Rev. Debra Haffner
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The Reverend Debra W. Haffner is executive director of the Religious Institute, a multifaith, nonprofit organization dedicated to sexual health, education and justice. An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, she is an endorsed community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, CT.

Rev. Haffner was the chief executive officer of SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, from 1988 through May 2000. Under her leadership, SIECUS tripled in staff size, increased its annual budget revenues more than six-fold, and opened professional offices in New York and Washington, DC. During her tenure at SIECUS, she created the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; the National Coalition to Support Sexuality Education; the Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health; and the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Kindergarten – Grade Twelve.

Prior to joining SIECUS, Rev. Haffner served as director of education for the Center for Population Options; director of community services for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington; special assistant in the U.S. Public Health Service; and resource center coordinator of the Population Institute.

Rev. Haffner is the author of From Diapers to Dating: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Children; Beyond the Big Talk: Every Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens; and What Every 21st Century Parent Needs to Know: Facing Today's Challenges with Wisdom and Heart. She has also authored or co-authored numerous faith-based guides for congregation and clergy on sexuality issues.

Rev. Haffner’s work has been honored by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Association for the Advancement of Health Education, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

Rev. Haffner has a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, a master of public health from Yale University School of Medicine and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University. In 1996-97, she was a Research Fellow at the Yale Divinity School. She is also a Fellow of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

Blog Entries by Rev. Debra Haffner

Responding to the United Methodist Church: Sexual and Gender Oppression Cannot Be Defended

(46) Comments | Posted May 8, 2012 | 4:30 PM

I am pleased to announce that the Religious Institute, a multi-faith organization dedicated to sexual health, education and justice, has issued a statement regarding The United Methodist Church's decision General Conference not to remove the doctrinal language that states, "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."

Twenty-four...

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Religious Leaders Support White House on Contraceptive Coverage

(67) Comments | Posted February 8, 2012 | 12:24 PM

On Feb. 6, Mitt Romney had this to say about the inclusion of contraception as a covered service in health insurance: "Think what that does to people who are in faiths that do no share those views. This is a violation of conscience. We must have a president...

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Meet 2012's Sexually Healthy Seminaries

(4) Comments | Posted February 1, 2012 | 12:53 PM

When I went to seminary, I was surprised to discover how little information there was about sexuality in my courses, and that preparation for dealing with congregants' sexuality issues was mostly absent. A decade later, the Religious Institute's study, "Sex and the Seminary," found that few of even...

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An Open Letter to Cam and Mitchell

(9) Comments | Posted January 20, 2012 | 11:53 AM

Dear Cam and Mitchell:

Can we talk?

I know you can't agree on what to do about Lily's swearing, but after she used the "F" word in your house and at the wedding, it really is time.

First let me assure that this is a very common problem....

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My Top Ten List of 2012 Predictions on Sexuality, Religion, and Public Life

(65) Comments | Posted January 6, 2012 | 2:02 PM

This is the time of year of top ten lists and predictions for 2012. Although I don't have any particular prognostication skills, I do think it's safe to predict that sexuality, religion, and public life will continue to dominate the headlines during 2012. Here are my top 10 predictions:

10....

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Raising Cain on Sexual Harassment

(76) Comments | Posted November 2, 2011 | 11:30 AM

I heard a report yesterday that Herman Cain said he was having a hard time remembering the details of the accusations (and settling) of sexual harassment charges. A male correspondent I heard on another news source said something like, "That happened 20 years ago. Why is it even...

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The Religious Reasons Why Abortion is a Moral Decision

(331) Comments | Posted August 3, 2011 | 12:16 PM

Over the past 35 years, I have counseled thousands of women faced with unintended pregnancies. Almost every one of them wrestled with what would be best in her life circumstances and with what her faith taught her. Many struggled because they incorrectly believed the prevailing rhetoric that people of faith...

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The Catholic Sex Abuse Report: Too Little, Too Late?

(19) Comments | Posted May 20, 2011 | 1:30 PM

I found myself alternatively fascinated and infuriated as I read the new 152 page report by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests. The report is both comprehensive and short sighted. It is both clear in its...

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Celebrate Mothers Locally, Commit to Mothers Globally

(1) Comments | Posted May 6, 2011 | 2:02 PM

My children are now 17 and 25. As Mother's Day approaches, I can't help but feel nostalgic for the long-gone days of homemade cards and macaroni bracelets. There's nothing I'm prouder of than being their mother, and I am blessed to have them as part of my life.

But we...

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Supporting Family Planning Is the Moral Response

(64) Comments | Posted February 24, 2011 | 11:30 AM

I've had a week to think about it, and I'm still horrified that the U.S. House of Representatives voted 240 to 185 to ban Planned Parenthood from federal funding, and then went on to eliminate the Title X program, the community health centers program, the

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Osteen, Haggard and Piers Morgan: Strange Bedfellows

(16) Comments | Posted January 28, 2011 | 10:02 AM

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Pastor Joel Osteen declared homosexuality a sin the same week we learn that former leading evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says that he is bisexual. Think of the ratings had Piers Morgan had them on together!

Osteen told Morgan, "The...

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A Matter of Life and Death: The Preventable Crisis of Maternal Mortality

(3) Comments | Posted September 15, 2010 | 9:48 AM

We are surrounded by a constant drumbeat of natural and manmade tragedies that call for our attention as people of faith: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, disease, oil spills, airplane crashes, wars and intractable prejudice.

The rapidly changing 24/7 news cycle inures us to the unrelenting and preventable tragedies...

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Babies - No Adjectives Needed

(3) Comments | Posted August 17, 2010 | 3:45 PM

Last week, the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics issued the final birth statistics for 2007. They reported that in 2007, there were 4.3 million births in the United States, the highest total number of births ever in a single year.
Nearly 40%...

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Non-Virgins Need Not Apply

(115) Comments | Posted June 15, 2010 | 6:23 AM

I couldn't believe the news story was true.

The Southland Christian School in St. Cloud, Florida, fired an elementary school teacher, Jarretta Hamilton, for having had premarital sex. A school administrator said, "Jarretta was asked not to return because of a moral issue that was...

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NAE's Gospel of Sexuality: Good News for Some

(83) Comments | Posted May 25, 2010 | 9:51 AM

The National Association of Evangelicals has published a new booklet, "Theology of Sex," as part of an effort to encourage dialogue about how to reduce abortions in the U.S. I'm delighted that they are finally taking seriously the Religious Institute's longstanding call for denominations...

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Honor Thy Mother: Reducing Maternal Mortality Worldwide

(4) Comments | Posted April 23, 2010 | 12:46 PM

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clark of New York introduced the Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010, a comprehensive new framework for U.S. international assistance for reproductive and sexual health services. The legislation calls for increased support for family planning and maternal health services worldwide, prevention of...

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Is Your Congregation Safe from Child Sex Abuse?

(24) Comments | Posted April 2, 2010 | 11:20 AM

It can happen in your congregation, too.

The crisis in the Roman Catholic Church is a stark reminder that people we love and admire may turn out to be sex offenders, capable of causing irreparable damage to young lives. Various studies indicate that a not-insignificant minority of...

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Up to the Pope: Stop the Pandemic of Pedophilia

(43) Comments | Posted March 29, 2010 | 3:32 PM

The latest revelations about sexual abuse against children by Roman Catholic priests are nothing short of revolting. The story of Father Lawrence Murphy, who abused more than 200 deaf boys in Milwaukee over decades, despite the boys' speaking out and calling for help, should outrage us all. The...

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Criminal Miscarriage, or Miscarriage of Justice?

(14) Comments | Posted February 26, 2010 | 1:34 PM

Seventeen years ago this spring, I miscarried a very wanted pregnancy at 16 weeks. I had joyfully announced my pregnancy to my church community the day before, when I woke up with cramping and spotting. As the doctor performed the sonogram, we saw that the fetus had never developed past...

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Sexuality and Religion 2020: A New Vision

(2) Comments | Posted February 9, 2010 | 11:24 AM

Ten years ago, a multifaith coalition of clergy and theologians released the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing in a full-page advertisement in the New York Times. The declaration challenged the nation's religious leaders to become better pastors for sexual health, respond to the suffering caused...

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