GROUPS SHARPLY DIVIDED OVER THE IMPLICATIONS OF LAST WEEK'S LANDMARK SUPREME COURT DECISION LEGALIZING GAY MARRIAGE NATIONWIDE.
SOME CHEER IT.
SOME FEAR IT.
>>> AND LUCKY SEVERSON ON FIGHTING POVERTY.
CAN CHARITABLE GIVING SOMETIMES DO HARM?
>>> ALSO, EDITING HUMAN GENES.
BETTY ROLLIN SAYS A NEW TECHNIQUE COULD PREVENT DISEASE.
BUT COULD IT ALSO PERMIT THE WELL OFF TO CREATE DESIGNER CHILDREN?
I'M BOB ABERNETHY.
IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
TWO WEEKS AFTER THE PRAYER MEETING MASSACRE AT THE EMANUEL AME CHURCH IN CHARLESTON, THE NATION CONTINUES TO CONFRONT ISSUES OF RACE.
THIS WEEK, THE AME'S NATIONAL COUNCIL OF BISHOPS ISSUED AN URGENT "CALL TO ACTION," ASKING PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS TO JOIN TOGETHER TO ADDRESS WHAT THEY CALLED THE "UNRESOLVED SIN OF RACISM."
MEANWHILE, AMID A NEW WAVE OF SUSPICIOUS FIRES AT SOUTHERN BLACK CHURCHES, THE NAACP HAS WARNED CONGREGATIONS TO TAKE "NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS" TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH THIS WEEK ELECTED ITS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDING BISHOP.
DELEGATES TO THE DENOMINATION'S NATIONAL CONVENTION ELECTED BISHOP MICHAEL CURRY OF NORTH CAROLINA AS THE TOP LEADER FOR THE NEXT NINE YEARS.
HE WILL SUCCEED BISHOP KATHARINE JEFFERTS SCHORI, THE FIRST WOMAN IN THE POSITION.
ALSO AT THE MEETING, DELEGATES APPROVED GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE FOR THE CHURCH'S LAWS ON MARRIAGE.
THE CHANGE OFFICIALLY SANCTIONS SAME SEX WEDDINGS IN EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.
>>> ACROSS THE NATION, RELIGIOUS GROUPS ARE ANALYZING THE IMPLICATIONS OF LAST WEEK'S SUPREME COURT DECISION ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.
MANY FAITH LEADERS ARE AMONG THOSE PRAISING THE DECISION AS A BIG STEP TOWARD JUSTICE AND EQUALITY.
BUT OTHERS SAY THE DECISION WAS WRONG.
THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, THE U.S. CATHOLIC BISHOPS AND THE MORMONS ALL REAFFIRMED THEIR BELIEF THAT MARRIAGE CAN ONLY BE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN.
SEVERAL RELIGIOUS GROUPS SAY THE COURT'S RULING COULD ENDANGER THEIR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
JOINING ME WITH MORE IS OUR MANAGING EDITOR KIM LAWTON.
KIM, WELCOME.
LOTS OF PEOPLE JUST FEEL LIKE GAY MARRIAGE IS WRONG.
>> WELL, FOR MANY IT'S A DEEPLY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
THEY BELIEVE GOD ORDAINED MARRIAGE AS UNIQUELY BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN, THEY BELIEVE -- THEY LOOK AT THE BIBLE AND THEY SAY THE BIBLE SAYS HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SIN.
THEREFORE, THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE SINFUL.
I MEAN, OTHER PEOPLE OF FAITH LOOK AT THE BIBLE DIFFERENTLY AND SAY THOSE PASSAGES SHOULD BE INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY.
BUT FOR THE OPPONENTS, ASKING THEM TO RECOGNIZE GAY MARRIAGE IS TANTAMOUNT TO ASKING THEM TO GO ALONG WITH SOMETHING GOD DOESN'T LIKE IN THEIR VIEW.
>> AND BEYOND THAT, THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
>> WELL, IF YOU HOLD THOSE SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS VIEWS, HOW DO YOU WORK THOSE OUT IN A PUBLIC SQUARE, WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE, AND A DIFFERENT SET OF STANDARDS, AS TO WHAT CONSTITUTES DISCRIMINATION.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE SUPREME COURT SAID THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO HOLD CERTAIN BELIEFS, HOW DOES THAT GET WORKED OUT PRACTICALLY FOR FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS?
>> WHAT ARE THEY MOST AFRAID OF?
>> WELL, THEY'RE AFRAID OF A LOT OF THINGS.
THEY'RE AFRAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL STIFLE THEIR BELIEFS, OR THAT THEY'LL BE PENALIZED FOR HOLDING THEIR BELIEFS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, NON-PROFITS GET A TAX BREAK.
THEY GET TAX EXEMPTIONS.
BUT IF AN ORGANIZATION DISCRIMINATES, IN THE GOVERNMENT'S VIEW, AGAINST A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE, WHY SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT GIVE THEM TAX BREAKS?
AND THERE HAVE BEEN PRECEDENTS IN THE PAST WHERE TAX EXEMPT STATUS HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE UNIVERSITY THAT HAD A POLICY BANNING INTERRACIAL COUPLES.
SO THERE'S THAT ELEMENT.
THERE'S QUESTION ABOUT HIRING.
CAN THESE GROUPS HIRE PEOPLE WHO MAY BE MARRIED OR IN THE SAME SEX RELATIONSHIP, GIVING SPOUSAL BENEFITS TO PEOPLE THEY DON'T CONSIDER TO BE SPOUSES?
WHAT ABOUT COUNTY CLERKS?
CAN THEY BE OPTED OUT OF CERTAIN PARTS OF THEIR JOB IF THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE A MARRIAGE LICENSE TO A GAY COUPLE?
I MEAN, ALL OF THOSE AREAS, BUSINESSES, MUST THEY PROVIDE SERVICES TO SUPPORT A GAY WEDDING?
THOSE CASES ARE ALREADY IN PROCESS.
>> I WANTED TO ASK YOU.
LAWSUITS ARE COMING.
>> INDEED, BECAUSE MANY SUPPORTERS OF GAY MARRIAGE SAY RELIGION SHOULD NOT BE USED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST PEOPLE.
RELIGION SHOULD NOT BE AN EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE NOT TO PROVIDE SERVICES OR DO THEIR JOBS.
BUT THE CONSERVATIVE LAW FIRMS ARE SAYING PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO STAND UP FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE, AND THEY CAN'T BE FORCED TO ACT AGAINST WHAT THEY BELIEVE.
SO A LOT OF LAWSUITS, A LOT COMING DOWN THE PIKE.
>> KIM LAWTON, MANY THANKS.
>>> IN ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL RULING BEFORE THE END OF ITS TERM, THE SUPREME COURT VOTED FIVE TO FOUR TO ALLOW A LETHAL INJECTION DRUG THAT HAS BEEN BLAMED IN SEVERAL BOTCHED EXECUTIONS.
LAST YEAR ONE SUCH EXECUTION IN OKLAHOMA SET OFF A FUROR AMONG DEATH PENALTY OPPONENTS.
THEY SAID THE SEDATIVE, CALLED MIDAZOLAM, ALLOWS NEEDLESS PAIN.
BUT THE COURT'S MAJORITY SAID THE DRUG DID NOT VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION'S BAN ON CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT.
>>> IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, THE GENERAL SYNOD OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY TO DIVEST FROM COMPANIES IT SAYS ARE QUOTE "COMPLICIT IN THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK AND GAZA."
THE UCC, WHICH HAS ABOUT A MILLION MEMBERS, HAS BEEN DEBATING MEASURES REGARDING THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT FOR NEARLY A DECADE.
>>> THE ITINERARY FOR POPE FRANCIS'S UPCOMING TRIP TO THE U.S. WAS RELEASED BY THE VATICAN THIS WEEK.
THE SCHEDULE SUGGESTS FRANCIS WILL PRIORITIZE SPENDING TIME WITH POOR PEOPLE AND IMMIGRANTS, IN ADDITION TO HIS PLANNED VISITS TO THE WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS AND THE U.N. HIS STOPS INCLUDE A CATHOLIC FOOD MINISTRY IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND A PRISON IN PHILADELPHIA.
IN PHILADELPHIA, HE WILL ALSO ATTEND THE CHURCH'S WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES AND HOST A GATHERING ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
FRANCIS WILL BE IN THE U.S. FROM SEPTEMBER 22nd THROUGH THE 27th.
>>> THIS WEEK AT THE VATICAN, AN INTERFAITH RALLY OF NEARLY 5,000 PEOPLE WHO TOOK TO THE STREETS TO HAIL THE POPE'S RECENT LETTER, ENCYCLICAL, ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
THE MARCH CAME TEN DAYS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE DOCUMENT, WHICH URGED GREATER CARE FOR THE EARTH AND SAID HUMAN ACTIVITY WAS A MAJOR CAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
WHILE THE LETTER HAS MET WITH APPROVAL FROM MANY FAITH GROUPS, OTHERS HAVE BEEN SHARPLY CRITICAL.
>>> ACCORDING TO A NEW UNITED NATIONS REPORT, A RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANTS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO EUROPE IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2015.
THE U.N.
COUNTED 137,000 MIGRANTS, AN 83% RISE FROM LAST YEAR.
MANY WERE FLEEING VIOLENCE, POVERTY AND PERSECUTION.
THE REPORT SAID EUROPE IS EXPERIENCING "A MARITIME REFUGEE CRISIS OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS."
>>> NOW, A LUCKY SEVERSON REPORT ON FIGHTING POVERTY.
A PSYCHOLOGIST IN ATLANTA SAYS SOME CHARITY CAN ACTUALLY DO HARM.
HE PREACHES HELPING THE POOR TO HELP THEMSELVES AND WHAT IS CALLED "RE- NEIGHBORING" -- PERSUADING THE WELL-OFF TO BRING THEIR FAMILIES AND COME LIVE ALONGSIDE THE POOR.
>>> SHELL STAFFORD SITS ON HER FRONT PORCH IN THE EAST LAKE NEIGHBORHOOD OF ATLANTA AND WATCHES THE WORLD GO BY.
SHE'S SEEN A LOT SINCE SHE MOVED HERE AS A KID.
>> I TOLD A COUPLE OF SCHOOL FRIENDS, "YEAH, WE'RE MOVING OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD."
AND THEY SAID, "WHERE YOU MOVING TO?"
I SAID, "EAST LAKE."
HEY SCARED ME SO BAD.
"OH, MY GOD.
YOU'RE GOING TO GET KILLED."
>> IT WAS VERY ROUGH.
IT WAS HIGH CRIME AREA THAT WE MOVED INTO.
>> THAT WAS OVER 30 YEARS AGO.
BOB LUPTON, A PSYCHOLOGIST AND AN ELDER IN HIS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MOVED HIS FAMILY FROM A VERY COMFY SUBURBAN HOME INTO THE HEART OF SOUTH ATLANTA.
IT WAS NOT A MOVE UP.
>> YOU CAN'T WORK WITH STRUGGLING FAMILIES VERY EFFECTIVELY UNLESS YOU'RE INVOLVED IN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT IMPACTS ON THEM EVERY TIME THEY STEP OUT OF THE DOOR.
>> THE VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS HE WAS THERE TO WATCH PARENTS HAND OUT GIFTS THAT HAD BEEN DONATED BY HIS CHURCH GROUP.
>> AND THAT'S WHEN I SAW SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY SHOCKING TO ME.
OF COURSE, THE MOMS WERE GRACIOUS, A LITTLE EMBARRASSED, BUT IF THERE WAS A FATHER IN A HOUSEHOLD HE JUST DISAPPEARED.
HE WAS GONE OUT THE BACK DOOR.
AND IT DAWNED ON ME WHAT WAS HAPPENING WAS THESE PARENTS WERE BEING EXPOSED FOR THEIR INABILITY TO PROVIDE IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN KIDS.
AND THE MOMS WOULD ENDURE THAT INDIGNITY FOR THE SAKE OF THE KIDS, BUT IT'S JUST MORE THAN A FATHER'S PRIDE COULD HANDLE.
>> AND SO THE NEXT YEAR HE ASKED DONORS TO BRING THE GIFTS UNWRAPPED, AND THEY'D SET UP A LITTLE TOY STORE WITH YARD SALE PRICES.
NOTHING FOR FREE.
>> ONE THING WE LEARNED WAS PARENTS WOULD A WHOLE LOT RATHER WORK TO EARN TO PURCHASE THE TOYS THEY KNEW WOULD DELIGHT THEIR KIDS AT CHRISTMAS THAN THEY WOULD STAND IN THE FREE TOY LINES WITH THEIR "PROOF OF POVERTY" AND TAKE GIFTS THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAD PURCHASED FOR THEM.
>> THE NOTION THAT JUST GIVING CHARITY AWAY OFTEN ENDS UP DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD HAS BECOME LUPTON'S MISSION, AND IT SEEM TO BE GAINING CONVERTS HERE AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
>> IS THAT FOR HERE OR TO GO?
>> TO GO.
>> THE COMMUNITY GROUNDS COFFEE SHOP IS AN EXAMPLE OF LUPTON'S PHILOSOPHY AT WORK.
THE COFFEE IS SUBSIDIZED BY DONORS.
IT'S NOT FREE, BUT IT'S VERY GOOD, AND IT'S IN THE HEART OF SOUTH ATLANTA, WHERE THERE WAS NO COFFEE SHOP BEFORE.
COMMUNITY GROUNDS IS CONNECTED TO THE CARVER NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET.
THE GROCERIES AREN'T FREE.
THEY'RE SUBSIDIZED.
AND BEFORE THE MARKET WAS HERE, IT COULD TAKE TAIYANNA SIMS TWO OR THREE HOURS ROUND TRIP BY BUS TO GET TO THE CLOSEST SUPERMARKET.
>> IT WAS A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE JUST TO GO TO ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD TO GET GROCERIES WHEN YOU COULDN'T GET THEM HERE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SUPERMARKET HERE.
>> THERE HAVE NOT BEEN A LOT OF NEW BUSINESSES IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, SO WE DON'T WANT TO OPEN A FOOD PANTRY.
WE WANT TO OPEN A GROCERY STORE.
>> KATIE DELP IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LUPTON'S MINISTRY, NOW CALLED FOCUSED COMMUNITY STRATEGIES, OR FCS.
>> OUR MINISTRY IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE FOCUS ON DEVELOPMENT, AS OPPOSED TO JUST RELIEF.
WE WANT TO END POVERTY, MORE THAN JUST RELIEVE PEOPLE FROM THE PAIN OF POVERTY.
SO WE WANT TO CHANGE COMMUNITIES.
>> YOU DON'T MOVE ANYBODY OUT OF POVERTY BY GIVING THEM A HOUSE.
>> JIM WEHNER WAS A PASTOR FOR NINE YEARS, FRUSTRATED THAT SO MANY OF HIS PARISHIONERS WERE TRAPPED IN POVERTY.
SO HE JOINED FCS, AND NOW HE HELPS TURN EMPTY HOUSES INTO AFFORDABLE HOMES.
HE SAYS THAT COULD BE AN IMPORTANT ANSWER TO THE PROBLEMS OF INNER-CITY NEIGHBORHOODS.
>> I CERTAINLY THINK IT'S THE ANSWER FOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, AND I THINK IT WILL BE THE ANSWER FOR THE NEXT NEIGHBORHOODS WE TAKE ON.
I THINK WE HAVE SOME CORE PRINCIPALS THAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND NEIGHBORHOODS COULD USE.
>> FOR INSTANCE, THESE HOUSES AREN'T REFURBISHED ONLY FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.
THEY'RE PART OF A PLAN TO RE-NEIGHBOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> SO RE-NEIGHBORING, WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT IS, BRINGING FAMILIES WHO MAY NOT TRADITIONALLY LIVE IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS -- A LOT OF TIMES THAT MEANS FAMILIES OF MEANS -- TO COME INTO COMMUNITIES TO CREATE A MIXED-INCOME NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE WE NEED A DIVERSE INCOME BASE IN ORDER FOR THESE NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE REVITALIZED.
>> KATIE AND HER FAMILY ARE AN EXAMPLE OF RE-NEIGHBORING.
THEY MOVED HERE.
DID YOU MOVE INTO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD?
>> I DID.
>> HOW'S THAT BEEN?
>> IT'S BEEN GOOD.
>> HOW SO?
>> WE'VE LIVED HERE FOR 14 YEARS NOW, AND IT HAS JUST BEEN A REAL GIFT TO OUR FAMILY.
WE'RE ABLE TO RAISE OUR KIDS IN A PLACE OF DIVERSITY.
>> CARVER WITH THE VICTORY.
>> AND TANISHA CORPORAL IS ABLE TO RAISE HER SON, CAIRO, IN A REAL HOME IN A REAL NEIGHBORHOOD, WITH THE HELP OF A SUBSIDIZED MORTGAGE.
SHE WORKS AT AN ATLANTA CHARTER SCHOOL BUT COULDN'T AFFORD A CONVENTIONAL MORTGAGE.
SHE SAYS SHE'S EXPERIENCED TRADITIONAL CHARITY FIRST HAND.
>> I'VE WORKED FOR NONPROFIT COMMUNITIES AND DONE CASE MANAGEMENT, AND IT'S KIND OF A HAND OUT INSTEAD OF A HAND UP.
>> I THINK THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE WAY A COMMUNITY CAN BE TURNED AROUND.
NOT ONLY SOUTH ATLANTA THAT WE'RE IN NOW, BUT FOUR OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE'VE SEEN DRAMATIC CHANGES IN OVER THE PAST THREE, FOUR DECADES.
>> ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING ACCOMPLISHMENTS LUPTON HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN HAS BEEN THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE COMMUNITY SURROUNDING THE ONCE-FAMOUS EAST LAKE COUNTRY CLUB.
IT WAS THE HOME COURSE OF BOBBY JONES, PERHAPS THE GREATEST AMATEUR GOLFER OF ALL TIME.
THEN THE MONEY MOVED TO NORTH ATLANTA, AND THE GOVERNMENT SURROUNDED THE COURSE WITH LOW-INCOME HOUSING.
>> IT WAS LIKE THE DEATH KNELL FOR THE COMMUNITY.
650 UNITS OF POORLY MANAGED PUBLIC HOUSING, AND IT BECAME A CANCER.
>> AND THEN A DEVELOPER SAID HE WOULD REFURBISH BOBBY JONES'S CLUB AND GET HIGH ROLLERS TO JOIN UP AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE EAST LAKE COMMUNITY.
COULD LUPTON HELP?
>> THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF STARTING TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY, BUY CRACK HOUSES.
>> AND WITH SOME GOVERNMENT HELP, REBUILD A MIXED-INCOME, NOT A LOW-INCOME, COMMUNITY.
>> THAT WAS A VERY EXCITING, VERY COMPLICATED, BUT VERY EXCITING TRANSFORMATION THAT ACTUALLY RESHAPED HISTORY.
>> EAST LAKE IS NOW THE HOME OF A MAJOR PGA TOURNAMENT AND THE MIXED-INCOME COMMUNITY THAT IS HOME TO SHELL STAFFORD.
THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SHELL.
SHE BROUGHT UP SIX KIDS BY HERSELF.
WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG, SHE GOT ON HER KNEES AND PRAYED FOR SOME HELP IN RAISING THEM.
>> ALL I WANT IS FOR EVERY LAST ONE OF MY KIDS TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL.
BECAUSE THE PERCENTAGE OF BLACK CHILDREN JUST DROPPING OUT IS SO HIGH.
I SAID, "I DON'T WANT TWO TO GRADUATE.
I DON'T WANT ONE.
I WANT ALL."
>> ALL SIX OF SHELL'S KIDS GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
FIVE OUT OF SIX GRADUATED FROM OR ARE STILL IN COLLEGE.
>> THE MISTAKE THAT WE MAKE IS THAT WE THINK THAT FOLKS THAT CAN'T PULL THEIR FULL WEIGHT CAN'T PULL ANY WEIGHT.
>> OVER THE YEARS, LUPTON HAS HAD HIS CRITICS.
>> MOST OF THE NEGATIVE PUSHBACK THAT I GET ARE FROM CHURCHES WHO HAVE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS, CLOTHES CLOSETS, FOOD PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS THAT THE VOLUNTEERS IN THE CHURCH ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT WORKING IN, AND THEY DO THAT FROM A GOOD PLACE IN THEIR HEARTS, SO IT'S RIGHTLY MOTIVATED.
BUT FOR THEM TO THINK THAT THIS GOOD SERVICE THEY'RE PROVIDING IS HURTFUL IS A HARD MESSAGE.
>> HE SAYS THERE ARE TIMES WHEN ONE-WAY GIVING IS THE ONLY WAY -- WHEN SOMEONE IS HUNGRY, OR IN TIMES OF CRISIS, LIKE KATRINA.
BUT AFTER THE CRISIS IS OVER, LUPTON BELIEVES THE ONE-WAY GIVING NEEDS TO STOP AND THE REBUILDING OF LIVES WITH DIGNITY NEEDS TO BEGIN.
>> I FIND WITHIN THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF MY NEIGHBORS THAT ARE LOW-INCOME A REAL DESIRE TO BE USEFUL, TO BE PRODUCTIVE.
AND IF WE CAN MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS, DECENT JOBS THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES.
>> HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?
>> I THINK THERE'S A BASIC STAMP OF THE DIVINE THAT'S IN ALL OF US, AND I WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT.
I LOOK FOR THAT.
SO MAYBE IT'S IN WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THAT YOU FIND.
>> LUPTON SAYS HIS BOOK "TOXIC CHARITY" HAS GONE VIRAL, STARTING DISCUSSIONS IN CHURCHES, NONPROFITS AND FOUNDATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
HIS SPEAKING SCHEDULE CAN ATTEST TO THAT.
WHEN DOCTORS TAKE THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH, THEY SWEAR TO UPHOLD CERTAIN ETHICAL PRINCIPLES.
IN HIS BOOK "TOXIC CHARITY," LUPTON HAS WRITTEN WHAT HE CALLS "THE OATH FOR COMPASSIONATE SERVICE."
IT INCLUDES PRINCIPALS LIKE, "NEVER DO FOR THE POOR WHAT THE POOR CAN DO FOR THEMSELVES," "LIMIT ONE-WAY GIVING," "EMPOWER THE POOR," "LISTEN CLOSELY, ESPECIALLY TO WHAT IS NOT BEING SAID," AND ABOVE ALL, "DO NO HARM."
>> WE HAVE FCS URBAN MINISTRIES IN THE BUILDING, AND WE HAVE A CATCH.
OKAY, GOLDILOCKS.
WE SEE YOU, BOO!
>> FOR "RELIGION AND ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY," I'M LUCKY SEVERSON IN SOUTH ATLANTA.
>>> CALIFORNIA ADOPTED ONE OF THE TOUGHEST MANDATORY VACCINATION LAWS IN THE COUNTRY THIS WEEK.
GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN SIGNED THE MEASURE, WHICH NO LONGER ALLOWS EXEMPTIONS FOR PERSONAL BELIEFS, INCLUDING RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS.
MISSISSIPPI AND WEST VIRGINIA ARE THE ONLY OTHER STATES TO BAN SUCH EXEMPTIONS.
CALIFORNIA HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE BLAMED A RISING TIDE OF ANTI-VACCINE SENTIMENT FOR THE RETURN OF PREVENTABLE DISEASES.
LAST YEAR A MEASLES OUTBREAK AT DISNEYLAND CAUSED 150 PEOPLE TO BE INFECTED.
>>> NOW, CUTTING AND REPAIRING HUMAN GENES.
IN EFFECT, EDITING THEM ONE BY ONE.
THE POSSIBILITIES SEEM GREAT FOR FIGHTING AN INDIVIDUAL'S DISEASE.
BUT WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL CONCERNS?
COULD GENE EDITING PERMIT THE RICH, WHO MIGHT BE THE ONLY ONES WHO COULD AFFORD THE NEW PROCEDURES, TO CREATE DESIGNER CHILDREN?
BETTY ROLLIN HAS OUR STORY.
>>> AT GEORGE CHURCH'S LAB AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL IN BOSTON, RESEARCHERS ARE WORKING ON A WIDE RANGE OF PROJECTS, FROM SLOWING DOWN AGING TO RESURRECTING EXTINCT ANIMALS LIKE THE WOOLY MAMMOTH.
IN ORDER TO DO SOME OF THEIR WORK, RESEARCHERS ARE USING A 2 1/2-YEAR-OLD TECHNIQUE CALLED CRISPR/CAS9, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO IDENTIFY A SINGLE DEFECTIVE GENE AMONG 30,000 AND THEN CUT AND REPAIR IT.
>> IT IS A MACHINE THAT WILL SEARCH THROUGH EVERY PIECE OF DNA IN A CELL AND CAN BE PROGRAMMED TO HIT A PARTICULAR PLACE AND CHANGE IT TO WHATEVER YOU WANT.
>> WHAT HAS SCIENTISTS SO EXCITED IS CRISPR'S POTENTIAL.
IT'S SIMPLE TO USE AND COST-EFFECTIVE.
IT CAN BE USED ON ADULTS TO TREAT DISEASES THAT WOULD AFFECT ONLY THE INDIVIDUAL BEING TREATED.
BUT EDITING GENES ON HUMAN EMBRYOS, EGGS OR SPERM, THE GENETIC CHANGES MADE WOULD AFFECT NOT ONLY THAT INDIVIDUAL, BUT ALL OF HIS OR HER FUTURE DESCENDANTS.
THESE CHANGES COULD POTENTIALLY ELIMINATE DEVASTATING GENETIC DISEASES LIKE HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE AND CYSTIC FIBROSIS.
THE EARLIER GENETIC CHANGES ARE MADE, SAYS DR. CHURCH, THE BETTER.
>> AFTER THE CHILD IS BORN, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO TREAT MANY CELLS IN THE BODY, AND SOME OF THOSE TREATMENTS ON THAT MANY CELLS COULD GO WRONG.
AND YOU HAVE NO REAL WAY OF CHECKING UNTIL THE CHILD DEVELOPS CANCER, OR THE ADULT.
BUT IF YOU DO IT AT A SINGLE-CELL STAGE, YOU CAN GROW UP A POPULATION FROM THAT SINGLE CELL.
AND THEN YOU COULD CHECK A FEW OF THOSE CELLS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE FINE.
>> MARCY DARNOVSKY HEADS THE CENTER FOR GENETICS AND SOCIETY IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, AND IS A CRITIC OF GENETIC EDITING.
>> EVEN IF SCIENTISTS ARE ABLE TO REFINE THESE GENE-EDITING TECHNIQUES SO THAT THEY CAN MORE ACCURATELY PLACE THE NEW GENES, OR THE REPLACED GENES, WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHAT THE EFFECTS OF THOSE GENES ARE GOING TO BE ONCE THEY'RE INSERTED INTO THE HUMAN GENOME.
>> AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY CONCERN.
MANY SCIENTISTS WORRY THAT IF CRISPR CAN BE USED TO ELIMINATE CERTAIN DISEASES, IT CAN ALSO BE USED TO MAKE CHILDREN SMARTER, TALLER, MORE BEAUTIFUL.
>> GENETICS.
WHAT CAN IT MEAN?
THE ABILITY TO PERFECT THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EVERY UNBORN CHILD.
>> THE 1997 SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE "GATTACA" PORTRAYED A SOCIETY WHERE GENETIC ENGINEERING WAS COMMON.
MARCY DARNOVSKY FEARS THAT THIS KIND OF GENETIC TAMPERING COULD BE SOMETHING ONLY THE RICH CAN AFFORD.
>> THE WORST CASE SCENARIO IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE THESE GENETIC HAVES AND HAVE- NOTS.
AND WE ALREADY HAVE SO MUCH INEQUALITY IN THE WORLD.
THIS WOULD EXACERBATE THAT AND COULD REALLY -- IT'S CREATING AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND OF INEQUALITY IN THE WORLD AND COULD LEAD TO ALL KINDS OF DISCRIMINATION, COULD LEAD TO ALL KINDS OF CONFLICT.
>> GEORGE CHURCH SAYS HE, TOO, HAS CONCERNS BUT THINKS THE FEARS OF CRISPR HAVE BEEN EXAGGERATED.
>> I'M CONCERNED ABOUT EVERY NEW MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY HAS TO BE TESTED FOR SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS.
CRISPR IS NO EXCEPTION.
I THINK THE SLIPPERY SLOPE ARGUMENT I DON'T BUY.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE WE CAN GO AT, YOU KNOW, 200 MILES AN HOUR THAT EVERY CAR IS GOING TO SUDDENLY, EVERY DRIVER IS GOING TO DO THAT.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF REGULATIONS IN PLACE FOR ALL OF OUR TECHNOLOGIES, AND THIS SHOULD BE AND WILL NOT BE AN EXCEPTION.
>> BUT MARCY DARNOVSKY BELIEVES THERE IS A SAFER ALTERNATIVE FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO AVOID A HEREDITARY GENETIC DISEASE.
>> IT'S CALLED PRE-IMPLANTATION GENETIC DIAGNOSIS, PGD.
IT'S BEEN IN USE FOR SEVERAL DECADES, AND YOU CAN LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT EMBRYOS THAT ARE PRODUCED.
AND THE ONES THAT ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THE GENETIC MUTATION IN QUESTION ARE THE ONES THAT YOU WOULD THEN INITIATE A PREGNANCY WITH.
>> MORE THAN 40 COUNTRIES HAVE PUT A PROHIBITION ON GENETICALLY MODIFYING EMBRYOS.
SO FAR, THE U.S. IS NOT ONE OF THOSE COUNTRIES, NOR IS CHINA WHERE A RECENT EXPERIMENT ON EMBRYOS WAS PERFORMED AND FAILED IN ALMOST EVERY CASE, CREATING UNINTENDED MUTATIONS.
FORTUNATELY, ONLY NONVIABLE EMBRYOS WERE USED.
DARNOVSKY AND OTHER PROMINENT SCIENTISTS HAVE CALLED FOR A MORATORIUM ON USING GENE EDITING ON HUMAN EMBRYOS.
AND BECAUSE OF ETHICAL AND SAFETY CONCERNS, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING THE NIH WOULD NOT FUND ANY USE OF GENE-EDITING TECHNOLOGIES ON HUMAN EMBRYOS.
AND ACCORDING TO A PEW POLL TAKEN LAST YEAR, WHEREAS 46% OF ADULTS APPROVED GENE EDITING TO REDUCE RISK OF DISEASE, 83% SAID DOING SO TO MAKE BABIES SMARTER IS GOING TOO FAR.
>> IT MAKES SENSE, ESPECIALLY IN PREVENTING DISEASE, BUT MY GUT RESPONSE, ESPECIALLY AS A MOTHER OF THESE KIDS, IS THEY CAME PERFECTLY THE WAY I WANT THEM.
I BELIEVE VERY, VERY MUCH IN GOD AND THAT OUR BODIES ARE MADE THE WAY HE MADE THEM.
AND EVEN IF THEY'RE IMPERFECT, WE'RE HERE ON EARTH TO PROVE THAT WE'RE WORTHY TO BE WITH HIM.
>> AS LONG AS THE TECHNOLOGY IS THERE, CONTROLLING GENE EDITING WILL NO DOUBT BE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
THIS FALL, THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE WILL HOST AN INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT TO DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR EDITING HUMAN GENOMES.
FOR "RELIGION AND ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY," I'M BETTY ROLLIN.
>>> FINALLY, ON OUR CALENDAR THIS WEEK, BAHAI'S OBSERVE THE MARTYRDOM OF THE BAB, MARKING THE DAY IN 1850 WHEN ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THEIR FAITH WAS EXECUTED IN PERSIA, NOW IRAN.
>>> THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR NOW.
I'M BOB ABERNETHY.
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AS WE LEAVE YOU THIS FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND, THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR.
