The Political Christopher Reeve

The accident that quieted Christopher Reeve's body has not silenced his political voice, reports CBS News Early Show Co-Anchor Jane Clayson.

Long before his fall, Reeve had championed many political and charitable causes, including Save the Children, Amnesty International, Natural Resources Defense Council and People for the American Way. Back in 1992, he worked alongside then-senator Al Gore on environmental issues.

Now, he has thrown his support behind Gore again in a new book of essays by prominent Democrats, titled We the People and edited by Lou Weisbach. It contains more than 200 pieces of writing, including documents significant in American history.

"Government isn't the enemy," says Reeve. What's happened is, special interest groups have ruined it so that most people now do have a very negative image of government. But that can change. And campaign finance reform would do it. But I still believe that the purpose of government is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. And that's a great concept."

The vice president has been denouncing Hollywood, saying that the industry puts out toxic entertainment. As a representative of that industry and as a parent, does Reeve agree with that? What should be done about it?

"Unfortunately, under the First Amendment, they have the right," he replies. "I mean, a studio, a production company, has a right to produce what they want. If you start to take that away, then you're really on shaky ground with the First Amendment. And I think that really it's on the consumer end that we have to have the controls."

So, one might say that, on this issue, Reeve disagrees with Gore.

"There is a lot of junk that comes out of Hollywood, but there always has been," he explains. "And don't forget that...they want to make money more than anything else. And if you just simply turn it off...then those programs die."

In May 1995, while riding in competition, the horse he was riding balked at one of the hurdles, and Reeve tumbled over the animal's neck, hitting the ground headfirst. The accident rendered the actor paralyzed from the neck down.

It hasn't stopped him from acting and directing and writing, and Reeve says it has come to the point where people generally do not feel sorry for him any more. "So people are like, 'What's the problem?' You know, but this is a problem," he adds. "This isn't the way I want to live my life."

But ask him if there are days when he feels sorry for himself and considers giving up, and Reeve will compare his own situation to that of Clayson, who has to get up every day at 3 in the morning to do her job.

"See, we all have things... It's difficult to get jump-started sometimes," he says. "But that doesn't really last very long because the alternative for me would be just sitting and looking out the window."

It is also important tReeve to pass down a political legacy to his children: "That, basically, part of being a citizen is not just going for a free ride, that you've got to give back, particularly if you have the means to do so... It's a time of prosperity, but too many people are just using it for themselves and not giving back."

The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation supports biomedical research aimed at developing effective treatments and a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. The Foundation also works on providing financial support to aid in the quality of life, improving the day-to-day existence of people with disabilities.