February 27th: What's On Today's Show

Published February 27, 2012 at 10:42 AM MST

U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. On Feb. 21, 2012, the court agreed to consider new limits on the contentious issue of affirmative action programs.

Time To End Affirmative Action?
This fall, the United States Supreme Court will revisit affirmative action. The court has agreed to hear Fisher v. Texas, a landmark case involving affirmative action in higher education. In 2003, the high court upheld affirmative action in a case involving the University of Michigan Law School, but stated, "the court expects that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary." So does the U.S. still need affirmative action? Guest host John Donvan talks with Linda Chavez, the Chair for the Center for Equal Opportunity, and Boyce Watkins, founder of the Your Black World Coalition.

Why I Choose To Be A Single Mom
Jessica Olien doesn't want a husband to complicate the relationship she'll have with her child. Olien wrote a piecetitled "I Want to be My Kid's Only Parent" for the online magazine Slate in response to new statistics that show more than half of children born to women under 30 are born out of wedlock. She joins guest host John Donvan on this week's Opinion Page to explain why she chooses single parenting.

'Am I My Genes?'
In recent years, advances in genetic testing have greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. But with enhanced knowledge comes difficult decisions. For a new book, Dr. Robert Klitzman interviewed 64 people whose genetics indicate they might face Huntington's disease, breast cancer and other illnesses. He documented how they grappled with a number of dilemmas: the decision to be tested; whether to reveal the results to family members, doctors, and others; and how their results affect their plans for the future. Guest host John Donvan talks with Dr. Klitzman about his book, Am I My Genes?: Confronting Fate and Family Secrets in the Age of Genetic Testing.

How To Help Somalia
Somalia's decades-long overwhelming poverty, famine and political disarray has given way to rampant piracy and the terrorist group al-Shabab. All previous attempts to save the country have failed, but last week in London, the international community gathered for another try. The British government sponsored a summit of 55 delegations from Somalia and elsewhere, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Jeffrey Gettleman has covered Somalia for five years as the East Africa Bureau Chief for The New York Times. He talks to host John Donvan about his observations on what might work for Somalia.