[back] Donegan Fitness to practice hearing 2007

Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 5:26 PM
Subject: Vaccine heretic cleared

   Letters
 

   Independent

       Whilst the case of the GM Council versus Dr Andrew Wakefield has
reached the public view, let us not overlook Dr. Jayne Donegan who was,
last week, cleared by the GMC Panel of "serious professional misconduct".

   Dr Donegan had given evidence, in 2003,  on behalf of two mothers whose
estranged partners had re-appeared and demanded that the children involved
were vaccinated, against the mothers' strongly held wishes.

   The doctor's views on vaccination clearly upset the court judges, who
decided that the case should not be about the mothers' rights but about
upholding the Establishment views on vaccination. Appeal judges, led by Mr
Justice Sedley also agreed with the lower court. 

  Sedley declared " "Dr Donegan's report was based on no independent
research .." False. 

" most of the published papers cited by her in support of her views turned
out either to support the contrary position or at least to give no support
to her own." False. 

  "  ... the court below was presented with junk science." True : and the
court believed it.

  Armed with this powerful support, from its fellow line-dancers, the GMC
clearly thought that it had a fish in a barrel but its failure to convince
the GMP compels us to ask : if Dr Donegan's views were valid where does
this leave vaccination ? 

The GMC's open goal turned out to be an own one and there will be those who
will exploit this development to the full.

 
Pat Rattigan

1 Quarry Bank

Chesterfield S41 0HH

01246 230474