>> coming up, mississippi votes on whether human life begins at conception. would that make any abortion and some contraception murder? also, the catholic nun in brazil whoa runs a huge social service agency. what's essential, she said, is love. as muslims go to mecca, the pilgrimage in several religions.

>> announcer: major funding for religion and ethics news weekly is provided by the lily endowment, a private family foundation dedicated to founder's interest in religion, community development and education. additional funding provided by mutual of america. designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we are your retirement company. the estate of william j. carter, the jane henson foundation, and the corporation for public broadcasting. >> welcome. i'm bob aber nether. good to have you with us. new figures from the census show a record number of americans are now counted as the poorest of the poor. in 15 americans now lives at 50% or less of the national poverty level. that's more than 20 million people or almost 7% of the

population. that's the highest it's been in the 35 years since the census bureau began keeping track. the global economic crisis topped the agenda as president obama joined other world leaders at the g20 summit in southern france this week. thousands gathered to protest the event calling for policies they say would favor people over corporations. pope benedict xvi prayed for a good outcome from the g20 talks. last week the vatican released a document tide to the summid urging the financial markets and more international regulation. in britain, arch bishop of canterbury is calling for economic reform. in an article in the financial times, the left-sider of the worldwide communion came out in favor of a tax on financial transactions. also known as the robin hood tax. he said he understood the

frustration of the occupy protesters and camping in front of london's st. paul's cathedral. their presence generated controversy. the dean of the cathedral became the third official to resign after church leaders called for the removal of the protesters. st. paul's has dropped the efforts to have them removed. here at home, the personhood amendment. this tuesday is election day in mississippi and on the ballot a proposal that said human life begins at conception. if the measure passes, every fertilized human egg in mississippi is defined as a person and that could make abortion for any reason murder. the mississippi amendment could lead to early challenges in court and that prospect worries many abortion opponents. tim o'brien reports. >> now we know an unborn baby is

a person, mississippi ans, vote correspondent: proponents insist mississippi's amendment 26 is not so much about abortion as it is about the sanctity of human life. brad prewitt, "yes on 26" executive director: we're fighting for the preservation of the unborn in the state of mississippi o'brien: but if passed, the amendment could make any abortion in the state murder, drawing the wrath of abortion rights advocates like nancy northup of the center for reproductive rights. reproductive rights: this measure is blatantly unconstitutional and we'll be looking to stop it with the constitutional protections of the court. o'brien: most birth control would still be allowed, but the amendment could criminalize using the so-called "morning after pill" and put an end to embryonic stem cell research in the state. prewitt: and we've stated unequivocally all along that if you're intending to prevent a pregnancy, there is no problem with defining the personhood of the unborn. if you're trying to end a pregnancy, then that's another story. o'brien: prewitt insists fertility treatment-in vitro

fertilization-would not necessarily be banned, even though fertilized eggs are often discarded in the process. prewitt: that hit particularly close to home because i'm an ivf parent. and there's nothing i would do as a leader of this campaign, uh, coalition, that would in any way seek to deny the joy that my wife, who's a physician, and myself have had in our children. o'brien: it's also unclear how the amendment might be applied to ectopic or other dangerous pregnancies. there are, however, no exceptions for rape or incest. without minimizing the horror of rape, supporters, including this rape victim, say abortion is not the answer. woman at podium: as a person who was raped and as a person who has had an abortion, i'm telling you that i'm am tired of using rape as an excuse. who do we believe creates life? did my rapist create the life inside of me? no. god almighty created that life. (applause) do doctors

and nurses in petri dishes create life? no! jesus christ creates life. o'brien: amendment 26 has broad bi-partisan support in mississippi and is expected to pass. both the democrat and republican candidates for governor support it. the republican candidate, phil bryant-now the state's lieutenant governor-is also a co-chairman of "vote yes on 26"" lt. governor phil bryant: (speaking in recorded video) the founding fathers said that every american has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. on november the 8th, we're going to give that right to every child in america, beginning in mississippi. we'll see ya at the polls. now what we say in the law is for convenience sake, without due process, you can take that child's life. i don't believe that's right. i think this is going to be a point for us to establish a concept, and the concept will be the rights of all human beings, including the unborn. o'brien: there's no question the objective of amendment 26 is to stop abortion. campaign literature says as much, calling

tuesday's election an " opportunity to cast the vote the u.s. supreme court did not [in roe vs. wade.] we can stop abortion by declaring the unborn northup: this is an alarming and extreme measure that should be taken seriously. what it does is reveal how extreme the anti-choice movement is in the united states. they would like to see the "personhood" of a fertilized egg in every single one of the fifty states. o'brien: this amendment would appear to be squarely at odds with everything the supreme court has said about abortion. the amendment itself may have a very short life. and what worries abortion opponents even more is that any resulting court fight could possibly end up expanding the right to choose abortion, rather than restricting it. that might be one reason the staunchly pro-life catholic church in mississippi, is standing on the sidelines in this case. bishop joseph latino of the jackson diocese said in a statement,

"the roman catholic church and her bishops are unequivocally pro-life; however, we do not always publicly support every initiative that comes before us in the name of pro-life." the national right to life movement, which has launched some of the country's biggest anti-abortion demonstrations, is also withholding support. it's legal counsel, jim bopp, shares the objective of amendment 26 but says the measure is doomed in the courts and could do more harm than good. jim bopp, national right to life: the immediate harm from the adoption of the amendment is that we have people who are spending time, money and effort pursuing what we think is a futile strategy. o'brien: and there is uncertainty about how the supreme court might rule. justice ruth bader ginsburg, a supporter of abortion rights, is among the critics of roe versus wade, believing abortion should be protected under the right to equality, which is broadly

identified in the constitution, rather than under the right to privacy, which is ambiguous. what if ginsburg were to have the votes for a broad ruling finding abortion laws discriminate against women? bopp: if the right to abortion was reformulated in that way, it would mean that all the current restrictions on abortions that are saving perhaps a hundred thousand or more lives a year-parental notification, abortion funding restrictions, informed consent, waiting periods and all-would be struck down. so, losing is not risk-free. o'brien: this has raised a philosophical conundrum for at least some abortion opponents: do you stand up for what you believe is right, even if it means a step back for the cause you passionately embrace? lt. gov. bryant: we believe that it may not be perfect, but don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good, and we believe this is a good place to start. prewitt: i think we have to have a long view of history. i'm a history major, i think long. and

i think that it may be that we don't taste success with these endeavors in our lifetimes. but perhaps the next generation will. o'brien: prewitt and other supporters of the "personhood amendment" say the ultimate goal would be a federal constitutional amendment and see a victory at the polls here tuesday as a possible first step. for religion and ethics newsweekly, i'm tim o'brien in jackson, mississippi. >> personhood legislation is also under consideration in other state, among them florida, michigan, montana, ohio and wisconsin. the supreme court this week refused to review a lower court decision on 12 foot high crosses along utah highways. they were placed to honor fallen state troopers. atheist groups challenged the crosses saying they were an unconstitutional endorsement of

christianity. the federal appeals court agreed and now with the supreme court's refusal to hear the case, that decision stands. the crosses are unconstitutional. >> an oregon couple practicing faith healing was sentenced to six years in prison for the death of their son. the two were found guilty of second-degree manslaughter after they failed to seek medical treatment for their infant who was born two months premature. the baby died after less than nine hours. the couple belongs to a church that advocates using prayer instead of medicine. three other couples from the church have been convicted for not getting medical treatment for their sick children. the obama administration cutoff funding for the un educational scientific and cultural organization. this after the agency granted full membership to palestine.

palestinians hope the vote will bolster their efforts to achieve full un recognition as a state, but that must be approved by the un security council where the u.s. has promised a veto. in france, a firebombing at the office of a satyrical magazine. the new issue featured a spoof article about law that it said was edited by the profit mohammed. the article included the image of the cartoon character of a turbin and white robe. a leading group deplored the mocking tone of the magazine and said it opposes all forms of violence in retaliation. we have a report now from fred desam lazzaro on the catholic nun who founded and runs a huge social service agency in brazil. her success is based on careful book keeping and a simple

formula, education leads to jobs especially rooted in love. >> among emerging nations, brazil is say leading power and the booming economy is the world's seventh largest. yet this nation of 200 million remains divided. the poverty is on display along the hillsides, not far from rio dejaneiro's skyline. despite government attempts to address it. >> there is great inequality in brazil and people who don't have a place to sleep or any clothes or happiness in their lives. >> santos works for a catholic agency in sao paulo. brazil's government increased the minimum wage and created a social safety net and relied on several faith-based groups in the anti-poverty efforts.

about 70% of brazilians are catholic. church attendance dropped sharply except in protestant congregations. the demand for social services has not dropped. portuguese for our lady of good delivery is the biggest such provider in brazil. she grew up in a wealthy family and was educated in brazil, the u.s. and france after joining the religious order where she became the chief financial officer. she combined government contracts with private phi langt ropy and built a daycare center into an organization with 58 locations and 1100 employees serving 10,000 people each day. it's all pulled together with the modest $4.5 million annual budget reflecting financials and a simple philosophy. >> the first thing is to love people.

they need money also to survive, but it's not just to get money or to learn things. it's to learn in a way that it's little of. >> this homeless shelter provides more than a roof and a meal for the 600 odd clients. there baths, clinics and career counseling among other services. even entertainment like this traditional dance called tupper witha. >> it has given me continuity and helped me understand public policies. not only to help myself, but others. it offers not just food and bathing services, but teaches about the need to work. instruction and training and pleasure and culture. it enables you in a way. >> 36-year-old santos is a poster child. he came here in 2002, an

alcoholic down on his luck. his live is more than restored he said. they employ him and is helping with tuition to complete his degree in social work. she insists that people come out of places like this. she has this poem called i am you. she put herself in our position feeling our pain and feeling our situation. that's how she is able to help us and the same she is good enough to do. >> i feel the young people and childr children, all of them need an opportunity. poverty has to take them out of the normal life. they should not be always there. to go out of the places, they need a good education. >> poverty is an em demmic

despite the modern economy. it is blamed on an unequal education systems that traces back to slavery abolished in 1888. they serve a wide range of needs, caring for hiv-infected infants and destitute elderly and they focus on education and training to enter the mainstream of brazil's economy. on the outskirts of sao paulo where the poor resides, the daycare is at capacity and they care for 3300 preschoolers across the city. many of them will enter this school. >> in this place we serve about 1100 kids and given a waiting list, we should have at least three spaces to serve all of our community. >> public education is widely perceived as substandard in

brazil and accounts for the strong demand for school like this one. >> translator: in the 27 year this is cool has been here, we have seen great change, improvement in the community and the lives of these children. the evidence is when we are watching them during recess. they are interacting with friends, not supervised and not gated in like the public schools. they are still very unruly. here they learned to behave. >> the oldest students receive vocational training. the school sends students into a college prep program. a few miles away above the program, they train auto mechanics and machinists. >> translator: traditionally this eastern end of sao paulo is excluded. people who come from here will not be able to climb the economic ladder, but we provide

opportunities that differentiates them from the rest of the population in this area. we had several examples of students from this program that have graduated and gone on to work in the elite areas, other areas of the city. >> some have returned as teac r teachers and mentors. >> i was invited to teach here and my family told me to jump at it. it was an honor for the whole family. >> about 25% of students are female, keeping with the trend in which women of the country's president on down are in jobs historically held by men. >> you can prepare. >> for you can cook well you can repair a car well. >> why not? >> 68-year-old sister judith offered few words. they come from the scripture, she said. >> it's from the gospel.

we have to give opportunity to everybody. everyone was created to have and have life in fullness. >> for religion and ethics news weekly from sao paulo. more than two million muslims travelled to saudi arabia for the pilgrimage to mecca. all able-bodied muslims who can afford it are called upon to perform it once this their lifetime. they celebrate the festival of sacrifice. some will sacrifice animals like sheep or cows to recall abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to god. as muslims perform the haj, we

have a belief in pilgrimages in several religions. our guide is a professor at the college of the holy cross in massachusetts and the curator of a traveling exhibit on pilgrimages in buddhism, christianity and islam. we spoke to her at the museum of art in new york city. >> pilgrimages are undertaken because people want to move beyond their normal mundane life. they can be a one-day pilgrimage from one town to another on a particular feast day. they can be a weekend. they can be actually years. in the past, pilgrimage was vital in christian religion. certainly in muslim and in buddhists. only islam requires the

pilgrimage, the haj. it is one of the five pillars of islam. that is nuanced. only if you are financially and physically able. on pilgrimage, people experience the same activities. therefore it produces a sense of camaraderie and sharing. constantly we see the spirit is strong but the flesh is weak. all three religions use handy objects to help focus people's thoughts. prayer beads are some of the most ubiquitous. they are brought by people especially on the haj where they could kneel down and then pray during the days of their journey. the koran's small ones were often carried with people.

one of the most common kinds of souvenirs is the simplest. stones. stones are dirt from the ground. people who have been on the haj and who have engaged in one of the rituals which is the stoning of satan. they bring some of those stones home with them. you also have muslims with clay from kabbalah or other holy places pressed that they use in prayer. although the doctrinal core of these religions differ, the practices that they use to help focus believers on to what is important, they are the same. often you have an experience of cirque um amulation.

walking around a state. it is during the performance. people walk seven times around this small building. it is either a mountain or of another holy site in the buddhist religion is one of the most common ways of making a pilgrimage. for christians, certainly they will circulate around the icon sometimes or the statue that they are vend rating. people look for the physical activity that helps them find an interior focus. physical hardship can be transformative. one of the things the christians and the buddhists and the muslims constantly come back to is humility. they make the effort. but god grants the grace.

>> another form of pilgrimage for many christians is walking a will labyrinth from the outside to the center within. finally, this monday, billy graham will be 93 years old and we wish him a very happy birthday. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook. find us on you tube and watch us any time, anywhere on smart phones and iphone. there is also much more on the website. you can comment on all our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are available. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, music from the salvation and deliverance church from north carolina. it recently won first place in the grand finale of verizon's how sweet the sound gospel choir competition.

♪ additional funding provided by mutual of america designing customize and group retirement products.

that's why we are your retirement company. the estate of william j. carter and the jane henson foundation and the corporation for public broadcasting.