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West Virginia Coal Mine Disaster; The Dangers of Prescription Drug Use
Aired April 06, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Any moment now we are waiting for the governor of West Virginia to step up to the mike along with Jimmy Gionano, West Virginia's head of emergency management. We're looking for more information into the rescue efforts of four remaining miners, rather, still believed to be trapped in that mine. We're going to have a live report coming up in just a moment.
Also, it's been an incredibly violent morning in Iraq's capital. Seven separate bombings have rocked Baghdad and destroyed several residential buildings. At least 34 people are dead, 140 are wounded. Most of the explosions took place in Shiite neighborhoods and there's been no claim of responsibility.
And too little, too late for Toyota. The government is fuming or fining rather the automaker $16.4 million. Now, that's the maximum for failing to report those sticky gas pedals right away. Toyota waited four months to inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the problem and for their -- and for its part, rather, Toyota says that it's addressing the agency's concerns, but has no comment about that fine.
Praying for a miracle, that's exactly what families, friends and colleagues are doing right now as rescue crews in southern West Virginia are racing to find four coal miners who are still missing. Here's what we know about the mine explosion so far. 25 miners have been killed and seven of them have been removed from the mine and identified and we're just getting word that three of them apparently are family members.
More than a dozen of the deceased are still down below upon. Why? Because rising gas levels within that mine are so dangerous that rescue crews actually had to call off the recovery efforts. Now, the immediate plan now is to try to ventilate the mine and resume the rescue operation. This explosion, by the way, is the deadliest mining disaster in the United States in a quarter of a century.
"AMERICAN MORNING's" John Roberts is in Raleigh County, West Virginia, and I know there are many friends and family members waiting to hear if indeed those miners could be alive.
John, what are they doing right now to try to get to them?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Kyra, the rescue teams are not doing anything. They were pulled out of the mine about 2:30 this morning as you were suggesting. They got deeper and deeper into the mine back into the area where they thought that those four miners might be and the methane gas levels went off the charts. It was too dangerous and sort of on the edge of survival. So the commander control on the surface says you got to come out of the mine.
Now what the plan is to spend the next 24 to 48 hours and more likely 48 hours cutting roads up these steep hillsides to the GPS spot where the miners are believed to be under. Some 1,200 to 1,400 feet under and they're going to drill four bore holes down to them, call them ventilation shafts, if you will, put fans on the top of them, and try to suck that methane gas out so that the rescue crews can get back in and probe those areas.
They believe that one miner may be along the so-called long wall that they were mining and then there were a couple of other miners, maybe three of them, in what they call the development area, and they believe that as much as 2,000 feet may separate all of those miners. So it's going to take a while to get in there and get to them, once they clear out the mines.
Kyra, it would seem that probably at least 12 hours or maybe even two days away from any further developments in terms of searching that mine for the remaining four miners.
PHILLIPS: Now, you were the first to actually talk to the family members of those that are still missing and not only are they agonizing, but they're angry. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE MCKENNEY, DAUGHTER OF MISSING MINER: We want to know - excuse me, why we have not been contacted. No one from Massey has called my mother or any of us children or his mother. He still has a mother at his home grieving. We don't know where my dad's body's at. We want some answers and we want them today. We want answers. We're very upset.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now John, I thought after the last explosion that new rules were implemented that when something like this happens family members are immediately contacted by a point person.
ROBERTS: Yes. The problem with the Sago mine disaster or one of the big problems with the Sago mine disaster was that families weren't given any information. They weren't told where to gather. They weren't told where to go for counseling or just to find out information. The mine wasn't really communicating with them.
As a result of the Miner Act, that fell out of Sago, these mining companies whenever there's an accident like this they're supposed to appoint a family liaison, contacts the family and brings them to a point where they can come for counseling or information. I do know that there were a number of family members who were up at the mine. I'm not sure quite what happened with the family of Benny Willingham. He was a person who was killed in the mine and had been doing it for some 30 years and sadly was six weeks away from retirement. He was about to have his 62nd birthday in May.
So I don't quite know why his wife wasn't contacted, but I do know his sister and her brother went up to the mine and got some information, but, you know, Kyra, here's I mean - obviously there are 25 people who are dead and perhaps more, but this story of Benny Willingham was just so touching because he was just such a dedicated father and grandfather and an uncle and he was so close, Kyra, so close to getting out.
He was one of the people - one of the miners on that man trip that was headed from the depths of that mine back up to the surface, and he was one of the men who was killed on that man trip where the explosion just roared over them like a tornado. Another couple of minutes on that man trip he probably would have made it to the surface.
PHILLIPS: It's heart wrenching to hear how close they were coming out of there. I know that the governor, any minute now, John is supposed to speak live along with the head of Emergency Management there in West Virginia. As soon as they step up to the mikes, please let us know. We will take that live and check back in with you, John Roberts there in West Virginia, appreciate it.
And families on the surface, as John mentioned, they're agonizing. Just listen to this interview with the young man who didn't even know if his father was dead or alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC MARTIN, SON OF MISSING MINER: It's my dad, man. I don't know if he's all right. (INAUDIBLE) no one tells me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your dad might be in there?
MARTIN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to tell me exactly, what's been going through your mind?
MARTIN: I don't know, man. It's like I got hit in the gut right there real hard. It just keep getting hit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you heard happened?
MARTIN: I heard that there was a crew that I worked with. (INAUDIBLE) I worked day shift. There were two of them that did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The dangers of coal mining are well documented. One of the most recent and notable being not too far from Raleigh County, West Virginia. Remember the Sago mine disaster back in early January of 2006 in nearby (INAUDIBLE) county? It gripped the nation for two days as rescuers tried saving the dozens of coal miners trapped under ground. But only one, this one, Randall McCloy would ultimately survive. It was a much better ending at Quecreek in 2002 in western Pennsylvania.
Remember this wonderful sight? Nine waterlogged miners successfully pulled out alive from a flooded mine shaft after three days of living in an air pocket and plenty of faith.
Also back in 2007 in Huntington, Utah, six miners were trapped in Crandall Canyon Mine, in a partial collapse. Three rescuers died and six others were injured in a rescue effort that was ultimately called off after being determined that it was too dangerous to continue.
A new plan for our nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon is setting the rules today on who we can point them at.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN severe weather center. We will talk about weather, but we will also talk about the mining accident and give you the lay of the land in West Virginia and the different types of mining. That's coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Any minute now we are waiting for West Virginia's governor Joe Manchin and also Jimmy Gionano West Virginia's emergency management director to step up to the mikes and update us on what's taking place at that coal mine where we're still wondering if rescue crews are going to be able to get any closer to those four miners that are still missing.
We'll bring it to you live as soon as it happens. It's definitely heartbreaking in coal country today. The news has been very grim outside the upper big branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. A huge underground explosion has killed 25 miners making it the deadliest mining disaster in the U.S. since 1984. Several other workers are still missing as we mentioned and unfortunately, hopes are fading for their families right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOE MANCHIN, WEST VIRGINIA: They still hold out for that miracle, the four that are still missing, and they understand the challenge we have and the horrific nature of this blast and the situation that we're dealing with is very tough. They understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: For a closer look at where the mine is, let's go and check in with meteorologist Rob Marciano. He's been working double time now, weather conditions for us and staying on top of this story as well. Rob?
MARCIANO: Good morning again, Kyra. You know, geologically, some parts of the world are better for growing crops and other parts of the world are better for mining. In the Appalachians, one of the oldest mountain ranges out there certainly leads you to have the sedimentary deposits that lead to good coal mining, especially in parts of West Virginia.
The fault of this type of area and the pressure over the millions of years have led to a rich deposit of coal in this area and we'll zoom in and give you an idea of where this particular mine is and the different types of mines that we're dealing with. Montcoal is one of the communities there and aptly name, as you can imagine.
And then inside the crevices and valleys here is where they have the actual mining of the coal. You obviously want to get as low as possible if you're going to have to dig underground to begin with and some of these mine goes over 1,000 feet deep.
The other type of mining is called the mountaintop mining where they basically scrape the mountaintop and excavate the coal that way. It's obviously cheaper, it's definitely safer, but environmentally it's not all that great because you got a lot of debris that gets into the water supply. So you know, there has been battles with the EPA and there's a lot of regulations and they have been limiting the amount of mountaintop mining available.
At one point, 40 percent of all coal mining was mountaintop mining but in this case obviously, they're doing it the old fashion way, going underground and that as we know too well, Kyra, is the most dangerous type.
PHILLIPS: Sure is. Appreciate it, Rob. Thanks for the insight.
Well, how are we going to use our nukes? That's what we're going to hear today from the Pentagon. A new strategy for nuclear weapons and our intended targets like which countries will have a bull's-eye on them. The President's trying to lead by example, but is anyone going to follow.
Let's bring in CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Suzanne, what exactly do we know about this new plan and you know, are we talking about Iran and North Korea and that threat hoping that somehow we won't have to worry about nukes on that end?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're certainly talking about a lot of those things. We expect this announcement to specifically talk about Iran and North Korea. What's interesting is because Candidate Obama. He made a promise during the campaign saying he wanted to rid the world of nuclear weapons and a lot of people back then thought that was very naive and didn't really take it very seriously, but as President he is taking some concrete steps towards that direction.
And we're going to hear from the secretary of Defense, State as well as Energy to outline his new policy. It is called the Nuclear Posture Review. What does that mean? Essentially the United States would halt developing any new nuclear weapons, developing those weapons. It would rely on the existing stockpiles and extend the life of those existing stockpiles and then most significantly here is that it would commit here to not using nuclear weapons against countries or states that don't have nuclear weapons. So if they were to attack the United States and they didn't have nuclear weapon, the United States would not retaliate with nuclear weapons. A big exception to this, however, Kyra, you have mentioned it before which is Iran and North Korea. If they're states that have nuclear weapons or in violation of the nuclear, non-proliferation treaty then those countries would be treated differently and the United States would be able to unleash its nuclear arsenal on those countries.
A Defense Department official who briefed reporters on this yesterday said the idea behind this plan is to try to deter those countries that don't have nuclear weapons, not to try to get them and to try to isolate those countries that do, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House. Suzanne, thanks so much.
Teenage drug addicts, they didn't need a pusher. All they needed was a mom or dad. That story in their own words straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Get a load of this. California still has a law in its books that requires doctors to look for a cure to homosexuality. In just about 30 minutes we're going to talk to a state assemblywoman who is trying to get rid of that law and we're also going to talk to an expert on sexual orientation.
This expert was gay. Now he says he's straight. We're also talking about the story on my blog. We want to know, can you believe that there are laws like this still on the books in 2010? What do you think? Go to CNN.com/Kyra and weigh in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now praying for a miracle. That's what families, friends and colleagues are doing as rescue crews in southern West Virginia are racing to find four coal miners who are still missing. 25 miners are dead and the search was suspended because of dangerous conditions underground, a dangerous gas build up.
Crews are going to bore a hole to try and release some of that gas, but they admit it could take two days. We're awaiting a news conference and we'll bring it to you live as soon as it starts.
The campaigning begin in Britain. Queen Elizabeth agreed this morning to dissolve Parliament which traditionally signals the start of election season. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing a tough challenge from conservatives to keep his party and himself in power. Elections are set for May 6th.
The case against accused bullies in Massachusetts takes another step forward. You remember this story, right? 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself. Prosecutors say that's because other kids picked on her nonstop. Three teen defendants were scheduled to appear in court. They won't be there in person. The two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old took advantage of a law that lets them miss their arraignments. They're among nine students charged in this case.
The dangers of prescription drug abuse. Yesterday, we showed how it has claimed the lives of the rich and famous and today you'll meet three teenagers who could be your neighbors or your children and they say that you may be the critical link between curious kids and a deadly addiction to drugs.
CNN's Kiran Chetry has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) any kind of prescription pills.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Melissa, Sara and Adam, like many abusers, the road to addiction started with a trip to their parents' medicine cabinet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can blow my nose now.
CHETRY: For 18-year-old Melissa, it was her mom's Xanax pills.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I don't really remember, you know, like searching for pills.
CHETRY (on camera): In your house?
MELISSA, 18-YEAR-OLD DRUG USER: I would literally crawl around the floor on my mom's room and I could find four or five and go to the bathroom and closet and rummage through everything and I could find some there.
CHETRY (voice-over): But doctors can also unwittingly play a role when it comes to feeding addiction. 18-year-old Sara and 20- year-old Adam learned to game the system.
SARA, 18-YEAR-OLD DRUG USER: When I went to my doctor I was, like, I got fired from my job because I freaked out and I started having a panic attack and the first thing my doctor said is "have you ever tried Xanax?"
CHETRY (on camera): Were you lying?
SARA: Yes, I was lying.
ADAM, 20-YEAR-OLD FORMER DRUG USER: 45 minutes before you're seen, take short, shallow quick breaths like your body is physically having an anxiety attack and you're shaking and they'll try to start mentioning things that are not addictive and you just say oh, I already tried that and it didn't do anything until they get to a benzo and you say, "yes, I'll give that a try."
DR. KENT ROBERTSHAW, ADDICTION PSYCHIATRIST: There has to be some kind of feedback loop that's not in place right now to let doctors know that this patient was either exaggerating their pain syndrome or that they were using other doctors that the doctor didn't even know about. CHETRY: (voice-over): Dr. Kent Robertshaw is a psychiatrist specializing in addiction. He says one of the biggest factors contributing to the explosion of prescription drug abuse is the willingness of doctors to prescribe those drugs.
(on camera): When it comes to young people, teenagers, how prevalent is the use of prescription painkillers as well as other prescription drugs?
ROBERTSHAW: It's an enormous epidemic of teenagers and college students who are now, instead of using marijuana when they're having a beer or doing shots, they're now finding they're getting a Vicodin, a Percocet or some Xanax.
ADAM: I just fell in love with it.
CHETRY (voice-over): At his worst, Adam says he was seeing multiple doctors who prescribed him hundreds of pills a month. Enough to re-sell some of them on the street.
ADAM: In about three months I made about 10 grand, and I still had enough to take.
CHETRY: Dr. Robertshaw says that while some states have programs to monitor people looking to abuse prescriptions, until a national system exists, much of the burden falls on individual doctors.
ROBERTSHAW: The problem is a lot of doctors are very uncomfortable with a addictions. They're not used to having a relationship with the patient with their sort of making accusations or they're suspicious of the patient's behavior, but that's really what doctors need to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And doctors are the front lines against prescription drug abuse. Tomorrow we're going to take you inside the world and how they're dealing with the flood of addicts looking to score prescription pills.
Lots of prayers and searching for answers. Families of coal miners try to make sense of the worst mining disaster in 25 years. We're now getting word that live news conference out of West Virginia with the governor and the head of emergency management there in West Virginia, will be at 11:30 eastern time and we will take it live. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN severe weather center. We have record heat on the East Coast, cold weather and snow on the West Coast and in between, severe weather threat today. Weather is going to come. CNN NEWSROOM is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Still praying for a miracle. That's what families, friends and colleagues are doing right now as rescue crews in southern West Virginia are trying to figure out how they're going to try and rescue four coal miners who are still missing. 25 miners are confirmed dead. Seven of them have been removed from the mine and identified.
Three of those belonging to one family. More than a dozen of the deceased are still down below because rising gas levels within the mine are so dangerous that rescue crew his to call off the recovery efforts. The immediate plan now is to try to ventilate the mine and resume that rescue hopefully operation and not just a recovery.
This explosion is the deadliest mining disaster in the United States in a quarter of a century, bringing the community and families of miners closer together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY, BROTHER IN LAW OF MINER: My grandfathers both worked in the mines, uncles. I've been in the mines myself. I work in the industry, not underground, but I do go underground on occasion. It's just coal mining gets in your blood and the camaraderie, it's like a sports team. I mean, it's just - it's just, there's no love like the love among workers in coal mines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Hoping to hear any bit of news, miners' families are gathering at nearby Marsh Fork Elementary School which has quickly evolved into a media command center since yesterday's massive explosion.
CNN's Sandra Endo is in Raleigh County. Hi, Sandra.
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, in fact, this school behind me has become, as you mentioned, a makeshift media command center. And we've been getting information and updates all morning long. But the family members of the miners have been kept at a different school, a different location if here, waiting to hear any new information in terms of the rescue efforts. And given that there has been 25 fatalities so far in the accident, some family members did get the grim news last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was just a horrific explosion.
ENDO (voice-over): It's the deadliest mine accident in the United States since 1984. More than two dozen miners are dead after an explosion in the mine south of Charleston, West Virginia. Rescue workers say four miners are still unaccounted for at the Upper Big Branch Mine. Officials plan to drill holes from the surface 1,200 feet into the mine to help ventilate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm confident that after the mine is ventilated and after it is safe, the rescue teams will re-enter the mine and recover the bodies of the 25 miners as well as finding the bodies of the four additional miners and bring those miners to the surface and back to their loved ones.
ENDO: Three other deaths have occurred at the upper big branch mine in the past 12 years. And the mine owners have been fined for several incidents at its facility.
In a post on its Web site, the company maintains it has a good safety record. Meanwhile, rescue workers say they're still holding out hope for survivors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a dire situation, but do I think it's a rescue operation, and it will be that way until we confirm that these four additional people are not living.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENDO: Now, this mine does have rescue chambers underground spread out throughout the mine, and it contains oxygen and enough food and water to last for four days. But all accounts from the field and in the mine from the workers here -- they say that all indications show that the blast was so powerful and so sudden that it's very unlikely that the miners were able to get to those chambers. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: We'll definitely follow the effort, whether it is rescue or recovery. Sandra Endo, thanks so much.
Our John Roberts has been keeping in close communication with West Virginia's governor, Joe Manchin, as well. Both are at the scene, and sadly, and this type of mishap isn't new to West Virginians. Danger comes with the job of coal mining.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Let me just say that basically the people of West Virginia understand they've done and the hard work they've done to make this nation great. They provided the energy that was dependable, reliable and affordable. They have done that. We built the greatest nation on earth.
They have such a pride in what they do. People don't -- it's just a job to some people, but not here in West Virginia. This is a way of life. With that we're doing all we can. We're doing it -- much, much better job from the environmental end of it, but most importantly the safety end of it. This was just a horrific explosion, a horrific explosion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And this is the deadliest mining accident in the United States in more than 25 years, but we've seen far worse in terms of loss of life.
October 22, 1913, an explosion kills 263 miners at the Stag Canyon Coal Mine in Dawson, New Mexico. November 13, 1909, 259 miners died in a fire at a mine in Cherry, Illinois. And the worst coal mine disaster in U.S. history, 362 miners killed in an explosion at dual mines in Monongah, West Virginia, back in December of 1907.
Let's get to Wall Street now. Shares of Massey Energy tumbling. Stephanie Elam in New York. Stephanie, what does that mean for us?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You look at a story like this and there is no doubt about it that it is a tragic human story.
But Massey Energy, which runs the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, is also a company. So, we have to look at the business of the story as well and this company really is a big one. It's the fourth largest U.S. coal company, and it has operations in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.
Last year, in fact, it had sales of $2.7 billion. And if you take a look at the shares of the stock right now, of Massey, they are down now 8 percent on this news.
Now, we don't know what caused the accident, but we do know it will bring a lot of scrutiny on the part of the public and government. And for Wall Street, that's a big concern because who knows what an investigation will turn up, so that lack of certainty is what makes investors nervous. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right? So, how has the broader market doing? We've been watching the Dow 11,000 in the past few days. How close are we?
ELAM: We're pretty close. We're (INAUDIBLE) 50 points right now. Of course, we're still in the red and very much in striking distance, but the market is pulling back today. The Dow off 19 points, just about, 10,954. Yesterday, the Dow came within 12 points of that milestone, but it may be a tough one to cross just because it is a psychological barrier. The longer it takes to climb above 11,000, the harder it will be overall.
Investors have been on the sidelines watching the economic data coming in and not making bets. We also have earnings season on the way, so take a look at all that. We'll be keeping our eyes on the numbers, and right now we're 47 points away, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Let's hope it gets there. Thanks, Steph.
ELAM: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Do you remember this little boy at the center of a Cuban custody battle? Whatever happened to him, anyway? Well, he is not so little anymore.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Homosexuality. Is it a problem in need of a cure? One state law says it is and a person who agrees, a former homosexual. We'll talk to him and a lawmaker trying to rip this 1950 law right out of the books.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Right now, praying for a miracle. That's what friends, families and colleagues are doing as rescue crews in southern West Virginia are trying to race to find four coal miners who are still missing. Twenty-five miners are dead. That search was suspended because of dangerous conditions under ground, a dangerous gas build up. Crews are going to bore a hole to release gas, but they admit it could take two days. We'll keep watching it for you.
Anthony Sowell and his house of bodies in Cleveland. Prosecutors have added ten more charges of rape, kidnapping and assault against him. That's on top of 85 other charges, including the rapes and murders of 11 women. Sowell has pleaded not guilty to killing them and hiding their remains around his house.
A milestone for little Elian Gonzalez. We remember him like this, a scared little kid being whisked away from his home. He was just 5 years old then and the center of an international tug-of-war between Cuba and the U.S. We'll take a look at Elian Gonzalez now. He turned 16 today. So, how does a Cuba icon spend the week of his 16th birthday? At a young Communist convention, of course.
Homosexuality. Is it a problem in need of a cure? It grabs your attention, doesn't it? And as you probably know, California is one of the most liberal states in the country, but wait until you hear about this law. Since 1950, health experts have been required to seek a cure to homosexuality. Lawmakers are in the process of repealing it, but some are saying not so fast.
Richard Cohen is a psychotherapist and an author. He's also a husband, father, and self-described former homosexual. Bonnie Lowenthal is a California assemblywoman. She wrote the bill to erase the law.
Assemblywoman Lowenthal, let's start with you. How did you first hear about this law?
BONNIE LOWENTHAL (D), CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYWOMAN: An organization called Equality California came to me with this suggestion. You know, this law has been on the books for 60 years, and it's quite useless and rather offensive to many, including myself.
PHILLIPS: And tell me why it's offensive to you. Tell me why you wanted to take action right away when you heard about it.
LOWENTHAL: You know, the law that was written 60 years ago reflected values that were in place at that time. Homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. That was removed in the '70s, and today's values are quite different. I think we all believe in striving for human and civil rights for everybody. It seemed very reasonable to remove that at this point.
PHILLIPS: And Richard, let me ask you. Do you think that your homosexuality was a mental disorder? RICHARD COHEN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST, INTERNATIONAL HEALING FOUNDATION: I think that we should keep this bill, the 8050 in California for two reasons. One, it says let's do research why sexual predators abuse children, and I am a survivor of sexual abuse. So, to do research to find out why predators do this is excellent.
Secondly, it says let's do research about the causes and the healing of homosexuality. Now, we know there are people who want to live a homosexual life, and there are those who wish to seek change and come out straight. That's been my journey, and as a psychotherapist, I've literally helped thousands of men and women around the world change from homosexual to heterosexual.
So, I think that it's fantastic that California has this code to allow mental health researchers to find out solutions for both abuse and also for those with unwanted homosexual feelings to fulfill their dreams and their desires. I'm living proof that change is possible.
PHILLIPS: Well, let's separate sexual predators from a -- a homosexual person. I mean, you weren't a sexual predator, right? I mean, you said you were --
COHEN: No, I was -- when I was 5 years old, I was sexually abused --
PHILLIPS: Right, you said you were sexually abused. But -- but let's talk about homosexuality.
COHEN: Right.
PHILLIPS: Did you think you had a mental disorder?
COHEN: No, no, no, no. Not at all. There are -- last week the American College of Pediatricians released a fact sheet for youth stating there's no genetic cause to homosexuality. It's cause by environmental, familial and temporal issues. Therefore, it's definitely reversible and changeable.
So, this code in California, 8050 middle let's do research and then let's help this population, this minority who wishes to come out of homosexuality -- I understand that Bonnie wants to protect the gay and lesbian population. And that's admirable. They need to be respected and protected.
However, there are those of us former homosexuals and also those who wish to come out of homosexuality. They deserve the right of self-determination as well.
PHILILPS: Bonnie, what do you say to Richard?
LOWENTHAL: I appreciate those comments, but I believe the state has no business in the research that Richard is referring to. Again, this was a law that was passed 60 years ago in response to something entirely different. Homosexuality was shoehorned into that law. It didn't belong there, it never belonged there. And I don't believe the state has any business in working on that. The fact is there are major universities throughout this country that choose to do research on sexual predators. We have very solid laws in place today in California dealing with the issue of sex offenses. Homosexuality has no place in that.
PHILLIPS: You believe that you were cured from homosexuality, Richard --
COHEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: So, why do you need a law like this?
COHEN: Because this law says let's do research. Right there in California is the headquarters for the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, or NARTH.com. And to get funding to investigate the causes of homosexuality or ideology of homosexuality and how people with unwanted homosexual feelings can change, it's almost virtually impossible. So, actually, California could be on the cutting edge of this research which would have implications worldwide.
And again, you know, as you said, Kyra, I'm a former homosexual. I'm married to my wonderful wife, Jayca (ph) for 28 years. We have three children. I'm living my dream, and there are thousands of men and women around the world who want this opportunity, and they don't even know it exists. So, I think this law should stay on the books and let's promote research unwanted homosexual feelings. And also we need to protect all active homosexual men and women, gay and lesbian. They also need to be honored and protected as well.
PHILLIPS: Richard, what do you say to the critics that say, "Wow, I'm listening to Richard, I'm looking at Richard, and I feel so sorry for him because he's denying his true self."?
COHEN: No. I have fulfilled, Kyra -- I have fulfilled my destiny. I actually had a partner, a male partner for three years. But in my heart I had a passionate desire to marry a woman and create a family. I went to several therapists and they said, you're born this way, accept it. I knew that wasn't true for me, so it took so many years to figure out why I had homosexual feelings and then come out straight.
For 20 years now as a psychotherapist, I've helped, as I said, hundreds in therapy and thousands of healing seminars. Changeispossible.com. That's our Web site because we know that change from the inside, not just behavioral change, Kyra, this is internal change.
And Dr. Robert Spitzer of Columbia University did a study published in 2002, archives of sexual behavior showing 200 men and women who reversed from homosexual to heterosexual and change their orientation.
PHILLIPS: Let me get the Assemblywoman to button this up. Assemblywoman Lowenthal, you know, have you had opposition to this? Has anyone been storming your office banging on the door, saying you've got to leave this law into place?
LOWENTHAL: No, that's a great question, Kyra. Everyone is very supportive. All the people I've talked to, both in my district as well as in the capital believes this is old wording and it has to go. It doesn't reflect the values of the people in the state of California today.
PHILLIPS: We will follow up, that's for sure. Richard Cohen and Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, I appreciate you both for your time. Thank you.
COHEN: Thank you.
LOWENTHAL: Thanks a lot.
PHILLIPS: We're also talking about this story on my blog. We want to know, can you believe there are laws like this still on the books? What are your thoughts? Go to CNN.com/kyra and weigh in. I would like to read your comments in just a few minutes.
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PHILLIPS: You've got to think there will be some pretty busy body shops and roofers also in Topeka. Hailstorm dinged up that area on Monday. Pea-sized hail in that area. About a half-inch of rain, too, in that area.
More lousy weather on tap for today, right, Rob?
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEORLOGIST: All right. See you.
PHILLIPS: What's a day in the life of a miner like? It's sometimes the only career choice, and many times the way of life for several generations. We're expecting a live press conference at 11:30 Eastern. That's coming up at the top of the hour when CNN NEWSROOM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Cinderella had a chance at the buzzer, but this fairytale ended two points short. Duke beat Butler last night to win their fourth NCAA basketball title. It was 61-59, just one shot away from the improbable victory for Butler.
Don't get me wrong, Duke is a great team and played well, blah, blah, blah, but Butler, much more fun to root for.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A California law says homosexuality is a problem that needs to be cured. Lawmakers are repealing it, but one man wants it to remain on the books. He calls himself a former homosexual, and he says others can and should follow his footsteps.
That brings us to today's blog question. We asked you what you think about this California law, and here's what you said. Erica wrote, "I personally have lived almost my entire life with people trying to "cure" my homosexuality. It is astonishing to me that something like this would still exist."
Dan says, "You can say what you want, but the Bible says this wicked sin will one day be judged by the Almighty."
Dane writes, "There's more important things in life than worrying about who people are attracted to."
And Richard writes, "Perhaps we should put our efforts into curing the heterosexuals!"
Remember, we want to hear from you. We love hearing from you. Log on to CNN.com/kyra, share your comments, and I will share them with everyone else.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Tony Harris.
