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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown
Accusations of Mercy Killing in New Orleans; 23-Year-Old Takes a Cessna for a Joyride; Is the End Near?; New Zogby Poll Reveals Americans' Sexual Habits
Aired October 13, 2005 - 23:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSONS COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEWSNIGHT. Accusations of playing God in the days after Katrina. An exclusive story you'll only see here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Stunning accusations of mercy killings by desperate staff at a New Orleans hospital in the days after Hurricane Katrina. Tonight. Tough questions asked: If your loved one is suffering from a terminal condition, would you take life and death into your own hands?
Monstrous hurricanes, massive earthquakes, killer tsunami -- Are these unpredictable acts of nature? Signs the end is near?
And how risky is your sex life? Tonight an online survey reveals Americans' recklessness when it comes to sex. Are Americans playing with fire under the covers?
Live, from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York. This is NEWSNIGHT with Aaron Brown and Anderson Cooper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Welcome back to NEWSNIGHT. Aaron is off tonight. Here's what's happening at this moment.
A powerful aftershock rocked Pakistan today, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale. Meanwhile, the death toll from Saturday's catastrophic earthquake could climb above 40,000.
A new twist in an assassination investigation -- Syria's powerful Interior Minister Ghazi Kenaan was found shot to death. Syria is calling it a suicide. Kenaan was the head of Syria's military intelligence in Lebanon and denied taking any part in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, who was blown up.
Violence erupts across Iraq today. Bombings killed at least 30 people. The attacks come just three days before Iraqis vote on a constitution. Tonight, law makers approved a last-minute deal on that constitution. It's designed to win Sunni support.
And support for President Bush continues to fall. A Wall Street Journal poll released today puts his job approval rating at just 39 percent. That is a new low; 28 percent of those polled believe the country is heading in the right direction.
Now this -- what happened at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans in the hours and the days after Katrina? Forty-five bodies were found there. We know that. That is a fact. The question is: How did they die? How many were left behind, knowing they would die? And were mercy killings part of the equation? This exclusive report from CNN's Jonathan Fried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FRIED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There was no power. Patients and staff thought they were stranded in 110 degrees sweltering heat. It was desperate. They were running out of food and water. Workers carried patients into the parking garage to wait for evacuations, but there were too few rescuers and often too late.
BRYANT KING, DOCTOR: There's no electricity, there's no water. It's hot, and people are dying.
FRIED: Nine days after the hospital was finally emptied, there were dozens of bodies -- in the morgue, in the hallways and in the chapel. In all, hospital officials now say 45 bodies were found at Memorial.
Some patients already near death when Katrina hit, may have succumbed to their ailments. Others may have given in to the terrible conditions.
(on camera): But as CNN investigation reveals, that doctors and nurses grew so desperate that some of them openly and repeatedly discussed euthanizing patients whom they believed would not survive the ordeal.
FRAN BUTLER, NURSE MANAGER, MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER: My nurses wanted to know what was the plan. Did they say to put people out of their misery? Yes. Did they say to actually -- they wanted to know how to get them out of their misery.
FRIED (voice-over): To be clear, Butler says she did not see anyone perform a mercy killing. And she says because of her personal beliefs, she never would have participated.
But at least one doctor there, Bryant King, is convinced it went beyond just talk.
BRYANT KING, DOCTOR, MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER: Most people noted something happened that shouldn't have happened.
FRIED: What Dr. King says he witnessed is a key element of an investigation by the Louisiana attorney general. The state constitution expressly forbids euthanasia and prosecutors say charges could include manslaughter.
In exclusive interviews with CNN, Dr. King says he was approached at about 9 a.m. on Thursday in the despair, three days after the hurricane by another doctor. According to King, that doctor recounted a conversation with the hospital administrator and another doctor who suggested that patients be put out of their misery.
KING: I mean, you've got to be kidding that you actually think that that's a good idea. I mean, how could you possibly think that that's a good idea? And she said well, you know, we talked about it and this other doctor said she'd be -- she'd be willing to do it. And I was like, you're crazy.
FRIED: King says at the time, he dismissed the talk because the doctor who had told him of the mercy killing conversation indicated that like him, she opposed it.
(on camera): Then, about three hours later, King says he noticed an uneasy quiet. The triage area where he was working on the second floor had been cleared of everyone except for patients, a second hospital administrator and two doctors -- including the one who had first raised the question of mercy killing.
(voice-over): King says the administrator asked if they wanted to join in prayer, something they hadn't done since the ordeal began.
KING: I looked around, and one of the other physicians -- not the one who had the conversation with me, but another had a handful of syringes. I don't know what's in the syringes. I don't know what's -- and the only thing I heard her say is I'm going to give you something to make you feel better.
FRIED: King says he doesn't know what happened next. He boarded a boat and left the hospital. As for Nurse Manager Fran Butler, she says she never saw any patients euthanized. However, she said the physician who had expressed opposition to euthanasia to Dr. King, also spoke to her about it.
BUTLER: She was the first person to approach me about putting patients to sleep.
FRIED: Were you stunned?
BUTLER: Just kind of, I kind of blew it off because of the person who said it. But when this doctor approached me about that, she made the comment to me on how she was totally against it and wouldn't do it.
FRIED: Tenet Health Care, the company that owns Memorial, told CNN that many of the 45 patients who died were critically ill. Tenet said as many as 11 patients, who were found in the morgue had died the weekend before the hurricane; 24 of the dead had been patients of a long-term acute care facility, known as Lifecare, that rented space inside Memorial.
KING: I mean, there's only one person that died overnight. The previous day there were only two. So for there to be from Thursday to Friday, for there to be 10 times that many just doesn't make sense to me.
FRIED: Earlier this month King repeated his account to investigators from the Attorney General's Office. Coroner Frank Minyard has confirmed to CNN that state officials have told him they think euthanasia may have been committed.
FRANK MINYARD, CORONER, ORLEANS PARISH: Well, they thought that someone had -- was going around injecting people with some sort of lethal medication, yes.
FRIED: Over the course of several weeks, CNN has reached the three people King says were in the second floor area with him at the time he saw the syringes. The hospital administrator told CNN: I don't recall being in a room with patients or saying a prayer. Later adding, that King must be lying.
The doctor King identifies as having first broached the subject of euthanasia with him said she would not talk to the media.
The doctor King alleges held the syringes spoke by phone with CNN on several occasions, emphasizing how everyone inside the hospital felt abandoned. "(We) did everything humanly possible to save these patients," the doctor told CNN. "The government totally abandoned us to die. In the houses, in the streets, in the hospitals...maybe a lot of us made mistakes, but we made the best decisions we could at the time."
When told about King's allegation, this doctor responded that she would not comment either way.
Nurse Manager Fran Butler says that while some nurses did discuss euthanasia, they never stopped caring for the patients.
For his part, King regrets leaving the hospital and wonders whether there was anything he could have done.
KING: I'd rather be considered a person who abandoned patients than someone who aided in eliminating patients.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRIED: Anderson, the two health care companies we mentioned in this piece both chose to give CNN prepared statements. Tenet Health Corporation said, "In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the physicians and staff at Memorial Medical Center performed heroically to save the lives of their patients under incredibly difficult circumstances." And the statement goes on to say, "We understand that the Louisiana attorney general is investigating all deaths that occurred at New Orleans hospitals and nursing homes after the hurricane, and we fully support and are cooperating with him.
No Lifecare, the long-term acute care facility, said, "Lifecare employees at Memorial Medical Center during that week exhibited heroism under the most difficult of circumstances Lifecare is not aware of any discussions involving euthanasia at Memorial Medical Center." -- Anderson.
COOPER: Jonathan Fried reporting on that. Obviously a lot more reporting to be done. What happened may or may not have been a crime. The simple facts of what happened, who did what, who was where -- none of it is fully clear tonight. We expect to know more in the next couple weeks or so.
Earlier tonight we tried to get a sense of exactly where things stand from Charles Foti, Louisiana's attorney general.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER (voice-over): Attorney General Foti, where does the investigation now stand into what happened in that hospital?
CHARLES FOTI, JR., LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: At the present time we are completing our investigation and hopefully within another two weeks will be complete. We take this opportunity to ask anybody that either is a witness or is -- or in the hospital to please call the attorney general's office and we'll be happy to listen to what you say happened at the hospital.
COOPER (on camera): Have you completed doing autopsies on the people who died in Memorial Hospital?
FOTI: Well, at the present time, I'm unable to really confirm or deny that particular fact. But we are actively investigating and going forward and would tell you that probably in the next two weeks we will definitely release some type of report.
COOPER: Have you talked to victims' families? I mean have they been part of this investigation?
FOTI: Absolutely. Victims' families -- they know things about them. We want to know the whole thing so we'll be able to build a complete file. Now as we're looking at this, we're looking at probably 13 nursing homes and six hospitals scattered through the greater New Orleans region. So we are operating on many fronts at the same time.
COOPER: Is there something -- I mean at this point I know the investigation is ongoing -- that just, that you really want to know. I mean is there something that just doesn't sit right with you? Some things that -- you know, one of the doctors we had talked to questioned that in the early days, the number of people who died in an overnight period. You know, one person died overnight and then later on, all of a sudden, 10 people seemed to die in a short amount of time.
FOTI: When you look at the factual situation and when the deaths allegedly occur, it causes you to examine those facts when a number of people die at the same time. And it causes us to take a very, very close look to see what would happen so we can reconstruct a timeline and we can reconstruct the medical care line.
COOPER: And is that in fact the case that a number of deaths occurred in a short amount of time?
FOTI: Yes it is a fact that a number of deaths occurred in a short amount of time, that they give rise to the fact that it was not necessarily a natural death.
COOPER: Attorney General Foti, we appreciate you joining us. Thanks.
FOTI: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: As the attorney general said, if you have any information about Memorial Hospital, what happened there, what happened if you worked there or knew someone who did, or had a loved one there, the attorney general wants to hear from you. The toll-free number is 1-888-799-6885. That's 1-888-799-6885. Call with your tips. To our phrase from here in New York: If you saw something, say something.
Mercy killing is against the law in Louisiana, but the circumstances surrounding these allegations, the storm, the heat, the lack of sanitary conditions inside the hospital raises a lot of ethical questions. Would it have been ethically acceptable to euthanize patients? Is it ever acceptable to do that? We asked Arthur Caplan, who is the director of the Center for Bio-Ethics, the University of Pennsylvania, and Randy Cohen, who writes about ethics for the "New York Times" magazine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: Arthur, let's start with you. We don't know if patients were euthanized in this case, but is it all right to do it in any case?
ARTHUR CAPLAN, MEDICAL ETHICIST: It's always illegal. It's always killing to hasten somebody's death for any reason. But the fact is, in American medicine, some forms of assistance in suicide, bringing someone to a death earlier than they would have been, have been accepted. So we've seen it on the battlefield, where sometimes a soldier is given a lethal dose of morphine. And we know from studies that have been done, that in American hospitals, people in terrible pain, some doctors have pushed that morphine so much that they know the person is going to die. So there are cases where some physicians at least think this is ethical.
COOPER: Randy, the Hippocratic oath, reads in part, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect." You say the key part of this is consent. Is that why in Oregon -- I mean, is it okay in Oregon where it's legal?
RANDY COHEN, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, it's not just -- consent isn't the only condition, but consent is a necessary condition. There are other things medical ethicists consider in these things: How much is the patient suffering? -- as Art was describing -- what are the chances for recovery? What kind of life will the patient have if he or she recovers? Will they be lucid? Will they be coherent? Will there be some quality of life -- these are all factors. Can I go back to one thing Art said?
COOPER: Sure.
COHEN: It seemed to me in his thought experiment, he was only describing pain. And I'm all for ameliorating people's sufferings. You absolutely would give them morphine. That's not the same as consciously setting out to kill them without their permission. And it's sometimes when, in order to give palliate of care, to ease people's suffering, you may risk death. But that's not the same as deliberating killing someone. And I think that's a distinction worth making.
COOPER: Well, Randy, put yourself in that narrow set of circumstances in a hospital after a hurricane. And again, we don't know exactly what has happened. It seems, according to Jonathan Fried, there were discussions about this among the staff -- the nurse staff, the doctor staff. Put yourself in those discussions. How would you frame it?
COHEN: You know, another place you might put yourself is in the hospital six months earlier, or six weeks earlier. And you might ask yourself why did you get in that position. Why weren't there plans to cope with these patients when you knew a storm was coming. Sometimes the ethical -- the most important ethical question sometimes is the one you ask not at the moment of crisis, but the duty you have to anticipate certain kinds of crises and avoid them.
COOPER: But given, I mean we all know there were failures of planning in many people's parts and government's parts. But given the failures that had occurred, if you are in that situation, what would that discussion be if you were part of it?
COHEN: Are there ways we can get these people out? That's the first thing. Do we have a right to simply abandon patients under our care? Are there ways that we can alleviate their suffering until we can rescue them that might involve some risk, but that we would not deliberately kill them because we think we can't take them with us.
COOPER: And Arthur, if you're in on that discussion, how is it from your advantage point?
CAPLAN: You know, what I might say is this. It seems to me, I'd be shocked, horrified, if there actually was a discussion saying we're going to abandon these people and before we do it, we're going to kill them. If that turns out to be the case, we're going to see a lot of punishment and appropriately so. The delicate case that I'm talking about is very, very sick people, a lot of pain. I'd like to stay here and help. I'll do what I can, but I don't have anything else to give and I am not going to let this suffering go forward. I'll take the risk -- as Randy correctly put it -- I'll risk death just because I want to be aggressive in trying to control their pain.
I have to say too, it's interesting in situations in America, historically, legal cases, where doctors have engaged in, if you will, mercy killings, trying to accelerate the death of someone because they had nothing else to offer them. There have been prosecutions, appropriately so. The courts want to know what the heck is going on. But interesting enough, juries are very reluctant to sentence anybody severely if there is a situation which it looks like out of mercy, nothing else could be done. So the only person I can think of off hand is probably Jack Kevorkian, who went to jail in Michigan for publicly and on videotape helping a person to die.
The culture that we live in does not want doctors killing, to be very clear about that. But it will listen closely and you might be able to make a defense of a mercy killing, if you will, under very, very extenuating circumstances. Whether New Orleans meets that, we'll have to see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Fascinating discussion. Coming up on NEWSNIGHT -- Think our nation's small airports are safe? Well, if they are, how did a 22-year old manage to steal a plan for a joyride? And who steals planes for joyrides anyway? We'll look into that.
Also later, ever wonder how other couples are having sex how often? A new survey out might surprise you. We'll have the details. And, believe it or not, take your sex questions. We're going to have two sex therapists, Dr. Laura Berman and Ian Kerner joining. You can give us a call toll free at 877-648-3639. That's 877-648 -- I lost the last four digits -- 3639. 877-648-3639. All right. Or email your questions to newsnight@cnn.com. I'm getting a little nervous already. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: See here's a good rule of thumb. It's easier to drive a car than fly a plan, especially a jet. On the other hand, a jet might just be easier to steal. Where's the club when you need it? Reporting for us from Miami tonight, here's CNN's Susan Candiotti.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned the pilot police say swiped this $7 million plan for a joy ride was flying on fumes when he landed with five friends aboard. A source close to the investigation says Daniel Andrew Wolcott made at least one stop in Georgia before taking off again with five passengers. Two days after the missing plane showed up in Georgia from Florida, Wolcott turned himself in. Police say the 23-year old of Buford, Georgia, managed apparently without much difficulty, to take the Cessna Citation overnight Sunday from St. Augustine, Florida, and fly it to Gwinnett County, Georgia; a little over an hour in a jet, if flown directly. But how?
MATTHEW SMITH, GWINNETT COUNTY AIRPORT: When you fly, it's essentially like a car. You can go where you want. A jet that size, you typically are going to follow a flight plan, but you're not required to.
CANDIOTTI: That's right. No flight plan required if you're flying below 18,000 feet. The plane's transponder was disabled, police say, or radar would have recognized the Cessna. The FAA is checking radar recordings for evidence of the flight. The Cessna landed at night, possibly using its radio transmitter to turn on the unmanned runway lights.
Security cameras often can catch a suspect in the act and there was a camera pointing at the place where the jet was parked. Anyone can watch it on the Internet. But when you click on it, the page is empty. That's because the camera was discovered missing after the jet disappeared.
Police say the crew left the plane unlocked and no key was needed to stat the engine. As for security, the airport has no overnight guard, not uncommon for small airstrips. So far there is no indication terrorism was involved.
DARREN MOLONEY, OFFICER, GWINNETT COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Wolcott never plainly stated what his motive was. However, our investigation indicates this was just his idea of a joyride.
CANDIOTTI: However, sources say, the incident raises questions about security at small airfields. Wolcott faces criminal charges in Georgia, and theft charges in Florida are expected.
MOLONEY: It's kind of sad. From everything I've been told, this young man has an extreme talent, a God-given gift to fly planes. And he blew it.
CANDIOTTI: So far neither Wolcott, nor his lawyer has made any public statement.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
COOPER: Time now for some other stories making headlines, with Kristi Paul. Hi Kristi.
KRISTI PAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anderson. The confidential records released today from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles show its failure to deal with sexual abuse allegations seriously. Documents reveal that priests accused of sexual abuse were routinely reassigned to other parishes. The records were released as part of an ongoing civil lawsuit against the diocese.
Out of jail and back in the courtroom, New York Times Reporter Judith Miller made her second appearance before a grand jury. She testified today in the investigation of the outing of a CIA officer's name.
The Harriet Miers debate goes on now. This one, over her beliefs, the president's beliefs and what you believe. President Bush said his advisers were telling conservatives about the Supreme Court's nominee's religious beliefs because that's a part of who she is. Now Bush had suggested that her evangelical Christian beliefs were part of the reason he nominated her for the Supreme Court, but the White House was quick on the defense, saying her beliefs played no role in the president's selection of her.
And your heating costs could hit the roof this winter, we're sorry to say. A government report says most of the U.S. will probably pay one-third more in heating bills; however, it should not be that bad if you have electric heating systems -- Anderson.
COOPER: Kristi, thanks very much. Coming up, we've seen earthquakes and hurricanes, floods -- just this year alone. The devastation has some wondering is something bigger at play. Could the end be near? Reverend Jerry Falwell weighs in.
And later, some shocking findings out on a new sex survey. How many Americans do you think have paid for sex? According to the survey, 15 percent. Details and more on that, ahead. Two sex therapists will answer your questions, call toll free, 877-648-3639, 877-648-3639 or email your questions to newsnight@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back to NEWSNIGHT. You see what's going on in the world these days, and you can't help but wonder if something big, perhaps even biblical, is at play. We've heard a lot about in the last couple of days. Within a year, I mean, we've seen a major earthquake in south Asia; an unusually busy hurricane season, with the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina; and a horrific tsunami killed more than 170,000 people. And on top of all that, there's this bird flu threatening to become a pandemic -- the worst we've seen in 90 years. All that has got a lot of people thinking, perhaps we're nearing the end of the world. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): In Steven Spielberg's the War of the Worlds, it looks like the end was coming. But now, real life predictions of the apocalypse are creeping into the national cultures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The apocalypse is upon us.
COOPER: Not so funny for some people who turn on the news and see a reality more sinister than science fiction.
RANDALL BALMER, PROFESSOR, BARNARD COLLEGE: A lot of evangelicals look at the natural disasters and say these are direct fulfillments of biblical prophecies, that there's going to be a lot of natural disaster, a lot chaos in the natural world before the end of time.
COOPER: They point a finger to this weekend's earthquake in south Asia. Hurricane Katrina, called a storm of biblical proportions. And the Asian Tsunami, a giant wave and hundreds of thousands of lives washed out to sea. What some see as chance occurrences, Christian Televangelist Pat Robertson sees as a sign that the end might be near.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT ROBERTSON: I don't have any special revelation to say it is, but the Bible does indicate such a time will happen in the end of time. And could this be it? It might be.
COOPER: Large scale fighting, like the war in Iraq, is another warning sign for some evangelicals, who look to the Bible, specifically the Book of Revelation, which talks about calamities that befall the earth before the end of time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Book of Revelation is filled with all of these allegorical beasts and seas turning to blood and vials of judgment and the reign of the anti-Christ and so forth. And throughout American history, in particular, evangelicals have been trying to figure out what each of these events means.
COOPER: While connecting the thread of an avian flu pandemic, or global starvation, which was written some 2,000 years ago, may seem unlikely to some, to others it is just a very literal interpretation of what the Bible says.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CORRESPONDENT, "FAITH & VALUES": These are not wacky beliefs. These are not out of no where. These are things which understandably people might take literally.
COOPER: Doomsday predictions are nothing new. They kicked into overdrive in 2000 around the new millennium. The Reverend Jerry Falwell predicted January 1 would be a fateful day in the history of the world. A day when God's wrath would be felt on all who rebelled against him.
The prediction, along with the Y2K computer disaster, failed to materialize. But for the faithful, just the act of believing may fill a need.
GALLAGHER: Then for a Christian, who believes in a personal God, in a God who cares about an intervenes in your life, yes, you would want to see this God is leading the world in some kind of direction. You want to believe that there is a purpose.
COOPER: Others argue the purpose for evangelicals predicting the end may be far less benevolent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it says we understand how things are going to turn out. We know how history is going to end. And those of you who don't understand it are going to be around for these rather cataclysmic events.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Earlier I discussed these end of the world predictions with the Reverend Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Reverend Falwell, when you see the events -- the earthquake in Pakistan, the Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami, do you see a linkage?
REV. JERRY FALWELL, CHANCELLOR, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: Well, it certainly is a wake up call. You can't look at these horrible catastrophes and take a ho-hum attitude. Since God is the owner and the ruler of the creation, there is no question that he either directs something or permits it. It can't happen otherwise. Whether it means that the coming of the Lord Jesus the second time is more eminent than it was, because of that event, the only answer for that, for any honest theologian is, I don't know. Because we're not privy to that. But I'm certainly, I'm 72-years old and in my life time I've lived through World War II and other conflicts and so forth. But I've never seen so many things so close together.
COOPER: And you're saying that -- you said you should see it as a wake up call. Do you think God means them as a way -- I mean, does God make this happen as a wake up call, in your opinion?
FALWELL: Well, I think it is far more than that. And for me to try to explain God is foolish.
COOPER: Don't want to put you in that position, I'm sorry.
FALWELL: I think it is far more than that. But I do believe it is a wake up call. And you know, you have to be very careful not to say well, this was judgment of God, because good people, bad people, criminals, pastors, all die in the same tragedy. And you have to be aware of that. The sun and the rain fall and shine on the just and the unjust. So all I can say is that God makes no mistakes.
And I do believe in the eminent return of Christ. A theologian would say the pre-millennial, pre-tribulational coming of Christ for all of his Church. But no man knows the day or the hour. Whenever I hear someone prophesying saying, well, the Lord is coming on such and such a date, I know that is the day he's not coming, because he said no man knows the day or the hour.
COOPER: You believe, though, that the second coming of Christ will occur in your lifetime?
FALWELL: Well, I've said that many times and by my fathers in the faith have said that and Peter said that, and said, the scoffers will come in the last days, saying where is the promise of his coming. I think we are to so live, teach, and preach, the eminency of the Lord's return, that people will walk before God in a holy way. But we must always be careful not to say, when, where and how, because only God in Heaven reserves that knowledge to himself.
COOPER: For generations, really, I mean, throughout time people have said that millennium was coming, the return of Christ was coming. They had made promises to you know their followers. How do you see that? Was that simply mistakes on their part?
FALWELL: No, for 2,000 years, from admonition in Scripture, the coming of Christ has been preached. And preachers all the way from Christ and Paul, and New Testament apostles and so on, have declared that the Lord may come today. The only time people get in trouble is when they begin setting dates or saying they know something when they don't know it. Because God alone is sovereign. And to repeat what I said earlier, while I do believe the Lord could come today, and we shouldn't be surprised if he were to come, at the same time we should plan and work in a way that is not fatalistic, with the next generation in mind. COOPER: Reverend Falwell, I know you heard Pat Robertson and his remarks, he said that we may be seeing the signs leading up to the end of days. Do you agree with that?
FALWELL: Well, certainly, I can't deny that. I think that most pastors would say that what is happening is one more stone in the wall. But again, I repeat, where we must be very careful is we can't say it is this year, or next, or 10 years, or 100 years from now. We can only say that it could be today.
COOPER: Reverend Falwell, it is good to talk to you. Thank you.
FALWELL: Fine, thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, when we come back a new survey on American's attitudes toward sex and some surprising findings about their sexual habits. Who is having it? How often? With whom? For instance, what percentage of men do you suppose say they have more than 25 sex partners in their lifetime? Well, we'll have the answer when we come back. We'll be joined by a pair of experts, sex therapists Laura Berman and Ian Kerner. And we're taking your calls to the experts. The toll free number is 877-648-3639. Or you can e-mail your questions to newsnight@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In a moment Americans' attitudes toward sex and our experts take your calls. But first, here's a quick look at what's happening at this moment.
Powerful aftershock rattled northern Pakistan today. No report of new damages or injuries. Hopes are fading, however, that anyone else is going to be found alive in the rubble of Saturday's earthquake. International aid has begun to reach the thousands who need it. Pakistan's president says much more is needed.
In Guatemala rescue workers have finally reached most communities cut off by last week's flooding and mudslides. Aid workers fear a long-term crisis in Guatemala, where tens of thousands survived, but lost everything.
In New Orleans today, a few dozen residents of the lower Ninth Ward briefly returned home for the first time. The area is the city's poorest and the most heavily damaged.
A new online survey has gone where few others have gone before inside America's bedrooms. The Zogby poll shows what Americans are and aren't doing when it comes to sex, and protection. Only 39 percent, in fact, said they always ask a new lover if they are infected with HIV and 15 percent say they have paid someone for sex.
It raises a lot of questions. And I know you have questions about sex. Call us at 877-648-3639, 877-648-3639. Or you can e-mail your questions to newsnight@cnn.com. Joining me to take your questions is author and sex therapist Ian Kerner in LA and sex therapist Laura Berman in Chicago.
Good to see you both here on the program. Thanks for being with us.
LAURA BERMAN, SEX THERAPIST: Thanks.
IAN KERNER, SEX THERAPIST & AUTHOR: Hey.
COOPER: OK, Aaron Brown leaves for one night and this is what happens.
BERMAN: Sex for everyone.
COOPER: It is a fascinating survey.
Ian 65 percent of the people that took the survey consider themselves well educated about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Nearly one third said they never discuss it with a potential sex partner.
KERNER: Yes.
COOPER: Does that surprise you and why do you think that is?
KERNER: You know it doesn't. I actually think it is because so much of our education is abstinence only education. And if you are educated to espouse abstinence and chastity above all, any discussion of sex, any planning of sex, is actually a moral trespass. So you can be educated but not necessarily sexually street smart.
COOPER: Let me argue the counter, Laura. I mean, isn't it possible that, why should people ask, what somebody's HIV status is, A, if you -- I mean, because who knows if they're going to tell you the truth. And B, why would you be doing something differently that you would be -- I mean, why would you do something differently based on what someone says as opposed to any proof?
BERMAN: Well, yes. I mean ideally, when you are in a new relationship you wait six months, you both get tested for HIV, and everything else and you don't have unprotected sex until then. But that's not really the reality. I do agree with Ian that kids are not growing up to become adults who know how to negotiate through these things and know what words to use and how to bring these things up.
There is really a don't ask, don't tell attitude towards sex in general, including among couples in the bedroom. And when you are in a new relationship it can be really intimidating to figure out how to bring up these issues. What words to use, how to not offend the person.
COOPER: But Laura, it is interesting because women seem to -- nearly half the women said they always check a new partner's STD status compared with just one third of the men. Why do you think there is that difference? BERMAN: I think women in general, if you look at all areas, of health. Women tend to be more self advocating for their health then men are. They're quicker to go to the doctor when they are sick. They're more likely to get annual check ups. And this is one other area that they're taking care of themselves.
I also think that men are under the misconception, common myth, that they are less likely to get infected with sexually transmitted diseases than women are.
KERNER: Yes. You know and some will say from an evolutionary perspective, men, you know, spread their seed. And they're more inclined to spread and maybe incur some of the risks that go with that spreading as well.
BERMAN: Perhaps. That's in the mix, too, I'm sure.
COOPER: Yes, I'm just -- I'm trying to recover from that.
(LAUGHTER)
Alcohol is the biggest risk factor for unprotected sex; 66 percent have had unprotected sex while under the influence of alcohol. That surprised me.
KERNER: No, Anderson, I lecture on campuses so often and I talk to so many undergraduates. And I am always shocked how many young men between the ages of 18 and 22 have taken Viagra recreationally. And whenever I ask them, why would you take Viagra? Why would you have a need? They say one thing. So that I can drink and get drunk and still get an erection.
BERMAN: Right.
KERNER: So I think it shows you how the lack of inhibition that comes with alcohol is so closely tied to our sexual and social mores.
COOPER: And 25 percent of men, 13 percent of women, said they had more then 25 sexual partners in their lifetime. Laura, does that number seem high to you?
BERMAN: I think it is higher than it would have been a generation ago. I think as a culture we are much more cavalier about casual sex. But the other thing that you'll find, not necessarily in this study, but other studies have shown that the bulk of sexual experience occurs around those college years that Ian was referring to. And then after that, people tend to go more towards serial monogamy and on average having one partner a year.
KERNER: Yes, and you know the average age of marriage is getting older and older and older. And part of the reason is we're having a lot more casual sex along the way.
BERMAN: Right, we don't have to get married to have it.
KERNAR: Exactly. COOPER: You know two out of every three couples are having sex at least once a week, how does that stack up against other countries?
KERNER: Well, you know, Anderson, it is really hard to really honestly know what is even happening inside our own country, nonetheless other countries. But you know, if you look at our country, obesity is on the rise. We have one of the fastest growing problems with obesity and in fact, the more you have obesity the more likely you're likely to have a lack of health and with that lack of health also comes a lack of sexual health. So I actually think our libidos and our sexual health overall are on the decline.
COOPER: But Laura, you're a big proponent of sex for health?
BERMAN: Absolutely. Sex has so many health benefits.
KERNER: Yes.
BERMAN: Not only for your emotional health and your relationship, but for you immune system, for your heart health, for weight control, for depression.
KERNER: Yes.
BERMAN: There are benefits for so many areas of health. And it really is a basic part of general health and well being and certainly a basic part of the health of a relationship.
COOPER: We decided to so the segment because we mentioned this survey last time, we got a lot of e-mails from people asking questions. So, we thought we'd have you two on. Coming up we're going to take some of your questions by phone and also by e-mail. The questions that, you know, couldn't ask you parents or did want to ask you friends. You can call us toll free, 877-648-3639. Or you can e- mail your questions to newsnight@cnn.com. When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back we're talking about a new sex survey by Zogby. It has some surprising findings; 23 percent of respondents said they had had more than 25 sexual partners. We're taking your questions by phone and e-mail. Joining me, the experts, author and sex therapist Ian Kerner and sex therapist Laura Berman.
All right. Let's get this going. Your calls are coming in. Kathy in Seattle, what's your question?
CALLER: My question is, when trying to raise a sexually healthy, well-adjusted teenagers, how appropriate is it for them to hear you know the unmistakable sounds, you know, coming from the bedroom? And how do you relax enough to get past that, you know, so you can enjoy yourself knowing that they can hear you?
COOPER: Ah, Laura?
BERMAN: Well, I mean, I think it is one thing to hear you, it is another thing to be aware that you are doing it. The greatest gift that you can give your children is a model of what a loving, healthy, committed relationship is like. Because that is what you ultimately want for them. So, you're right, there is nothing wrong with your children knowing that you are sexual. There is nothing wrong with you having sex, with you locking the door.
You know, making noise in a way that is uncomfortable for them, might be a source of a sore spot for them, or a source of discussion. But it is really important to make clear to them that this is a good thing to do for your relationship. This is a healthy part of your relationship and it is natural.
COOPER: Ian, do you want to?
KERNER: Yes, really just creating a role model for what great relationship and what a meaningful marriage can be, both outside of the bedroom and inside the bedroom. And you know, creating -- letting the kids know that what happens inside the bedroom is really just a healthy part of life and an extension of the love that happens outside of the bedroom.
COOPER: But, Laura, bottom line is it OK if they're in the house?
BERMAN: It is totally if they're in the house.
KERNER: Yes.
BERMAN: And I encourage parents to put locks on their door.
KERNER: Definitely.
BERMAN: Especially -- even if you have young children, that is what monitors are for. They can always knock and you can always go to them if you need them -- if they need you.
COOPER: All right. Lee, in Toronto has a question. Lee?
CALLER: Hi.
COOPER: Lee, go ahead.
CALLER: Hi, I'm calling about, what I'd like to know is if there is something apart from a pharmaceutical such as Viagra? Or any of those type of things, such as food, exercise that would enhance libido?
COOPER: Something more natural?
KERNER: Well, I mean, exercise for both men and women is paramount to libido as well as to desire -- as well as exercise and diet. Again, rates of obesity are on the rise and the fatter you get the less likely you are to have a sense of libido.
BERMAN: And I'll add to that, that new brain studies have shown that if you can stimulate the dopamine centers of the brain that will stimulate libido. And the way you stimulate the dopamine center of the brain is by doing novel things. So if you do fun, exciting new things with your partner, especially scary things like maybe some white water rafting or going on a roller coaster or rock climbing. That will stimulate the dopamine and make you feel more libidinous as well.
KERNER: I totally agree. There is a phrase, adrenaline makes the heart grow fonder.
BERMAN: There you go.
KERNER: And that is definitely true.
COOPER: Who knew white water rafting did that?
BERMAN: Yes.
(CROSS TALK)
KERNER: I'm not going. I don't know if I'm going white water rafting, Laura.
COOPER: Yes.
KERNER: Maybe I'll do a roller coaster.
BERMAN: OK.
COOPER: All right. Travis in California has a question.
CALLER: Yes, hi. I was just wondering, you know, my wife and I have been married for about eight years now, and our sex life has been about two to four times a week. Just wondering kind of what the average is? If we're in there, is that basically where people are having sex, that many years into their marriage.
(CROSS TALK)
KERNER: I think that is very healthy.
BERMAN: Yes.
KERNER: I think the study that came out today from Zogby said twice a week is the average, but again, that people self reporting and when people self report they tend to exaggerate their own sex life.
COOPER: Yes, in fact, the majority said -- just so you have it, we have it on the screen right now -- the majority in this Zogby poll said at least once a week, with 64 percent; twice a month, 14 percent; less than twice a month, 20 percent. So, at least, once a week seems to be --
BERMAN: So you are doing well.
KERNER: Definitely.
COOPER: You must hear that question a lot, Laura?
BERMAN: Absolutely. And usually people are wanting to know whether they can use the information to convince their partners to have more sex or less sex, depending on what their agenda is.
(LAUGHTER)
KERNER: It is quality, not quantity, in the end.
COOPER: All right. We're going to take a short break, take your questions more. It is fascinating. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: OK, we're taking your questions. A lot of callers and e-mails to our sex experts. Appreciate you guys joining us, again. Staying with us through the break.
Kristina in Florida, a newlywed has a question. Go ahead, Kristina.
CALLER: I thought maybe I should be asking the gentleman who called in previously, who has sex two to four times a week. But my question is in regard to work related stress, can you provide recommendations on ways in which couples can overcome their work related stress from affecting intimacy?
KERNER: You know what, I mean, we lead such stressful lives. We take our work home. It is the age of telecommunications and libido is at an all-time low. I say, call in sick and take a day of hooky. It is not enough to just schedule sex and do a date night, give yourselves a complete day of playing hooky.
BERMAN: Right. I would also add to that to be aware because we now are starting to find that for women, especially, when you are under periods of chronic stress it can affect your hormone levels, including your testosterone levels, which is the hormone of desire.
KERNER: Yes.
BERMAN: So stress can have a physiologic effect on your libido, as well as an emotional one.
KERNER: You know, and for men who are having work-related stress, who are dealing with the boss, who are maybe going through some financial stresses, that immediately impacts libido. I can't tell you how many men are suffering from low libido and it is because of their stress at work.
COOPER: And a lot of guys, especially, don't want to talk about it.
BERMAN: Absolutely
COOPER: So it is good that you brought up the question, caller. We have an e-mail from Mary Beth, she writes in: "What suggestions or ideas do you have for a couple very much in love, but who do not feel comfortable with exploring their sexual intimacy with each other?"
BERMAN: Well, I think that that is not uncommon. It is sort of what we have been talking about. That it can be really hard to find the words and to figure out how to communicate your sexual needs or you desires to your partner. I suggest writing it down, send them an e-mail. Put together a letter about what you'd like, if you can find the words. Read erotica together.
KERNER: Exactly.
BERMAN: Sometimes it is hard to kind of create the words yourself and it is easier to use other people's words.
KERNER: Yes, sometimes just sharing some erotica together. But absolutely taking the risk to break the ice, because if you don't break the ice, five years from now you are going to be breaking an iceberg and it is much, much harder.
COOPER: It is easier to take the leap the right away?
BERMAN: Right.
KERNER: You know, it really is and it bring such rewards, once you start talking and sharing sex.
COOPER: OK, got a lot of call. Kelly in California.
Kelly, go ahead.
CALLER: Hi, this is Kelly.
BERMAN: Hi.
KERNER: Hi, Kelly.
CALLER: Hi. Anderson, first of all I'd like to say I respect you immensely.
COOPER: Oh, thanks.
CALLER: Truly.
COOPER: Thanks very much. Do you have a question?
CALLER: I'll try to make this very short, as my husband says, you can't make a long story short, but I'm going to try.
I've been married to my high school sweetheart, and he truly still is, for 17 years.
KERNER: Great.
CALLER: And he totally adores me to this day and I can't understand why in the beginning it was just so immensely fabulous and now I just -- I just can't I'd just like wild with him, and I can't.
COOPER: So, you are saying it is for you, not so much for him?
CALLER: Absolutely for him.
COOPER: OK, Laura, you must hear that a lot.
CALLER: Because you know I could be in the driveway and hey, and it would be like -- bump.
(CROSS TALK)
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Laura, what are you thoughts?
BERMAN: So you are interested and he's not, or the reverse?
CALLER: No, no, he is so totally still, even to this day, and I am, too. I adore him. But I just can't understand what has happened.
COOPER: OK, we have to cut this short. Laura, go ahead.
BERMAN: Well, I think the main thing is to be aware that when a relationship goes on for awhile you move from that initial infatuation stage to the attachment stage, so that hot, intense sexual attraction turns into something softer, sweeter and longer lasting. You can't function forever in the infatuation stage.
COOPER: We are just running a little short on time. We'll be right back with more on this. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Joined by Ian Kerner and Laura Berman. We ran out of time, but I appreciate you guys joining us.
KERNER: Thanks.
COOPER: It was really interesting to hear such a different sort of grouping of questions from all around the country.
BERMAN: Lots of questions out there.
COOPER: There always are.
KERNER: It's important stuff.
COOPER: Yes, it certainly is. And it is good to talk about and appreciate you guys sticking with us throughout this hour. Thanks very much. We'll have you back on another.
Thanks very much for watching this edition of NEWSNIGHT. Aaron will be back tomorrow, he'll join me then. And that's it for NEWSNIGHT. Thanks very much for watching have a great evening. Good night.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR, LARRY KING LIVE: Tonight, millions know and love Tracy Lindsey Melchior as a stunningly beautiful soap opera star, now she takes you on a harrowing true-life journey childhood neglect so bad she gnawed at dog bones for nourishment.
