07/08/2011

Available for over a year

Edward Stourton with the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories familiar and unfamiliar. With more than six thousand people in the UK currently in need of a new kidney, a Senior Research Fellow from the University of Dundee has come up with a proposal to tackle the shortage of donors. Dr Sue Rabbit Roth suggests that people should be allowed to sell their kidney for the equivalent of the average annual income, currently around £28,000. Our Presenter Edward Stourton discusses the ethical implications with Dr. Paul Van den Bosch a 'living donor' and Transplant Surgeon Dr. Keith Rigg. More than two thousand charities across England, have had their funding reduced or withdrawn by their local council. The cuts added up to more than ten million pounds in the last year alone. We look at the impact on one Church based community centre in Manchester and Edward asks Local Government Minister Grant Shapps how the idea of the Big Society can work in the face of such cuts. It's estimated that Religious Communities own up to one tenth of the world's forests, but most receive no formal protection. Now Oxford University are preparing a global map of these sacred sites and assessing their value in terms of bio-diversity and land use by the local community. Dr. Shonil Bhagwat, from the Research team explains the project to Edward. The average funeral now costs around the three thousand pounds mark, an outlay which for many in today's climate is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Now the Quakers have introduced a scheme to help the bereaved organise a funeral that doesn't stretch their budget. But it's one that's not welcomed by established Funeral Directors. Our reporter Trevor Barnes investigates.