provided in The Use of the Means of Grace, a statement adopted by the 1997 Churchwide Assembly. In addition to the two sacraments, ELCA churches also practice acts that are sacramental in character, or sacramentals. These include confirmation, ordination, anointing the sick, confession and absolution, and marriage. The practice and the view of these as "minor sacraments" varies between churches of a "high" and "low" church nature. With respect to the eucharist or the Lord's Supper, the ELCA holds to the Lutheran doctrine of the sacramental union, that is, that Christ's body and blood is truly present "in, with and under" the bread and wine. All communicants orally receive not only bread and wine, but also the same body and blood of Christ that was given for them on the cross. Members of other denominations sometimes refer to this as a belief in consubstantiation. Lutherans, however, reject the philosophical explanation of consubstantiation, preferring to consider the presence of the Lord's body and blood as mysterious rather than explainable by human philosophy. The Lutheran belief in the holy mystery character of the consecrated bread and wine is more similar to that of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief than to the views of most Protestants. In contrast, most Protestant church bodies doubt or openly deny that the true body and blood of Christ is eaten in the Lord's Supper. Unlike certain other American Lutheran church bodies, the ELCA practices open communion, permitting all persons baptized in the name of the Trinity with water to receive communion. Some congregations also commune baptized infants, similarly to Eastern Orthodox practice. The ELCA encourages its churches to celebrate the Eucharist at all services, although some churches alternate between non-eucharistic services and those containing the Lord's Supper. Social issues The ELCA's stances on social issues are outlined in its Social Statements and Messages. Social Statements, which must be adopted by a two-thirds majority of a Churchwide Assembly, have been adopted on the following topics: Abortion (1991) Church in Society (1991) Death Penalty (1991) Economic Life (1999) Education (2007) Environment (1993) Genetics (2011) Health and Health Care (2003) Human Sexuality (2009) Peace (1995) Race, Ethnicity & Culture (1993) Migrant Crisis (2019) Role of women The ELCA ordains women as pastors, a practice that all three of its predecessor churches adopted in the 1970s (The ALC and LCA in 1970, the AELC in 1976). Some women have become