c. 1998 Religion News Service

Surveys: More homeless requesting shelter; half from broken families

(RNS) New surveys on the homeless indicate that many cities have seen increased requests for emergency shelter and one in two homeless parents come from broken families.

Requests for emergency shelter by homeless families increased by an average of 15 percent during the past year in 30 cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

City officials said the leading cause of homelessness was a lack of affordable housing. They also cited substance abuse, mental illness, low- paying jobs, domestic violence and changes and cuts in public assistance.

On average, city officials estimated that single men comprise 45 percent of the homeless population, families with children make up 38 percent, single women, 14 percent, and unaccompanied minors, 3 percent.

In 53 percent of the surveyed cities, families may have to break up so they can be sheltered, according to the survey released Wednesday (Dec. 16).

The International Union of Gospel Missions also released a survey Wednesday that found that 51 percent of homeless parents were raised in a single-parent home or by relatives or in foster care.

In addition, 25 percent of those surveyed said they lost government benefits in the last two years but only 4 percent linked their being homeless to the loss of such benefits.”This survey proves that broken families beget broken families,”said the Rev. Stephen E. Burger, executive director of IUGM, an association of 270 rescue missions that offer emergency food and shelter and other assistance to needy people.”Many children in single-parent homes are inheriting homelessness _ it has become a generational problem.” The IUGM, which is based in Kansas City, Mo., drew its conclusions from interviews at 60 rescue mission family shelters of 1,325 heads of homeless families, 86 percent of whom were women.

The annual survey by the Washington-based mayors’ conference included information from 30 cities, including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle.

South Korean researchers say they’ve made step toward cloning humans

(RNS) A team of South Korean researchers said it has made a step forward in cloning human cells.

The researchers say they created a cloned human embryo that was a genetic replica of a 30-year-old woman, The Washington Post reported.

If their claim is accurate, their work would fuel debate about the emerging, controversial technology.

The scientists said they destroyed the cloned embryo very early in its development. They intend to grow human cells for therapeutic purposes, but do not have plans to transfer cloned embryos to a woman’s womb without a consensus about the ethics of doing so, they said.

Still, their announcement, which was not accompanied by any scientific evidence, caused a range of responses from various forces in the bioethics debate.”Oh my!”said R. Alta Charo, a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin and a member of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission.”This is certainly going to make the debate surrounding cloning and the debate surrounding embryo research ever more urgent.” The Korean researchers injected genetic material, or DNA, from an unidentified fertility patient’s ovarian cell into one of her eggs whose DNA had been removed. The resulting embryo divided twice, into a total of four cells, before they halted the experiment in accordance with a 1993 national ban that prohibits research on embryos that are developed more fully.

While some scientists questioned the credibility of the research, several said it demonstrates that cloning work cannot be stopped.”It makes it perfectly clear that this is a worldwide phenomenon, and whatever happens in one country by passing a law or something is not going to keep people from forging ahead,”said Princeton University biologist Lee Silver.

Separately, Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, said the news about the research in South Korea, whether scientifically accurate or not, is cause for alarm.”This report should send shock waves down the spines of all Americans who have thus far remained blind to the consequences of man’s insistence that he is God,”she said in a statement.

One-third of Americans give more to charity during holiday season

(RNS) One-third of Americans give more money to charity during the December holidays and the vast majority are not motivated by tax incentives, a survey commissioned by the Lutheran Brotherhood has found.

Thirty-four percent of U.S. residents surveyed in a poll by Yankelovich Partners said they give more during the holiday season. Only 4 percent said they made their donations in a last-minute attempt to increase their tax deductions.”Charitable giving during the holidays comes from the heart _ not from the tax adviser,”said Todd Gillingham, Lutheran Brotherhood’s manager of individual planning.”People seem to believe in the causes they give money to rather than thinking, `What’s in it for me?'” Eighty-six percent of Americans give to charity. Forty-eight percent say they do so because they believe in the organization’s mission while 30 percent said they give based on their religious beliefs.

Responding to questions about what kinds of charitable or tax-exempt groups get their donations, 63 percent said they give to a church or synagogue, 40 percent said they give to the United Way and 38 percent said they give to a school, college or university. Respondents were able to give a positive answer to more than one response.

Frequent churchgoers proved to be more generous than others.

Ninety-five percent of people who worship weekly give to charity compared to 73 percent of those who attend church a few times a year or less.

Seniors are the most likely to give money to a place of worship while members of Generation X are most likely to give to a college or school.

Places of worship also are most likely to receive the majority of donations, and at a higher rate than three years ago. In 1998, 45 percent of respondents said they give churches or synagogues the most money, compared to 33 percent in 1995.”People put their money where their faith is,”said Gillingham.”It doesn’t matter if people support one cause they feel strongly about or if they give to several nonprofit groups, as long as the organizations are meaningful for the donor.” Lutheran Brotherhood, a Minneapolis-based organization, offers life and health insurance services to Lutherans nationwide and administers charitable programs that encourage volunteerism. It commissioned the poll by Yankelovich Partners, which conducted the random survey of 1,047 American adults in October. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

Kevorkian pleads not guilty to first-degree murder

(RNS) Dr. Jack Kevorkian pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday (Dec. 16) for giving a terminally ill man a lethal injection in a killing that was later televised on”60 Minutes.” Kevorkian, who has been ordered to stand trial in Michigan for the euthanasia of Thomas Youk, 52, reiterated his vow to go on a hunger strike if he is jailed for giving the lethal injection to Youk on Sept. 17.

Portions of a videotape showing the euthanasia were aired Nov. 22 on the CBS program.

The 70-year-old retired pathologist remains free on bond until a trial date of March 1 set by Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Jessica Cooper in Pontiac, Mich., Reuters reported.

In addition to first-degree murder, Kevorkian also is charged with violating the state’s ban on physician-assisted suicide and delivery of a controlled substance.

Kevorkian could be sentenced to life in prison without parole. The ban on assisted suicide, which became effective Sept. 1, made doctor-assisted suicide a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in jail. The controlled substance charge has a maximum penalty of seven years.

Kevorkian, who has admitted helping more than 130 people die since 1990, was acquitted at three previous trials involving five deaths. A mistrial was declared shortly after the start of a fourth trial.

Youk’s death marked the first time the assisted-suicide advocate took responsibility for giving the lethal injection.

The family of Youk, a Waterford Township, Mich., man who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease, have called Kevorkian’s actions humane and do not regard the death as a murder.

Convicted teen gets life in prison for prayer-circle shootings

(RNS) Fifteen-year-old Michael Carneal was sentenced Wednesday (Dec. 16) to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years in the killing of three of his classmates in a prayer group at their Kentucky high school.

Carneal pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Oct. 5 to three counts of murder and six other charges related to the shooting spree at Heath High School in West Paducah on Dec. 1, 1997. He opened fire on the prayer circle with a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun in the school lobby.

Killed were Nicole Hadley, Jessica James and Kayce Steger. One student was left paralyzed from the waist down and four others were injured.”As a mother, my life has forever been changed,”said Gwen Hadley, Nicole’s mother, at the emotional sentencing hearing.”My family is no longer whole.” Carneal sat quietly during the hearing, hunched over at the defense table with his hands clasped in his lap and looking straight down, the Associated Press reported. His sullen expression didn’t change after Judge Jeff Hines issued his sentence, the maximum penalty a juvenile can receive in the state after a conviction in an adult court.

Quote of the day: Christian theologian Barry L. Callen

(RNS)”Culturally speaking, the days now are shorter, the light more limited. A deep disconnectedness and quiet despair haunt the land. A generation has arisen for whom all gods are dead, all faiths shaken, all inner hell let loose.” _ Christian theologian Barry L. Callen of Anderson University in Anderson, Ind., writing about the current direction of America in his new book”Seeking the Light: America’s Modern Quest for Peace, Justice, Prosperity, and Faith.”

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