>> abernethy: coming up, a muslim chaain who had met major nidal hasan talks abou islamnd u.s. military service. and, e supreme court considers ether criminals who are stil juveniles shouldet life sentences without pole. plus, aother's story of life, grief and faith. jeni stepanek, mother of he late poet mtie stepanek, says god gives her the rength to keep mattie's mees alive. >> hope is real, peace is possible and life isorthy. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowme

>> abernethy: welcom i'm b abernethy. it's good to have you th us. the house orepresentatives approd controversial healthcare legislation th wouldut strict bans on surance for abortions. alysts say the proposal would cause many insurance pla to stop offering abortion corage. the ve came after an intense lobbying mpaign by several consvative religious groups anthe u.s. conference of catholic bishops. my bishops individually urged lawkers to limit abtion coverage.

e next step is debate in th senate anthe bishops say they ll remain closely involved. next wee pope benedict the 16th and the leader of the anican communion, archbishop of nterbury rowan williams, wil meet in rome. t long-scheduled summit comes ust after the vatican releas details of its effort toake it easier foanglicans to become catholi. the church's teaching on celibacy for priests will not chnge, the vatican said, even as more anglican iests will be allod into the catholic priesthood on a "case--case" basis. the rules also prohit former atholic priests who converte toanglicanism and married fr returning to the cathoc clergy. president ama will be visiting china this week. human righ activists are urging him to push for mre religious freedom and oth refms when he meets with that natn's leaders.

meanwhile, the chinesare askg obama to reconsider his plans to meet the dalai lama whopposes chinese control of tibe obama is expeed to meet the tibetan spiritual ader after the predent returns to washington. before obama left foasia, he isited fort hood, texas, whe 13 members of the militarwere killed,llegedly by an army psychiaist who is an american- born muslim. >> no faith justies these murderouand craven acts; no just and ving god looks upon th with favor. d for what he has done, we know that the killerill be met with justice in this worldnd the nex >> abernethy:he fort hood killings have raed questions about whher the accused shoer's zeal about islam could have played anyole in the tragy, and about being muslim in the u.s. milita. imam yahya hendis the muslim chaplain at bothhe national

navaledical center in bethesda, maryld and at georgetown universit in washingto he had m major hasan.imam, welcome. is there anytng in what you've heard read about major hasan that could explaito you what happened? >> acally, no. it is a shockor me. i had t major hasan a few mes and every time i met him i understd him to be a loyal american, loving of s country, and he wanted to jo the ilitary in support of americ >> abernethy: is there anytng about hibeing a very devout muslim that cod explain to you his shoing? >> for me,t was. > abernethy: his alleged shoong. >> for me, wh happened on that thursday has nothing do with islam. isl does not stand in support of such shooting. actuly, according to islamic law, what he did was iminal,

immoral, and unethil, and against the teachings of iam in every w, shape, and form. >>bernethy: when he appantly... when he began ooting, he shouted out "alla akbar," in arab, "god is great." >> yeah. u know muslims use that phrase, "aahu akbar," like "oh, go" in english, "oh, my lor oh, my god." it does not really he a religious motivaon always and all the time. >> abernethy: you havcounseled a lot of muslim soldrs and marines. is there any conflict for y of them at let sometimes between being muslim and th having to go someplace where theyre fihting muslims? >> you know overal most of the soldiers we ha and muslim soldiers in the u.s. militar are loyal americans and hve joned the military to defeat teorism, to defeat extremism.

after all on sepmber 11, we were attacked and lam gives muslims and americahe right to defend itse against terrorism and, erefore, muslims should beroud and are pro of their service in the u.s. mitary. >> abernhy: there's a concept if inderstand it, within islam called the ummah, which ia sense intense brotherhood with all othemuslims, and does that conflict with having go into afghanistan? >> actually, no. if i love my broer and when he does sometng wrong, islam ruires me to stop him from hi wrongdng. you know, prophet mammad and in the koran we artold that we are tooin good and forbid il. what happed on september 11 and the aftermath of th terrorism, extremism-- at is happeng in pakistan, suicide bombing, and iafghanistan, is againsthe teachings of the koran and muslims are requed to join any military, inelf

defense, and tdefeat terrorism. >> abernethy: whatbout in the muslicommunity in this untry? what's going onhere since the sotings? >> younow, american muslims el really proud of being american and, at the same tie, e suspected on daily basis. theireligion is under siege; thr community is under siege because of suspes. what want america to do is to understand that we are part of the fabr of america. we love america, our cotry, and we want to fight wth everye in defense of america. >>bernethy: imam yahya hendi, many thanks. >> thank you.

>> abernethy: this past week the supre court heard rguments about whether it's constitutiol to sentence juniles who commit crimes other than murder to li in prison withouparole. tim o'brien reports. >> reporter: 23-year-olkenneth young had just turned 15 whehe committed a stri of hotel robberies in the tampa area, acting at the direction 25- year-1x$)p(tuq:haethea, neighborhoodrug dealer with a longrrest record. behea would hold the gun, yng uld take the money. >> the only thing he tolde to dwas get the money and the tapes, and that was it. >> reporter: what tapes? >> like video pes from the video cameras. >> reporter: the security camera? yes, sir. >> reporter: andou did that? >> y sir. >> rerter: young says he had little choice. s mother was addicted to crck cocai and had stolen drugs from beea. heelieved her life was in

nger. >> he threatened to hurmy momma. >> reporter: what did heay he'd do? >> kill her. >> reporter: if y didn't go along >> ye sir. >> reporter: young'mother blames herself for her son proble. >> yesi do. if it wast for the drugs. >> reporter: but tt didn't keep kenneth fr being sentenced to life in pris with no pare. >> what we see is what wget in the way of a defennt. we get a person who showno remorse. we get person who is smiling in court-- thinks it'sunny. we have a persowho, while he is under csideration for a fe sentence, is flipping sials to people in the gally. >> reporter: he's only 15, barely. >> we hava person who gives no appearancof deserving any slack whatsoever and sentenc him. so we give him life sentence. >> reporter:lorida, like many statesallows prosecutors to charge veniles as adults for serious cmes, and the state legislature did ay with all parole 1995.

a result, there are now 77 inmates the state serving life without parole for non- micides committed when th were under 18, re than in all other ates combined. paolo annino runs thchildren in prin project at florida state university. this is no different from slaveror other major moral iues. placing children indult prisons forife is a death sennce for children. do we want to do that as society? do want to ignore our western traditions? >> reporter: this week e u.s. supreme court tk up that question itwo separate cases involving terrance graha who at age 17 comtted armed burglaries whe on parole for a previous armed robbery,nd joe sullivan who was coicted of raping and robbing a 7year old womanhen he was only thirteen. >> we n't think there's any spute that sentencing a 13-

year-d to life in prison witut parole is unusual. it's happed only twice for non-micides. we also think to say at any child of 13, that "you're oly fi to die in prison" is cruel. >> reporr: but stevenson ran into somekeptical justices, including anton scalia: "i don't see why it is a crueler to an adolescent thatt is to an adult. where do u draw the line?" justice sam alito: "what out brutal rapes,ssaults that render the victiparaplegic, but n dead. the person showno remorse. he worst case you can possib imagine? that pern must at some point be made eligie for parole?" "you are correct, yr honor," ansred brian gowdy, the torney for terrence graham. >> if e court rules in trence's favor, about 100 persons who committed crim as adolescents wi benefit by getting a chae to show some day that they have anged. and that's all wee asking for. not for immediate relee, but foa chance to show that the kid has changed.

>> reporter: in urt, gowdy pointed to a landmarsupreme court ruling four yearsgo, in which the juices rejected the death penalty for juvenil offenders, relng heavily on evidence owing that juveniles use a different part othe brain inhe decision-making process, making them more kely to act irrationally, less lely to appreciate e consequences of what they do. severajustices observed that that s a death penalty case. and death is different. >>death is different, but not in any crical respect when you're talking aboutn adolescent. bothentences condemn the olescent to die in priso both givup on the kid, both determinthat the adolescent can't be changed, and both y that based on an adoleent mistake. you can never livin civil society. >> reporter: t attorney for florida sa the state's senteing practices were aimed at addressina serious crime problem, and that sh policy decisionshould not be second essed by federal judges. >> at's a quintessential state judent. 21 states have said no to pole

a our position is that the crt shouldn't impose somethin on the states that the stes themselves have rejecd. >> reporter: cef justice john roberts propos a compromise requiring dges and juries to consider a defendant's yout but allowing life withouparole in extreme cases. defense wyers dismissed the idea as too littl conservatives on theourt dismissedt as too much. meanwle, back in florida, kenneth younand more than a huned other pson inmates nationwide seing life without parole forrimes they committed as children got me support from wt might seem to be an unlikely srce. the judgwho sentenced young, j. rogers padgett, h come out against laws that dy parole to juvenilein non-homicide cases. if i went and talked to kenneth, i mightave sympathy too, becse i firmly believe the departmenof corrections ought to be giv the latitude to dermine when these people are rea to go.

what do i ow? at the time ofentencing, i'm doing a snapot. so wt do i know. >> report: the justices appeared shply divided, making any decision likely before the end othe term next june. for "religion and ethics newsweekl" i'm tim o'brien in washington. >> abernethy: in her news, the >> abernethy: other news, the ine flu continues to vex religious communitieshat fear that when their people gathe ey could spread the virus to each her. but in italy, one caolic

ventor says he has a solutio he has created an automatic dispenser for holyater. it allows believerto receive a haful of the water without dipping their fingerinto a communal ft. several churches intaly already have inalled the device, a orders have been floodingn from all over the world. >> arnethy: in utah, newly approved legislion banning dicrimination against gays got support fm the church of jesus christ of latter day sais, the mormons. the morn backing came as a surprise to some ys since the church has be so vocal in its position to gay marriage. but church leaders said thban against discrimination housing and emoyment was quote "fa and reasonable and does not do violence to the institutn of marriage." in washington,eligion scholar karen armstrong d other faith leaders veiled an interfaith

fort callethe "charter for compassion." the charter is endorsed by e dalai lama and dmond tutu among oers. it is a call to tion for faith communities and otherto focus shared traditions of epathy. armstrong id her hope is that the chaer will remind people that a religions have an imperave to treat others compassionately. now, a special ory of life, grief and fait 2002, we aired a profile of the yog best-selling poet maie stepanek and his mother jeni. hey both suffered from a rar form muscular dystrophy. the messages of hope and pce in mattie'writings inspired millions of people around t world. mattie died in 2004, but ni is working to ke his memory alive. she talk with kim lawton about how heraith gives her the strengtho move forward. >> reporter: it'sstanding room

only at the border's booksre in bethesda, marynd, where jeni stepanek is talkingbout her new bookalled "messenger." the book is about her son mattie, the "new yk times" best-selling inspirationapoet who diefive years ago at the age of 13. mattie had a rare form muscular dystrophy-the same diase that afflicts jeni. this is the store where mate had lauhed his books too, and the fact thahe's not here tonight highlhts the loss that's still raw >> since he died,'ve hit some ver very low points. i have had rnings where i'm not quiteure what the sane reason is to bother geing out of bed. i always find one, and if can't find one, what ie learned iso allow other people to give me a saneeason to get out of b. >> reporter: one ofeni's biggt reasons for getting out of bed everday is her quest to

eep mattie's legacy alive. n his short life, mattie wro six bos of poetry and a collection of essays th he collaborated on th jimmy carter. he became a friendo the rich and famous and touched millins of people around the worlwith his mesge of hope and peace. >> god gives me hope that ere is something greater than u something betteand bigger than the here andow that can help us live. >> reporr: mattie told us in an intview, seven years ago, that he believed gohad a plan f his life. >> i fl that god has given me a very special oppornity that i should notet go to waste. i use the gift he has ven me. >> reporter: jeni ss from the time he was jt a little boy, mate told her god was putting messages in s heart. >> and i began to get ncerned, actually, andsk him questions like "are you aring voices?

is god's vce a man's voice or a woman's voice?" and he looked at like i had lost my md. anhe said "mommy, god's voice inot like this, it's a messag in my heart." >> reportermattie believed god wanted himo give voice to those messes, and he did that rough his poems, which he called h "heartsongs." jeni sa there were several basic themes. >> hope ireal. peace is possible a life is worthy. the best i cannderstand it, is that it rlly is the universal truth it's what jesushrist taught us, it's what gandhteaches us, it's wt martin luther king teaches us, it's what any gd speaker, any peacemak teaches us: in giving, we shall recve, in doing good, od happens. >> reporter: since mattie ed, jeni has gotten thousds of letters and emails from peop who say hcontinues to inspire them. there's even a graroots movement of people o want the roman catholic crch open an official investation into whether mattie shod be

cognized as a saint. >> have had people who have coacted me to say they believe mattie has intceded in their lives. theyelieve that mattie has head their child or touched their srit, or turned them back to god, or preveed them from suicide. >> reporter: as the m of a kid who lovedractical jokes and didn't always make his be she finds it all humbling, a, a bit overwhelming. >> i feel the responsility to share with peoe the truth of my son's life. what don't want people doing is thinking, "oh, mattie,you now. and puttg him up on a pestal: he's a little guruhe was perft; he never got angry; he never got sadhe only spoke bits of wisdo i mean, he wasn't, at's not who mattie was. >> reporter: jeni chrs a fountion named for mattie that tries to make his message a accessible as possible there are schoocurriculum projects based on mattie's

writings, d parks li this one in rockvill maryland that haa life-sized statue of mattie and h beloved service dog, micah, who i now jeni's. jeni herlf has also become an inspirati to many. ttie was her fourth child t die of the disease tt she didn't even ow she was rrying. >> when i was having thse children, i d not know i was goingo give birth to children with this condition. when i was having ildren, i was apparely healthy, active, running two to five miles aay, coaching andlaying sports, working on my fit doctoral degree. >> reportershe was diagnosed when maie was nearly two, after her oldest two chilen had already died and hethird chd was also dying from the disee. she and her husband divoed, so her focus bece being a single mom. >> so even thougyou grieve the ss of your child... when ere's still another livi

child-- not that the ief isn't ther but you have to foc on celebring life with that child, with the o that's still alive. when matt died, that's when the grief bame so overwhming, because where do yoput your mommy role? >> porter: jeni says her cathlic faith helped her cope and she says despe some times of questiing god, her faith has grown dramatically. >> i'm very good at-- thugh prayer-- givingod a to-do list. all right? dear g, this is where i need you and this is howou can me my needs. and i give god thlittle to-do list, and i think i began to ealize towards the end of mattie's life, prayer is n just ging god your wishes. it's aski to bring god into whatever he moments are in my day. >> reporter: e also has a close circle friends, chief among them her roommate sdy newmb and sandy's extended

family, whom ttie called their "kin family." jeni says theve made all the fference in her life. >> i'd le to think in some way that my support ojeni and mattie has helpethem to be able to dwhat god wants them to do. >> reporter: jeni's own heth continues to deriorate. she says the most diffcult thing is giving up indendence and control. >> it's really hard kning i will always be the passenr in a r. i wilnever be driving again. that's a rlly, really tough thing when im a doer, a giver, a be-er. and you he to be the recipient and call somee and ask them to do something for you. that's a tou lesson for me. >> reporter:lthough people ll her they've felt mattie spiritjeni never has. >> and what i wouldive to have my son come and stand andust say "h or "yo," just say anythi, just touch me. but i ow that that would be wrong.

and i think at my son is wiser than that. because if myon came and spoke tome or touched me, and i knew without doubt this imy son, i so ms him, that i'm afraid i' nev emotionally or physically be able to move from that sp. >> reporter:she says near the end of hilife, mattie knew he was dying and tried to prere her. buthe couldn't accept it. >> it was one of my mommy decisions that i regret. you know, i should've st put my arm around m and said that musbe really difficult, you musteel very alone. i just... i cldn't tend to it, and i feel very badly. i will fever feel badly about that. but i don't think hholds that against me, i think he ew that i was being mommy. >> reporter: still, she sa mattie gave her the he and faith to me forward.

>> he said whei'm gone, promise me you wi chose to inhale, not eathe merely to exist. and that means finding some worthy reason to me into each next ment. and that's the most difcult choice i facevery single day. but it's e most worthy choice.mn >> rerter: she says she's learned that it's n how long you live that matts, but the depth with whh you live those days. i'm kim lawton in rkville, marylan abernethy: in addition to chairing t mattie stepanek foundion, jeni is a consultant working with the familiesf ick children. th's our program for now. i'm bob abnethy. we have mch more on our web site. you can read and wat more of kim lawton's interview wh jeni stepanek, and you canomment on all of our sties and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available.

join us at pbs.org. aswe leave you, scenes from this ye's veteran's day observances at arlington national metery. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowmt captionedy media accs group at wgbh access.wgbh.org