At their October meeting in Minneapolis, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) dealt only briefly with the issues of life and death on their agenda. Nevertheless, this committee will be making recommendations regarding policy development on euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2001 and on late term abortion in 2002.

Charles Wiley, staff member from the office of Theology and Worship, reported to ACSWP that since 1995 their office has received "fewer than fifteen" responses from churches (out of 11,200 churches in the denomination) to their study document on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

In 1998 the General Assembly received a recommendation to proceed with the development of a denominational policy on "end of life counseling." The recommendation asked that Theology and Worship's study document be used to meet the study requirement required by the policy development process. The General Assembly decided against policy development. Instead the Assembly urged "local churches to make use of a variety of study materials from GA entities, and other available resources, and discuss end-of-life issues with reference to the church's life of preaching, ministry and care in ways that reflect our reformed and theological heritage...." That assembly put off a decision regarding policy development until 2001, the upcoming General Assembly.

The General Assembly of 1997 took action to express its "grave moral concern" about partial birth abortion and said that the procedure "should be considered only if the mother's physical life is endangered by the pregnancy."

When a Nebraska law restricting partial birth abortion was appealed to the Supreme Court last Spring, the PC(USA) Advisory Committee on Litigation took interest. They recommended that the Stated Clerk enter a brief on behalf of Presbyterians in defense of partial birth abortions. After Baltimore Presbytery considered and then rejected joining the Clerk's brief, it was withdrawn. However, the Advisory Committee on Litigation brought a recommendation to the 2000 G.A. asking that ACSWP study the matter of PC(USA) policy on late term abortion and bring recommendations to the G.A. in 2002.

ACSWP is instrumental in shaping the denomination's social witness policy. The committee has an enormous social and political agenda. If the policies developed at the ACSWP table are adopted by a General Assembly, they become validation for actions of the PC(USA) Washington Office, the United Nations office, the advocacy committees and the ministry divisions. Staff representatives from each of these offices sit at the ACSWP committee table.

The agenda for their October meeting included discussion of resolutions on Africa, Ministries of Caregiving, and Domestic Violence. The committee has a task force producing a study paper on Changing Families. Their list further includes genetic research, a comprehensive disabilities policy, a serious mental illness policy, charitable choice, the environment, the farm crisis, human rights, privatization of prisons, trade monitoring, terrorism and hate groups, theological education, the status of women, racial/ethnic concerns and uninsured persons.

Just prior to the close of the Minneapolis meeting, U.N. staff person Robert Smylie introduced five items of new business which were received and referred to the committee's coordinating team for action. They were

1. ACSWP's response to a paper developed by the Advocacy Committee on Women's Concerns on the subject of AIDS
2. An upcoming U.N. conference on Global Racism
3. An upcoming U.N. conference on small arms
4. A U.N. special session on the world's children; and 5. The U.N.'s International Year for Dialogue.

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