancies. Pastors have a duty to counsel with and pray for those who face decisions about problem pregnancies. Congregations have a duty to pray for and support those who face these choices, to offer support for women and families to help make unwanted pregnancies less likely to occur, and to provide practical support for those facing the birth of a child with medical anomalies, birth after rape or incest, or those who face health, economic, or other stresses. The church also affirms the value of children and the importance of nurturing, protecting, and advocating their well-being. The church, therefore, appreciates the challenge each woman and family face when issues of personal well-being arise in the later stages of a pregnancy.
-:In life and death, we belong to God.” Life is a gift from God. We may not know exactly when human life begins, and have but an imperfect understanding of God as the giver of life and of our own human existence, yet we recognize that life is precious to God, and we should preserve and protect it. We derive our understanding of human life from Scripture and the Reformed Tradition in light of science, human experience, and reason guided by the Holy Spirit. Because we are made in the image of God, human beings are moral agents, endowed by the Creator with the capacity to make choices. Our Reformed Tradition recognizes that people do not always make moral choices, and forgiveness is central to our faith. In the Reformed Tradition, we affirm that God is the only Lord of conscience-not the state or the church. As a community, the church challenges the faithful to exercise their moral agency responsibly." (Minutes of the 217th General Assembly (2006), Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 905<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>)
+:In life and death, we belong to God.” Life is a gift from God. We may not know exactly when human life begins, and have but an imperfect understanding of God as the giver of life and of our own human existence, yet we recognize that life is precious to God, and we should preserve and protect it. We derive our understanding of human life from Scripture and the Reformed Tradition in light of science, human experience, and reason guided by the Holy Spirit. Because we are made in the image of God, human beings are moral agents, endowed by the Creator with the capacity to make choices. Our Reformed Tradition recognizes that people do not always make moral choices, and forgiveness is central to our faith. In the Reformed Tradition, we affirm that God is the only Lord of conscience-not the state or the church. As a community, the church challenges the faithful to exercise their moral agency responsibly." (Minutes of the 217th General Assembly (2006), Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 905<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/oga/publications/journal2006.pdf</ref>)<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>
 :"We affirm that the lives of viable unborn babies—those well-developed enough to survive outside the womb if delivered — ought to be preserved and cared for and not aborted. In cases where problems of life or health of the mother arise in a pregnancy, the church supports efforts to protect the life and health of both the mother and the baby. When late-term pregnancies must be terminated, we urge decisions intended to deliver the baby alive. We look to our churches to provide pastoral and tangible support to women in problem pregnancies and to surround these families with a community of care. We affirm adoption as a provision for women who deliver children they are not able to care for, and ask our churches to assist in seeking loving, Christian, adoptive families. This General Assembly holds this statement as its position on a Christian response to problems that arise late in pregnancies. We find it to be consistent with current General Assembly policy on Problem Pregnancies and Abortion (1992), and supersedes General Assembly statements of 2002 and 2003 on late-term pregnancies and abortion."  (Minutes of the 217th General Assembly (2006), Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 905<ref>http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/101/abortion-issues/</ref>)
@@ Line 123: / Line 123: @@
 ==End of Life==
 ===[[Artificial Hydration & Nutrition]]===
 '''Official Statements:'''
@@ Line 128: / Line 129: @@
 ===[[Definition of Death]]===
-'''Official Statements:'''
+'''Official Statements:''' from "In Life and in Death We Belong to God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>
-:"" ( {add citation info})
+:" While not technically part of our consideration of euthanasia, the matter of determining when death occurs is an important related issue.  There are circumstances in which taking life or allowing to die can be confused with acknowledging death, as when the use of a respirator for a comatose patient is discontinued.  The act could constitute taking life, allowing to die, or acknowledging death depending upon the condition of the patient.  If it were either of the first two possibilities, it would be subject to analysis in terms  already provided.  Here we need to indicate what is involved if the third possibility, acknowledging death obtains. To determine when death occurs is a subtle admixture of medical and philosophical or theological judgment. On the basis of our earlier discussion of the relational character of human life, our theological judgment is that death occurs where the capacity for such relationships is irretrievably lost.  The related medical judgment is that such capacity is lost when cerebral function is lost.  Traditionally, the most readily evident signs of lost cerebral function have been lost heart and lung function. Modern medical technology complicates the picture, however, since heart and lung function can sometimes be supported by the use of a respirator.  In such a situation, the question is whether any determination can be made about cerebral function.  Through the use of electroencephalogram and possibly other tests of responsiveness and reflexes, judgments about whether cerebral function is present or not can be made. If judged to have been irretrievably lost, the individual is properly determined to be dead." ("The Nature and Value of Human Life"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>)
 ===[[Extraordinary Measures]]===
-'''Official Statements:'''
+'''Official Statements:''' from "In Life and in Death We Belong to God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>
-:"" ( {add citation info})
+:"Entailed in this commitment to accompany dying patients is a readiness to undertake medical treatment that will prolong dying if requested by patients, assuming their competence.  Perhaps most often in the situation of dying, the person will be unable to make judgments or requests of this sort.  Here, where doctors and guardians are necessarily entrusted with the decision, no moral obligation to treat the dying patient exists.  However, if a patient is able to and does make a request for so-called heroic medical measures, even against
 ===[[Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia]]===
-'''Official Statement:''' from "The Nature and Value of Human Life"
+'''Official Statement:''' from "In Life and in Death We Belong to God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>
-:"" ( {add citation info})
+:"The topic of euthanasia is complicated by the fact that one term is often applied to quite different kinds of circumstances.  Therefore it is important at the outset to make a fundamental distinction between taking life (sometimes referred to as ''active euthanasia'') and allowing to die (sometimes referred to as ''passive euthanasia'').  Our consideration of each of these matters will be carried out in terms of the framework utilized in the discussion of abortions." ("The Nature and Value of Human Life"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>)
 ===[[Withholding & Withdrawing Treatment]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:''' from "In Life and in Death We Belong to God: Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and End-of-Life Issues"<ref>http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/inlifeanddeath.pdf</ref>
-:"" ( {add citation info})
+:"The question is basically whether medical interventions should be made or continued, or whether the person should be allowed to die as a result of the medical condition. The moral question posed here is not whether two obligations are in conflict. It is rather the question of what constitutes the fulfillment of the obligation to protect from harm.  In allowing to die, one is not active but passive.  It follows that the activity of doing harm cannot be attributed to the passive procedure of not intervening. Thus we are not confronted with a conflict between obligations to do no harm and to protect from harm.  Rather, we are confronted with the question of what our obligation to protect from harm means in such circumstances. In one sense, every medical intervention represents a decision not to allow a person to die.  Therefore, it would appear that normally we assume that the obligation to protect from harmmeans that we do not allow people to die if we can do something about it.  Yet a further distinction is relevant just at this point.  When we speak of not allowing a person to die, we usually mean that we are prolonging their life.  However, there is a difference between prolonging life and prolonging dying.  If the effect of a