BRITAIN 3-PERSON BABIES
Britain moves toward making babies from DNA of 3 people
LONDON (AP) — British church leaders are raising concerns about moves to legalize the creation of babies made from the DNA of three people.
If the legislation passed Tuesday by the House of Commons is approved by the House of Lords, Britain will become the world’s first nation to allow genetic modifications in human embryos. The technology aims to liberate future generations from inherited diseases.
Scientists would remove the nucleus DNA from the egg of a prospective mother and insert it into a donor egg from which the nucleus DNA has been removed. This could be done before or after fertilization.
The Church of England has voiced concern that there has not been enough scientific study or consultation on the techniques, and the Catholic Church has long opposed any artificial fertilization or destruction of embryos.
Others warn that genetic changes to the embryo or egg would be passed on, having an unpredictable impact on future generations.
Sound:
292-v-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–British church leaders are raising concerns about moves to legalize the creation of babies made from the DNA of three people. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (3 Feb 2015)
< 293-c-22-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)-“unforeseen health risks”-AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports that a bill passed by the House of Commons would make Britain the first nation to allow genetic modifications in human embryos. (3 Feb 2015) < 176-a-08-(Unidentified Parliamentary staffer, announcing vote in British House of Commons via Parliamentary Recording Unit video)-“the left 128 (cheering in background)”-After heated debate in the U.K. Parliament, the vote to allow scientists to create babies from the DNA of three people was announced. (3 Feb 2015) < 177-a-17-(Vicky Holliday, mother of girl with fatal disease, advocate for three-person baby legislation, in interview alongside her husband, whose voice can be heard in background)-“for the future”-Vicky Holliday, whose toddler suffers from a fatal disease and who expects to benefit from the legislation in trying for a second child, says she and her husband now have hope for that second child. COURTESY: Sky News ((mandatory on-air credit)) (3 Feb 2015) < 179-a-17-(David King, director, Human Genetics Alert watchdog group, in interview)-“to designer babies”-David King, the head of a secular watchdog group focused on genetics, warns that this legislation steers Britain down a slippery slope. COURTESY: Sky News ((mandatory on-air credit)) (3 Feb 2015) < 178-a-06-(Vicky Holliday, mother of girl with fatal disease, advocate for legislation, in interview alongside her husband, whose voice can be heard in background)-“able to do”-Vicky Holliday, whose toddler suffers from a fatal disease and who expects to benefit from the legislation in trying for a second child, says the technique allows her and her husband to have a child with 99 percent of their genetic makeup. COURTESY: Sky News (3 Feb 2015) < 180-a-13-(David King, director, Human Genetics Alert watchdog group, in interview)-“mother’s genetic relatedness”-David King, the head of a secular watchdog group focused on genetics, says it makes more sense for parents to use an egg donor than take risks with their own children. COURTESY: Sky News ((mandatory on-air credit)) (3 Feb 2015) < UNITED STATES-ISLAMIC STATE Obama decries hateful militant ideology after pilot death WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has offered condolences for the death of a Jordanian pilot held captive by Islamic State militants, declaring that the U.S. and its allies are determined to destroy the extremist group and its “hateful ideology.” Obama and King Abdullah II of Jordan met Tuesday evening after a video emerged earlier in the day online purportedly showing the pilot being burned to death. The 26-year-old pilot fell into the hands of the militants in December when his Jordanian F-16 crashed in Syria. King Abdullah is scheduled to attend Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, where Obama will speak. The Jordanian monarch spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006, calling on Christians, Muslims and Jews to combat intolerance and extremism. HOUSTON APARTMENT-BODIES Priest, wife and son found dead inside Houston apartment HOUSTON (AP) — Houston police are investigating the deaths of an Episcopal priest, his wife and 5-year-old son whose bodies were found inside their apartment. The Episcopal Diocese of Texas has confirmed that the deceased are the Rev. Israel Ahimbisibwe (ah-heem-bih-SEEB’-weh); his wife, Dorcus; and their son, Israel Ahimbisibwe Jr. The elder Ahimbisibwe served as Vicar of Houston’s Church of the Redeemer. Police say concerned church members contacted authorities after the family didn’t show up for church Sunday and couldn’t be reached Monday. They say there were no signs of forced entry into their apartment. Detectives didn’t say how long the bodies had been inside the apartment or offer a motive into the killings. BICYCLIST KILLED-BISHOP Diocese: Church leader was concerned bishop was drunk BALTIMORE (AP) — The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland says church leaders were concerned that a bishop accused of hitting a bicyclist while drunk had been intoxicated months earlier at a dinner before her consecration. Bishop Heather Cook has been charged with killing the cyclist Dec. 27 in Baltimore, nearly four months after that dinner. She left the scene before returning. An official timeline of Cook’s election and her Sept. 6 consecration reports that Bishop Eugene Sutton told the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop he was concerned that “Cook is inebriated during pre-consecration dinner.” The timeline says Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori “indicated she would discuss with Cook.” The timeline says another bishop met with Cook, who church officials knew had been involved in a drunk driving incident in 2010. Sound: 257-v-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland says church leaders were concerned that a bishop accused of hitting a bicyclist while drunk had been intoxicated months earlier at a dinner before her consecration. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (3 Feb 2015) < TN SENATE-ACTIVIST MINISTER Minister bemoans overreach of federal government NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee pastor has opened a legislative session by praying against what she considers judicial tyranny and federal overreach. In Tuesday’s invocation before the state Senate, Pastor June Griffin said Tennesseans have been “downtrodden by the wicked courts” and have been made “subject to a tyrannical judiciary.” The lawmakers met a day after Gov. Bill Haslam convened a special session to discuss his plan to extend health coverage to 280,000 low-income Tennesseans. Many of his fellow Republicans in the Legislature are dubious about the plan because it relies on funds initially available under President Barack Obama’s health care law. Griffin invited prayer requests before she prayed Tuesday. One legislator asked that she pray for lawmakers as they decide whether to approve the governor’s proposal. In her invocation, Griffin prayed that God “would be our coverage,” and “that we would not be forced into this.” Sound: 274-a-15-(June Griffin, pastor of the American Bible Protestant Church, delivering Tuesday’s state Senate invocation)-“a tyrannical judiciary”-June Griffin, pastor of the American Bible Protestant Church, asks God to protect Tennesseans from federal judges. Updated: 02/03/2015-06:34:18 PM ET (3 Feb 2015) < VATICAN-ROMERO Pope approves martyrdom for slain Salvadoran Romero VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has decreed that slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed in 1980 out of hatred for his Catholic faith, approving a martyrdom declaration that sets the stage for his beatification. Francis, the first Latin American pope, approved the decree honoring a hero of Latin American Christians at a meeting with the head of the Vatican’s saint-making office. Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was gunned down by right-wing death squads while celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel. A human rights campaigner, Romero had spoken out against repression by the Salvadoran army at the beginning of the country’s 1980-1992 civil war between the right-wing government and leftist rebels. Romero’s sainthood cause had been held up by the Vatican for years, primarily due to opposition from conservative Latin American churchmen who feared his perceived association with liberation theology would embolden those who believe that Jesus’ teachings require Christians to fight for social and economic justice. Sound: 255-c-18-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“speaking the gospel”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports Romero is today regarded as a hero across Latin America. (3 Feb 2015) < 256-c-20-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“will be beatified”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports Romero is now on the fastrack to sainthood in the church. (3 Feb 2015) < 254-c-19-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“time was right”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports Romero’s path to martyrdom in the church was twisted by the civil war in El Salvador and suggestions that he was killed not for his faith, but for his political convictions. (3 Feb 2015) < 253-c-07-(Nicole Winfield, AP correspondent)-“indeed a martyr”-AP correspondent Nicole Winfield reports the pope has put a Latin American archbishop, gunned down at the outset of a bloody civil war, on the path to sainthood. (3 Feb 2015) < STATE CONTRACTS-RELIGION Senate backs allowing religion-based hiring by contractors INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Religious institutions that receive state and local government contracts would be allowed to make hiring decisions based upon religion under a bill approved by the Indiana Senate. Senators voted 39-11 on Tuesday in favor of the bill, advancing it to the House for consideration. Republican Sen. Travis Holdman says he sponsored the measure to restore the ability of religious institutions such as Indiana Wesleyan University to receive state workforce training grants. The state attorney general’s office determined last year that the university’s religious lifestyle mandate violated state contracting requirements against employment discrimination. Democratic Sen. Karen Tallian argued that the bill’s language allowing religious institutions to require all employees to conform to their faith tenets was too broad and could lead to lawsuits. SEX OFFENDERS-CHURCHES Arkansas House supports tougher sex offender restrictions LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ highest-level sex offenders would be barred from living near churches under a proposal passed by the state House. Members voted 75-7 on Tuesday to bar level four sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of churches. Arkansas classifies level four offenders as sexually violent predators, which is the most severe designation by the state. It’s currently illegal for sex offenders to live near schools, public parks, youth centers or day cares in Arkansas. State Rep. Charlene Fite says she sponsored the bill after a sex offender in her district traveled through church property before assaulting someone on an adjacent property. She says the state sheriff’s association supports the change.
