Dr. Robert Sawicki, Senior Vice President of Supportive Care for OSF Health Care headquartered in Peoria, joins Bob to talk about palliative care, a mystery to most people who are not dealing with a chronic or terminal illness but serves as a key issue in the physician-assisted suicide debate. Then, Tony Cube, head of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Justice for Immigrants project, discusses two current issues regarding immigration: 1) the deportation of Central American children and mothers who entered the United States during the summer of 2014, when individuals were fleeing the drug violence in those countries, and 2) the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case against President Barack Obama’s 2014 fall executive action preventing millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The executive action has never been implemented since it has been tied up in the court system. Finally, Dr. Rodney Stark, co-founder of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and a sociology professor, talks about his new book, “The Triumph of Faith,” which was recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal book review section. Dr. Stark takes issue with often-cited Pew Research public opinion surveys that show an increasing number of “nones” – those adults who claim no religious affiliation. However, Dr. Stark writes that “there is abundant evidence of an ongoing worldwide religious awakening,” noting the results of other surveys.
