Issues: Marriage, bio-ethics, and Iraq

UM support for traditional marriage
Standing within a culture that views divorce as commonplace and gay marriage as the new trendy cause, United Methodist delegates resoundingly announced that they "support laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman" by a vote of 624-184.

In addition to continuing to forbid homosexual unions and making the conducting of one a chargeable offense for clergy, delegates also revised the denomination's statement on divorce so that it now states: "God's plan is for lifelong, faithful marriage. The church must be on the forefront of premarital and post-marital counseling in order to create and preserve strong marriages," the statement reads. "However, when a married couple is estranged beyond reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. We grieve over the devastating emotional, spiritual, and economic consequences of divorce for all involved and are concerned about high divorce rates."

Bio-ethical issues
The General Conference declared that the production of embryos for purely research purposes is wrong. United Methodism opposes the creation of embryos "with the intention of destroying them for research purposes." By a 708-171 vote, the assembly further stated, "Neither should we, even for reproductive purposes, produce more embryos than we can expect to introduce into the womb in the hope of implantation."

The statement also disputes the practice of using embryonic stem cells in the practice of "therapeutic cloning." Delegates also supported "those persons who wish to enhance medical research by donating their early embryos remaining after in-vitro fertilization procedures have ended."

The church calls upon the U.S. government to authorize funding for research on embryonic stem cells that were generated for in-vitro fertilization and remain after the fertilization procedures have been concluded, and to establish an oversight body for public and private stem-cell research.

In other action, General Conference delegates voted 467-421 to create a task force to "prayerfully research" the many issues surrounding artificial insemination and other reproductive methods. The task force is asked to report its findings on "the theological, ethical, and moral framework of artificial insemination to guide the people called United Methodists" to the 2008 General Conference.

Bishops call for U.N. role in Iraq
United Methodist bishops are urging the U.S. government to request help from the United Nations in establishing a transitional government in Iraq. A few days after the General Conference, the Council of Bishops passed a resolution lamenting the "continued warfare by the United States and coalition forces" in Iraq, noting that the cycle of violence has led to the "denigration of human dignity and gross violations of human rights of Iraqi prisoners of war."

The bishops say they pray for military personnel and their families, and ask that United Methodists pray for peace. The council also asks the U.S. government to "request that the United Nations become involved in the transition process to a new Iraqi government," and that a multinational development plan be started for rebuilding Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations.

The statement came after the General Conference because a group of bishops had drafted a resolution for the assembly to consider at its gathering in Pittsburgh, but the resolution didn't have enough votes to get on the floor. The General Conference is the only entity able to speak for the entire denomination.

Liberians see signs of hope, restoration
Liberian United Methodists say they are daring to hope that their war-torn country is moving away from destruction and violence. Hopeful signs include the April 14 reopening of the Ganta Hospital, which suffered near-total destruction in fighting between government and rebel forces in mid-July 2003. Founded in 1926 by Methodist medical missionaries, the hospital and mission compound serves a population of 450,000 in Liberia and the surrounding border regions of Guinea and the Ivory Coast.

The ratio of doctors to the general population in Liberia is 1 to 1,000; that translates into 3,000 doctors serving the health needs of the country's 3 million inhabitants. Some sources estimate as many as 60 percent of children do not reach age five.

"When the hospital was destroyed, the people were completely depressed," reports Liberia United Methodist Bishop John Innis. "Its reopening symbolizes hope, restoration, peace, and the aliveness of the church who is the custodian of God's creation and God's people."

Only eight months after ferocious attacks on the Ganta compound, Innis says local people have the confidence to begin rebuilding because the political landscape has changed and now peace and stability are real possibilities for Liberia.

New policy for Haitian asylum seekers
General Conference passed a resolution stating that the United States should end the practice of both blocking and detaining Haitian asylum seekers. The resolution cited the unstable and often violent conditions in the Caribbean nation.

The church encouraged Washington to give Haitian asylum seekers full access to the process for seeking asylum and to increase resettlement opportunities in the United States. The United Methodists also asked the U.S. government to assist Haitian asylum seekers who have fled into the Dominican Republic, which shares the island with Haiti.

"The U.S., by its own admission, is detaining Haitian asylum seekers in order to deter a mass exodus from Haiti and has a policy that is contrary to international law and applies it in a discriminatory fashion," the resolution charged.

Landmines put life on hold
Even though Mozambique's civil war officially ended in 1994, United Methodist Bishop Joao Somane Machado says his country is now facing a different kind of threat: a war with landmines. "The development of our country in peace depends on removing landmines," explains Bishop Machado. "This is a very critical issue. Two million mines are still here."

Unexploded landmines are a threat in areas where food is grown and cattle are grazed and where children go to school, according to Machado. Women out gathering firewood for cooking find landmines instead. People are begging on city streets because farming is too dangerous.

According to estimates from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, there are 15,000 to 20,000 landmine casualties each year; the vast majority are civilians. Last year, 23 percent of reported casualties were children. In Mozambique, Angola, the Balkans, East Asia, Central America, and beyond, even after the fighting stops, life is still on hold because of landmines.

Sudanese victims remembered
The General Conference paused in the course of a busy session on the final day to pray and pass a resolution expressing concern for 5 million displaced people in Sudan and pledging support for refugees who have fled the east African country. United Methodism has no congregations in Sudan; however, it participates in an interchurch effort to care for Sudanese refugees entering the nation of Chad.

"We abhor the use of violence of any kind," delegates said in the resolution.

The United Nations reports that some 75,000 people have been displaced in the last three weeks. There are 110,000 Sudanese refugees in the neighboring nation of Chad. Estimates place the number of people killed by violence and starvation at 2 million. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has set up an emergency fund for Sudanese refugees in Chad.

These briefs are adapted from longer stories written by Melissa Lauber, associate editor of UM Connection, the newspaper of the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference; Elliott Wright, information officer for the General Board of Global Ministries; and Kathleen LaCamera, a correspondent for United Methodist News Service.

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