March 4, 2001

MERCY OR MURDER? A DOCTOR AND HIS WIFE TAKE THEIR

SEVERELY PREMATURE CHILD OFF LIFE SUPPORT,

ON "48 HOURS: 'IS IT A CRIME?,'"MARCH 6

Special Interactive Broadcast Allows Viewers To Cast Votes Online

In Controversial Cases

Viewers are encouraged to cast their opinions on four highly controversial court cases at www.cbs.com on 48 HOURS: "Is It A Crime?," a special interactive broadcast, Wednesday, March 6 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Actual results of each case will be revealed at the end of the program, as will the results of the viewer voting. The cases include the Messenger family of Lansing, Mich., who take their premature newborn off life support.

48 HOURS will also examine a Wichita, Kan., mother who takes the law into her own hands regarding a child molester; a high school honor student who is expelled because of a zero tolerance rule, and a mother in Rocklin, Calif., who, as a last resort, gives her child medicinal marijuana for severe behavioral disorders.

Dr. Greg Messenger, a dermatologist, and his wife, Kathi, had to make a decision that would alter their lives forever. Carrying her third child, Kathi went into labor after only 25 weeks and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors performed an emergency Cesarean section after explaining to the Messengers that the baby would have a 30 to 50 percent chance of survival and, if the child did live, would most likely be severely disabled. The Messengers made the difficult decision not to resuscitate the child at birth and say the doctor agreed with their wishes. However, after the baby was delivered at one pound, five ounces, he was immediately put on life support, against the Messengers' wishes. In vain, Dr. Messenger repeated his request that his son be taken off the respirator. The doctor says she had never agreed to the Messengers' request but instead proposed that after birth, they review the baby's condition and proceed from that point. After requesting to be alone with their son, Dr. Messenger, holding his son, made the most difficult decision of his life and took him off of the respirator. The boy stopped breathing. Troy Roberts reports on this controversial case that put Dr. Messenger on trial for the death of his son.

Lori Palmer, a vigilante mother and former police officer from Wichita, Kan., discovered that while her young daughter was in the care of friends, Scott and Kaylene Phillips, Scott had touched her daughter sexually while the girl slept. Palmer filed charges against Phillips. Believing that it was taking the police too long to act, within an hour of filing the report, Palmer took the law into her own hands and drove Scott to a field, where she forced him to strip and confess to what he did. Palmer got her man, but she also ended up before a judge for kidnapping and with intent to commit first-degree murder. Richard Schlesinger reports.

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Also in the broadcast, Susan Spencer reports on Jenna Stricoff of Raleigh, N.C., who made a poor decision one morning to drink vodka with a friend before going to high school. School officials found out and Jenna was expelled, which would make it nearly impossible for her to graduate before her father died. Was the punishment too harsh for this high achiever who was known as a good kid?

Debbie Jeffries of Rocklin, Calif., has taken her 8-year-old son to 16 doctors for his behavioral problems over his short life. He has been prescribed almost every behavioral drug known without a noticeable difference in his demeanor -- every drug but marijuana. Faced with having to give her son up to the county because of his severe, uncontrollable and violent behavior, Jeffries tried one last theory she found on the internet to solve the behavioral problems of her son -- medicinal marijuana, which improved her son's behavior dramatically. But now Debbie has to face a judge and make the county understand that what she is doing is for her son's benefit. Harold Dow reports.

48 HOURS: "Is It a Crime?" was produced by Jay Young, Ken Blum, Taigi Smith and Marc Goldbaum. Reid Collins Jr. is the senior producer; Hal Gessner, the executive editor; Susan Zirinsky, the executive producer.

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Press Contact: Marcy Erhard 212/975-2888 erhardm@cbsnews.com

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