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CNN Live Saturday
Americans are Changing the Way Organ Donations and Transplantations are Done; U.S. and Iran Were Allies in Nuclear Technology; Batwoman Comes out of the Closet in Comic Book
Aired June 03, 2006 - 16:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The demand for organ donors far outpaces the supply. In America, more than 92,000 people need organ donations right now. Each week 100 people die just waiting. To meet some of that demand, last year 7,000 living people donated their organs. CNN's health correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more on how religion is driving one group to donations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: Kathleen Sampson is in the middle of surgery, to remove her left kidney and give it to a complete stranger, out of the goodness of her heart. Kathleen has never met this man.
But they have something in common. Barry Mendez is also doing something most of us would never dream of. Giving a kidney to someone he doesn't know. But Barry's inspiration is different from Kathleen's.
BARRY MENDEZ, JESUS CHRISTIANS: It's a comic about Jesus. It's the Gospel of John in picture form.
COHEN: He's a member of a religious group where most of the members have given kidneys. His case and others like it raise a question -- is the need for organs so desperate that hospitals and doctors will take donors they shouldn't?
Barry and his group, the Jesus Christians, travel the world in trailers, preaching the gospel.
MENDEZ: We're just a bunch of Christians who just live together like -- like the early Christians did.
COHEN: Out of the 28 Jesus Christians worldwide, 15 have given kidneys. In Australia, where the group was founded, the government for the state of Victoria is so suspicious of the Jesus Christians they've been banned from donating to strangers.
MENDEZ: I've done something to help someone and that is the message of love basically that what from my understanding was what Jesus was trying to teach us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, to a bizarre cult targeting young Australians. COHEN: The Australian press refers to the Jesus Christian as the kidney cult. Charging that leader David McKay coerces members into donating like he did in 2003.
DAVID MCKAY, FOUNDER, JESUS CHRISTIANS: I've considered it a privilege and I've been fighting and struggling to get in there, into the queue and get it over with, you know, so I can, I can feel that satisfaction, that if I died afterwards that at least somebody is going to live on with my kidney.
COHEN: McKay says the Jesus Christians are not a cult and he's never coerced any of them into donating a kidney.
DONNA LUEBKE, UNITED NETWORK FOR ORGAN SHARING: I think there needs to be an investigation into what centers are doing those surgeries and to really look at the coercive nature of that cult or that religion, whatever you want to call it. But it really concerns me that these surgeons know who they are and are still doing these surgeries.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And be sure to catch more of Elizabeth Cohen's report on "CNN PRESENTS" Body Parts, it airs tonight, 8:00 eastern, 5:00 pacific. And if you miss it at 8:00, you can watch the encore presentation on Sunday, same time.
The wait for a healthy organ can sometimes be a long one, so long that many people are now turning to the internet to jump the line and that's stirring some controversy. Dr. Bill Lloyd joins us now to talk about the issue. And before we talk about the online options, let's talk about the traditional routes that people generally take to try to get registered to get an organ.
DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON: Sure, Fredricka. You know right now there's 92,000 Americans that are waiting for an organ transplant. When a doctor decides that a patient needs a new heart, a new lung, a new liver, whatever, they're referred to a transplant center, a local hospital, where doctors screen the patients and determine whether or not that person is a good candidate for organ transplantation to receive that organ. If so, their name is put on a list, and sent to a national database that we call U-N-O-S. The United Network for Organ Sharing. And it's that database that controls who does and who does not get an organ transplantation.
WHITFIELD: And, so now that there are other options available, online, people can go to a couple of different websites out there to inquire about how they get on the list. How is that interfering with or working with this United Network of Organ Sharing?
LLOYD: Yeah, it's a parallel system. We call it direct solicitation. You know, Fredricka, for every four organ transplants, three are handled by UNOS but one out of four is handled through direct solicitation, where somebody who knows somebody else arranges to give their organ. Now there are some people who don't like the idea of direct solicitation, because they're worried about the possibility of money changing hands. They also say it's unjust.
Other people are waiting in line for an organ and I got mine by going to a website. It may be wasteful, because these websites don't screen the candidates. Are you, in fact, healthy enough to get an organ transplant? Again, issues relating to commercialization and what about informed consent? Are these people online getting the real story about the proposed benefits, the risks and the alternatives for organ transplantation? The internet will never replace face time with a real doctor.
WHITFIELD: And so I wonder where the ethical issues lie if this means that some medical personnel are saying, wait a minute, we want to go the traditional route by UNOS instead of using an organ that may have been purchased via website or anything else.
LLOYD: We'll never be able to cover this entire debate in three or four minutes Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: But we try.
LLOYD: Some powerful ethicists have actually said, wait a minute, maybe it's time to reconsider the way we do things, because if somebody is willing out of the blue to volunteer an organ, that automatically increases the numbers of donors and by taking your name off the list, that shortens the waits for other people. Fredricka, this is 2006. We buy airplanes different -- airplane tickets differently now, we get our news differently now, we even shop differently.
Why can't we get someone to donate an organ differently than the way it was done 20 years ago? It can still be maintained in an anonymous fashion so there's no pressure from one person to the other to, hey, why won't you help me get that organ? And there's the opportunity for actually expanded oversight to make sure again that there's no issues relating to money changing hands or other improprieties for people who are willing out of the blue to donate a kidney or other organ.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Well something tells me we are at the tip of the iceberg on this issue. Dr. Bill Lloyd thank you so much.
LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.
WHITFIELD: Alright.
Well it is hard to believe, but back in the 70s, the United States actually helped Iran with their nuclear technology, but times were different then, and the Shah was in charge. Well next, a closer look at Iran and its quest for nuclear knowledge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLEN MCGIRT, SENIOR WRITER, FORTUNE: Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center. But really he's a national treasure. It's really Wynton's personality that drives everything that he does. Wynton Marsalis does not do email, he really is a personal guy. He'll get on the phone if he has to, but he'd rather talk with you in person. He's very good at delegating. He really trusts people to do their jobs. And when you think about where an orchestra is, everybody has a job. He really is good at picking people who are good at their jobs, nurturing them so they can continue to do them well. He's passionate about one thing, and that's jazz music.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So much more of CNN LIVE SATURDAY with Carol Lin.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A couple of really interesting stories coming up, in addition to all the day's news. Brian Todd did a terrific piece on the whole notion of teaching core warrior values in light of the civilian deaths in Iraq. And so he talked with a former military guy, who had came back from Iraq and he said, you know what, that's ridiculous. You can't do that in the heat of battle. It doesn't work. It takes a whole lot more than that. So Brian Todd did a terrific investigation on that notion.
And then also at 6:00, a story that I think is going to touch a lot of people who are thinking about buying a home or already have one. Interest-only loans. Have you ever heard of those? You don't build any equity, but you start off with a really, really low payment, but that's creating this kind of error of speculation if people expect to flip homes and the real estate market is cooling down. So who are these loans meant for? And we're also going to be talking about ARMs, adjustable rate mortgages.
WHITFIELD: People want to know how to save money, how to stretch their dollar, how to make the right decisions.
LIN: But the payments are getting tripled.
WHITFIELD: I know, it's scary. Alright, we'll be listening, thanks, Carol.
But Iran was once one of America's allies. In fact, the friendship was so close the United States supplied Iran with nuclear technology. CNN's Anan Nadoo looks at how times have changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANAN NADOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a major policy shift after a long and very public shouting match, Washington abruptly changed tactics. This week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the U.S. was prepared to sit down with its European allies for talks with Iran on its nuclear program, with one condition --
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have made clear that we believe that the offer to join the E.U. three talks should Iran verifiably suspend all of its enrichment -- enrichment related activities. But that offer gives the negotiating track new -- new energy. We want this to work on the negotiating track. The president's made that very clear. NADOO: Rice's offer of talks was the latest twist in what has become a tumultuous relationship between Washington and Tehran on the nuclear issue. It goes back to the period before the Islamic revolution, when Iran was ruled by the Shah. Ironically, it was the Americans that gave Iran its nuclear start. The nonprofit nuclear threat initiative says Washington supplied the Shah of Iran with a nuclear reactor and promised help in the construction of nuclear power plants. In the 70s, the U.S. signed agreements to sell nuclear equipment to Tehran. Serving in the administration at the time that decision was made, were current U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, and now World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.
Then in 1979 came the Islamic revolution. Friends became foes. Iran looked to others, and in 1996, China supplied Iran with uranium conversion equipment. Suspicions about Tehran's intentions grew. In August 2002, Iranian dissidents revealed the existence of two unknown nuclear sites. Some believed Tehran was trying to build nuclear weapons. Under pressure from Europe, Iran stopped the enrichment process in November 2004, but resumed several months later, five days after the election of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Diplomatic pressure increased. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency voted to report Iran to the Security Council. In April this year, Iran announced it had successfully enriched uranium. That same month, satellite images showed a new tunnel at one nuclear facility and that has raised even more questions about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Anan Nadoo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And now the pope's answer to the nuclear standoff with Iran. A Vatican statement says the pontiff believes diplomacy is the only way the conflict can be resolved.
Time now for going global." A double whammy for Indonesia's earthquake survivors. After shocks rattled the region overnight and today the Mt. Merapi volcano is spewing lava and hot gas clouds. Fear is spreading across the region just a week after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck killing more than 6,200 people. Some 30,000 were injured.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits the pope at the Vatican. A spokesman says the two agreed on the importance of dialogue between faith and cultures to tackle terrorism. It was Mr. Blair's first meeting with Pope Benedict.
And these unlikely best friends may soon be separated. A baby hippo rescued from the Asian tsunami got close to a 100-year-old giant tortoise at a park in Kenya. They are local celebrities now, but park authorities are planning to introduce Owen, the hippo, to a female hippo. Owen is growing so fast and they're worried that he could accidentally hurt his old buddy, the tortoise.
Well, move over, Bruce Wayne, bat woman, is back. But she's not exactly the heroine your parents knew. Our Jeanne Moos is on the story. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Holy comic book twist. Bat Woman is coming out. Way out. CNN's Jeanne Moos made the most of it for "THE SITUATION ROOM."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why come out of the closet? When you can come out of the bat cave?
No it's not batman who's coming out. This is the new gay Batwoman.
Okay.
Oh, heavens.
The new gay Batwoman. That's nice. I guess they got to have a Batwoman, too.
She looks hot. Good luck to her.
MOOS: DC Comics is re-introducing Batwoman. She's been out of circulation since the late 70s.
DAN DIDIO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DC COMICS: This isn't about a lesbian superhero. It's about a character who's a superhero who also happens to be gay.
MOOS: The comic book world has gone multicultural adding superheroes who are Hispanic, African-American, Asian and now gay Batwoman is due out in July. A far cry from the Batwoman of the 50s, who looked more like a playboy bunny and carried a purse while she fought crime. Reminds us of another pocketbook carrying character some assumed to be gay.
Uh-oh.
MOOS: The old Batwoman had the hots for Batman. If only he knew I'm Batwoman. The new Batwoman, on the other hand, has an ex who was a female detective. Are we going to see any steamy Batwoman sex?
DIDIO: These are comics for all ages and that's not really something we do.
MOOS: No you can expect to see Batwoman kiss another woman.
She's a little too feminine to be gay.
MOOS: She is pretty hot though. Huh?
I'm not into gays, frankly, period.
MOOS: No, but, I mean just --
Don't care, don't care.
MOOS: Sock, pow, that was blunt. What do gay activists think?
Congratulations to DC Comics for doing a great thing.
MOOS: DC Comics says they've been getting lots of emails split 50/50 pro and con. It's the comic book culture war.
You can't stop someone from being themselves.
See, there's a purpose for all of us.
Yes, I know. I believe in Jesus Christ myself. I believe in Jesus Christ myself.
MOOS: Some prefer their superhero's sexuality to remain a mystery.
You know because Catwoman, you always had that hint, what's going on with her. Is she into women? Is the she into boys? Does she just love herself?
MOOS: The folks at DC Comics, maybe they should change to it AC/DC, say Batwoman won't be all the way out.
DIDIO: She doesn't tell her family about her sexual orientation.
MOOS: What's wrong, Batwoman?
Cat got your tongue?
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Strong thoughts about Batwoman. And you can see more of Jeanne's stories on "THE SITUATION ROOM." Join Wolf Blitzer weekdays at 4:00 eastern and in prime time at 7:00 p.m.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Carol Lin is up next with a look at the top stories, including the latest on the terrorist plot uncovered in Canada. That and much more, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Terrorism in Toronto. Police arrest Canadians who have had massive amounts of explosives.
And soldier stress, does morale and ethical training break down once they're in the field.
And they need food in Indonesia. What survival looks like a week after the quake? Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Carol Lin, all that and more after this quick check of the headlines. Canadian police say they have foiled a major terrorist plot inspired by Al Qaeda. 12 men and five young people are under arrest, accused of planning attacks in southern Ontario. Details of the alleged plot are startling. An in-depth report is just one minute away.
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