Walter H. Capps Center (audio)

Every baby born in the United States is screened for more than fifty genetic disorders. Though the early detection of these abnormalities can potentially save lives, the test also has a high percentage of false positives. Some doctors are questioning whether the benefits of these screenings outweigh the stress and pain they sometimes produce. Stefan Timmermans evaluates the consequences and benefits of state-mandated newborn screening—and the larger policy questions they raise about the inherent inequalities in American medical care that limit the effectiveness of this potentially lifesaving technology. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 25279]

J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr., Senior Vice President and Global Chief Customer Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, reflects upon current issues involving business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Douglas also shares his ideas on the role of the beverage industry as food preferences are changing and beverage and fast food industries are criticized for their impact on health and obesity. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Business] [Show ID: 25299]

Timothy Noah, Senior Editor, The New Republic and author of “The Great Divergence: America’s Growing Inequality Crisis And What We Can Do About It,” in which he digs into the causes of America's rapidly increasing inequality. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24898]

As late as the mid-twentieth century science and technology were celebrated as instruments of progress, but by the early twenty-first century they were viewed increasingly as threats to life on Earth. Vivek Wadhwa, Washington Post and Bloomberg Businessweek columnist, and Ahmed Zewail, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, discuss how science and technology may be managed to advance humanity. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Science] [Show ID: 24776]

Former Republican Congressman from Oklahoma Mickey Edwards argues that American government has become dysfunctional because we've created a political system that rewards intransigence and incivility and punishes cooperation and compromise. We've allowed political parties to manipulate our elections and even our governing systems for their own partisan advantage. He says to fix the problem and get government working again, we have to change the political system itself. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24417]

Author and columnist Jonathan Alter argues that the question in the 2012 presidential election is whether the country will stay on a centrist course with Obama or make a sharp turn to the right with Romney. He says that because few votes may be won by discussing the poor, the American social contract is rarely discussed but he feels it is on the line. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24402]

The political fight that has broken out in the US about contraception is both surprising and at the same time traditionally American. Linda Gordon, Professor at New York University, puts today's reproduction control controversies -- foreign aid for family planning, the abortion debates, teenage pregnancy and childbearing, stem-cell research --into historical perspective and argues that reproduction control has always been central to women's status. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 24156]

Fear of decline is one of the oldest American impulses. When we feel we are in decline, we sense that we have lost our balance. We argue about what history teaches us—and usually disagree about what history actually says. We conclude that behind every crisis related to economics and the global distribution of power lurks a crisis of the soul. In “Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent,” the Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne argues that underlying our political impasse is a lost sense of national balance that in turn reflects a loss of historical memory. Americans disagree about who we are because we can’t agree about who we’ve been. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24272]

American Catholics blend personal autonomy, skepticism toward the church hierarchy’s teaching authority, and commitment to the Catholic sacramental and communal tradition. Arguing that the Catholic Church is at a critical juncture as it confronts the decline in the number of ordained priests, demographic change, and the need to restore credibility in the wake of the priest sex abuse scandals, Michele Dillon, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, probes how Catholics envision institutional change and whether the increasing Hispanic presence in the Church is likely to alter the character of American Catholicism. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23428]

The economy was supposed to be the number one issue in the 2012 election. But just seven months before American voters go to the polls, the culture wars are back. Liberals howl about the GOP’s “war on women,” while conservative claim Democrats are waging a “war on religion.” Writer and former senior editor at TIME Magazine Amy Sullivan asks why issues of religion and politics so polarize Americans? And why do we view political opposition as a “war” on everything we hold dear? Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23990]

Jennifer Butler and Wade Clark Roof discuss the current social, economic, health, immigration, and environmental issues that bring religious and non-religious groups together. Are these issues those of economic inequality? Health care? Immigration? The environment? Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23897]

Award-winning journalist Kathleen Sharp discusses her book, “Blood Feud: The Man Who Blew the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever.” This true story about a whistle-blower fighting Big Pharma over the anti-anemia drug know as Procrit, Epogen, and Aranesp or simply “epo.” From financial kickbacks to doctors, bribes and Medicare fraud, to patients doubling as unwitting guinea pigs for high doses of the dangerous drug Sharp tells a shocking story which is now unfolding federal court. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 23748]

In 1995, twenty-five-year-old Samantha Nutt, a recent medical-school graduate and a field volunteer for UNICEF, touched down in Baidoa, Somalia, “the City of Death.” What she saw there would spur her on to a lifetime of passionate advocacy for children and families in war-torn areas around the world. Dr. Nutt shares her observations on providing hands-on care in some of the world’s most violent flashpoints and the building of her non-profit War Child. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 23426]

Daniel Hirsch of the Committee to Bridge the Gap discusses the dangers of nuclear power. He focuses on issues of nuclear safety, waste disposal, proliferation, and disarmament. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 23504]

Shirin Ebadi received the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for promoting human rights, in particular, the rights of women, children, and political prisoners in Iran. She was the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and only the fifth Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize in any field. Ebadi was also one of the first female judges in Iran. She served as president of the city court of Tehran from 1975 to 1979, but was dismissed from her position after the Islamic Revolution in February 1979. After obtaining her lawyer’s license in 1992, Ebadi entered private practice. She has taken on many controversial cases defending political dissidents and, as a result, has been arrested numerous times. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 23039]

MSNBC commentator, columnist for The Nation, and Professor of Political Science at Tulane University, where she serves as founding director of the Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South, Melissa Harris-Perry examines black women’s political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images in her new book, “Sister Citizen.” With wit and family anecdotes, Harris-Perry elaborates on how the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links black women together in America. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23035]

Seeking to re-imagine the meaning and significance of the international border, UC Davis Law School Dean Kevin Johnson makes a case for eliminating the border as a legal construct that impedes the movement of people into this country. Johnson offers an alternative vision of how U.S. borders might be reconfigured, grounded in moral, economic, and policy arguments for open borders. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 22633]

David Gollaher, president and CEO of California Healthcare Institute, discusses the tensions between stem cell research, ethics, and politics in America that are impeding the progress of developing promising cures. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 21406]

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, this panel discussion examines the impact of the Peace Corps on the lives of distinguished returned volunteers Sarah Chayes, Gordon L. Radley, and Thomas Tighe. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20645]

On the cusp of the agency’s 50th anniversary, Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams, and Kevin F. F. Quigley, President, National Peace Corps Association, address the future of international service opportunities and the significance of the Peace Corps mission to promote world peace and friendship. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20644]