Positions of Religious Groups that Support Needle Exchange Programs

Several major denominations and other religious groups have official positions supporting needle exchange programs. These positions are detailed below (all bold emphasis added).

The Episcopal Church
In 1994, the denomination’s 71st General Convention passed resolution A003, to “affirm the necessity of accessible  drug treatment, needle access, safe sex programs, and the affirmation of monogamy in all sexual relationships,” and to “press forward on local, state and national levels to ensure the dignity of every human being.” See <http://www.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_resolution.pl?resolution=1994-A003>.

Presbyterian Church (USA)
In 2000, the 212th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA voted to approve Overture 00-79, which advocates “lifting the ban on the use of federal funds to support needle exchange programs.” This builds upon the General Assembly’s 1993 resolution, which “supports legalization of programs that distribute clean hypodermic needles with counseling to drug-dependent individuals for prevention of disease.” See <http://www.pcusa.org/nationalhealth/policies/freedom_and_substance_abuse.htm>.

United Church of Christ
The UCC’s HIV/AIDS Ministries urges people to “advocate for a needle exchange program in your community.” See <http://www.ucc.org/health/hivaids/about.html#11>.

Unitarian Universalist Association
In 2002, the UUA General Assembly passed a statement of conscience includes a recommendation to expand “clean needle distribution and exchange.” See <http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/statements/13981.shtml>.

The Society of Christian Ethics
In 2000, at their 41st Annual Meeting, the SCE passed a resolution in support of needle exchange programs.  The SCE Needle Exchange Program Resolution, in its entirety (with some bold emphasis added):

“Whereas the sharing of contaminated needles during injection durg use is becoming one of the dominant modes of HIV transmission in the United States, accounting for 40% of new infections in 1997 alone, and

“Whereas studies of needle exchange programs around the world and in the United States have demonstrated that

-needle exchange programs do not increase drug use among addicts, and

-do not lead to injection behavior in non-addicts, and

-save lives by decreasing HIV infections, and

-provide a bridge to general medical care, detoxification and drug recovery programs; and

“Whereas most major religions, including the Christian tradition are concerned for the preservation human life and dignity

“Be it resolved that the Society of Christian Ethics publicly endorses and encourages the development of needle exchange programs in the United States which

-are established with the support of local communities

-are one-for-one exchange programs which do not increase the number of needles in circulation,

-provide linkages to medical care, detoxification and drug treatment.”

This resolution was discussed at the SCE Board Meeting, January 10, 1999.

The resolution was presented as a motion to the members of the SCE at the Annual Business Meeting, January 8, 1999.

Arguments presented the concern that society’s silence on the issue would send a message of complacence when there were urgent and compelling grounds for the SCE to take a public stand.

The resolution was overwhelmingly accepted.

Union for Reform Judaism
In 1997, the URJ’s Commission on Social Action passed a resolution to “encourage federal, state, provincial, and/or local legislative bodies to pass laws allowing certified health workers to exchange contaminated needles and syringes for clean ones, in conjunction with drug education, and to provide funds for such programs.”

Subsequently, in 2001, the Board of Trustees of the URJ’s Central Conference of American Rabbis passed a “Resolution on Syringe Exchange Programs,” which includes a recommendation urging the federal government “to make clean needle exchange programs financially possible wherever they are needed.”  The CCAR’s powerful, compelling resolution, in its entirety (with some bold emphasis added):

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2001
The mode of transmission of HIV has been changing over the last decade or so. Although there are still many individuals who contract HIV through sexual contact, the fastest growing mode of transmission is the sharing of infected needles by intravenous drug users.

Those addicted to injectable drugs usually self-inject between 5 to 8 times per day. Since it is illegal in many locales to own a syringe without a prescription for a legal drug, clean needles are in short supply among addicts.

Throughout the country local groups have sponsored syringe exchange programs to insure that addicts do not use infected needles for their drug use. There are many tangible benefits to these programs:

1. Studies show that addicts prefer to use clean needles and thus will exchange used needles for them, cutting down on use of infected syringes and lowering the spread of disease;

2. Exchange programs assure safe disposal of hazardous biomedical waste, a public health hazard;

3. Street-based syringe exchange programs cause a sub-group of society to come into regular contact with health care workers who can help monitor and direct addicts toward already available social services, including drug rehabilitation.

4. The recent articles published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, The International Journal of Addiction and Office of the Surgeon General the have concluded that these programs have the potential to hold down rates of infection. They also offer some salutary effect on addicts themselves by bringing them into contact with representatives of mainstream society;

Yet these programs are under attack from those who believe that SEP’s simply perpetuate addiction. We are all agreed that drug rehabilitation is the best way to cut down on infection by used or dirty needles. That goal is unrealistic, however, given the lack of contact with the population of addicted persons and the shortage of affordable drug treatment facilities.

To do nothing is to watch the HIV infected population grow along with a significant risk to the rest of society. We teach “Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor, I am Adonai” (Lev.19.16b). We do not stand by the of neighbors who are at risk for infection from contaminated needles that are not disposed of properly. But we also do not stand idly by the blood of neighbors who suffer simply because they are addicts.

WE, THE CCAR, THEREFORE RESOLVE:
1. to advocate for the establishment of SEP’s to be implemented under the authority of County Health Departments;

2. to protest publicly in places where such programs exist but are under political attack;

3. to use our pulpits, offices and classrooms to increase awareness on this matter, using already existing materials from the UAHC and/or local AIDS Task Forces

4. to urge local governments to allocate more funds so that rehabilitation from drug addiction may become a reality for the many who want it but cannot afford it;

5. to urge the Federal Government to allocate more money to HIV/AIDS research in general and SEP’s in particular in order to make clean needle exchange programs financially possible wherever they are needed. See <http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?file=syringe&year=2001>.