Behind the Scenes at “The Doctors” with Jenny McCarthy

By J.B. Handley
 
I’m grateful to the producers of The Doctors for running their show on Jenny McCarthy’s new book Healing and Preventing Autism and the debate over vaccines and autism(Details HERE). It takes courage in today’s media environment to put a show on national TV like that – hats off to them.
 
About two weeks before the show, I had an interview with one of the producers over the phone. This is a pretty normal part of preparation for any TV appearance where you discuss your plans for how to approach the show and the producers share some guidelines with you on their goals for the show, etc.
 
I did my best to explain to the producer that we would be bringing some serious energy and knowledge to the show. Specifically, I told her:
 
“You need to tell your doctors that they better be prepared and know their stuff. If we show up and they start making sweeping statement like ‘the science has shown that vaccines don’t cause autism’ we will kneecap them on their own stage.”
 
To further my point, I encouraged her to pass along a newly created website, Fourteen Studies, where the doctors could review all the science on vaccines and autism in one place and get a better understanding of our arguments. She took notes, wrote down the name of the new website, thanked me for all the background, and our call was done.

Like I said, this conversation took place a good two weeks before the show was filmed. Now, you might think it’s bad strategy to give away some or all of our talking points before the show, but I feel differently about it. I would vastly prefer to have a substantive debate with someone who is well informed than to have the kind of debate that actually took place on the show.
 
Knowing that background, you can imagine my surprise and disappointment in sitting in the studio audience and listening to Dr. Sears and Travis annihilate the truth. It was hard to hold back my disgust for their ignorance, particularly with the fair warning I had given the show, and you see some of that in the way I challenge them.
 
Frankly, I was equally shocked that they actually showed our exchange on TV. I really thought, in the interests of preserving the positioning of the doctors as experts, they wouldn’t want to show Travis having a meltdown (like one of our kids!) and being so completely clueless. Kudos again to them for showing the exchange.
 
The only edit that I found a little frustrating was during my initial question to the doctors when I asked them how many vaccines had been looked at for their relationship to autism. On the show, it looks like I gave them no time to respond. In reality, there was a very, very long pregnant pause as I waited for them to answer my question. They both shifted in their seats and looked clueless, neither willing to answer. The show edited out this pregnant pause and didn’t show the 2 of them squirming in their seats. Such are the risks of a taped show.
 
While I’m heartened that Travis’ meltdown shows the world what kind of crap we all have to deal with in the medical community, I really hope it didn’t take away from what I thought was the show’s truly magical moment: meeting Ethan Kurtz. I don’t care who you are, if you weren’t moved by Ethan’s beautiful eyes, smile, heart, and recovery, than you ain’t human. Even worse than the ignorance and false reassurances that the medical community gives parents about the science on vaccines and autism is this pervasive notion of RECOVERY DENIALISM. How long can doctors, scientists, and groups like Autism Speaks continue to pretend that recovered children don’t exist?
 
As an example of this, we provided The Doctors with clips and the rights to show excerpts from Generation Rescue’s documentary, Autism Yesterday. As many of you probably noticed, they used excerpts from our movie to show children with autism, but failed to show any of the clips from our movie after the kids had recovered! What’s up with that?
 
Finally, I’d like to give a special shout out to Jenny McCarthy. If it wasn’t for her, Stan, Dr. Jerry and I would be telling our story on public access cable channel 15. However smart you think Jenny is, she’s smarter. However devoted to our kids you think Jenny is, she’s more devoted. However committed you think Jenny is to winning this war, she is more committed. Guys, Jenny is our national treasure, and she is doing more to help our kids than most of us could ever comprehend.
 
Thanks again, producers of The Doctors, for airing an unforgettable moment in our fight to save our kids.

J.B. Handley is co-founder Generation Rescue.

Comments

[Elizabeth Rawnsley]

Dear Mr. J.B. Handley:

Re: Contacting the media,including:The Doctors Show,Oprah,C-Span and the news media in the New England Region

I know so many of our citizens are not even aware of the Vaccination Injury Program. I am disappointed to find Oprah and the news media in control of so many a process.I was very pleased to see some information released to the public on the show this past month.

I contacted Senator Hatch and I pasted a copy of the following email correspondences. He was requested to forward the same copy on to each senate and congressional delegate.

-----Original Message-----
From: rawnsleyb@aol.com
To: commun@aap.org; president@whitehouse.gov; comments@whitehouse.gov
Sent: Fri, 22 May 2009 6:40 am
Subject: Fwd: News Media Reporting on WMUR- T.V. Re: Vaccination Program and concerns of Parents in N.H.

Academy of Pediatrics
Attention: President,AAP,David T. Tayloe Jr.

Re: Dedicated to the Health of All Children or to the Vaccine Industry Interests (Letter forwarded on to the attention of AAP,submitted by a Robert J. Krakow,Law office of Robert J. Krakow,P.C.,on May 16,2009. Posted on the Internet,signed by Robert J. Krakow.

I have read the letter that was sent on to the attention of Dr.David T. Tayloe,Jr. I am more than disappointed with the control of the news media in the New England Region.

Our children should be respectfully serviced and addressed with genuine "accountability" and "civility." The healthcare in this region and in this Nation needs to be reformed and this administration has a full plate of concerns and corruption to contend with,under the present circumstances.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth A. Rawnsley
Tel: 781-3166313

cc: Congressional and Senate Delegates

-----Original Message-----
From: rawnsleyb@aol.com
To: viewer@c-span.org
Sent: Mon, 11 May 2009 2:41 pm
Subject: Fwd: News Media Reporting on WMUR- T.V. Re: Vaccination Program and concerns of Parents in N.H.

Re: Federal Funding,Programming and "Accountability"

Re: Biased and Controlled News Media within the New England Region

I hope to speak with Susan Swain, soon.

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Elizabeth A. Rawnsley

To: newspics@wmur.com
Sent: Fri, 8 May 2009 8:33 am
Subject: Re:News Media Reporting on WMUR- T.V. Re: Vaccination Program and concerns of Parents in N.H.

WMUR- T.V.
ATTENTION: General Manager, Jeff Bartlett

Re: Contacting the station, relating to serious concerns,relating to the news media reporting practices within the New England Region

Re: Federal Funded Vaccination Injury Program

My grandson,Francis Xaiver Rawnsley,died March 14,2008. He was a beautiful and healthy baby boy. He was only four months old. He only weighed fourteen pounds and he was vaccinated and he was administered eight different vaccines. He died twelve hours after he received these shots and his medical historical overview was very short lived. (SIDS) The sudden death of an infant baby was very difficult for this family to accept and the mother of this baby is a nurse and she is in remarkable health. I did research into twenty years of excuses from so many organizations that support (SIDS) and reports data but ignores information that I feel is relevant and attributed to the death of Francis.The moment I walked into my son's home and saw firemen and ambulance workers and saw my son and daughter in law in such grief, I knew something was so very wrong. I saw Francis a few days earlier and my daughter in law was questioning the need to vaccinate Francis. He was at no risk. I was not aware of the scheduling practices and I feel that we failed to protect Francis and my heart aches to know we should have made some different choices. I read of one clinic and five or six deaths of infants within one small time frame. I contacted the state medical examiner office and the people in that office were not very helpful and you never read of any concerns in the news media.

Doctors are in denial.My grandson's death was reported to the vaccination injury program but I'm not sure why they take so long to review such a small medical file. The entire process is not very dignified and the family has emotional trauma that is never taken into consideration by this program. I have to wonder how some of our politicians sleep at night.

My daughter in law"s mother carried a picture of Francis;along with the date he died and was vaccinated to a rally in Washington last year.A picture does speak a thousand words.Jenny McCarthy has brought some of the seriousness of our concerns to the forefront but we need more parents to come forward and we need the support of the news media. We can't make any differences if we are able to bury our heads in the sand for the sake of the almighty dollar. Our children can not become the lost soldiers in this battle. We have too many children already in harms way.

My daughter in law should be contacted. If you wish to speak with her you should contact her and ask her to forward you the letter that she submitted to the Governor of N.H. Her name is Veronica Rawnsley and my son's name is Justin Rawnsley. They reside in Barnstead, N.H. and you are able to contact them at 603-7767808.

If you have other parents that have similar experiences, please let them know that we would enjoy speaking with them and at least let them know that they have our understanding,support and prayers.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Rawnsley
Tel: 781-3166313

[Nathena]

I was shocked when Travis had the meltdown like our kids have. But it is nothing new, doctors have only wanted their voices heard, not parents like me that do know our children and have read all the stuff out there about vaccines and autism. I applaud you all for putting our story our there, no matter how edited it was.

[karenatlanta]

I love you all.
Any parent watching would not have believed that buffoon Travis, trying to project his drama on you JB.
It was a great show.
Dr. Jerry's demure class, Unstoppable Jenny and your tireless data and research.
You guys did great!

[Lindy Smith]

J.B.
I am really proud of the way you handled the show. I am sick of people and doctors telling me that same thing over and over again like a broken record.The same thing happens, when I have asked for the studies that actually have been done, they all draw a blank. None of them have ever been able to answer me on it. It is so tiring, and ridiculous. I can imagine how it is for you, going through the same thing time and time again. I know in my heart and with many of years following this. My son, like so very many other kiddos, was fine then lost in such a short amount of time.
Thank you Jenny, J.B., Jerry and Jim for your devotion and appreciated efforts. Keep it up, there are so many behind you all of the way.

[Kevin Barry]

JB: "If it wasn’t for (Jenny), Stan, Dr. Jerry and I would be telling our story on public access cable channel 15."

Hilarious!! And thanks to Jenny, you, Stan and Dr. Jerry all get the benefits of professional lighting.

Cheers to Jenny for broadcasting this story to the entire world as no one else could!

[Adrienne Isaacs]

Alyssa,

I have been very conflicted about not being an 'expert' and being thrust into the driver's seat of our vehicle AUTISM for some time. I was put there against my will by the mainstream medical community every time I went to one of their 'experts' and got no help. Like many others, I, too, was told there was 'not much' I could do outside of some therapy.

That being said, truthfully, I've never considered myself an 'expert' and haven't yet met an autism parent who claims to be one. I will, however, say with certainty that I am educated on the subject and UNLIKE many mainstream Pediatricians, continue to seek the most current information available as it may help my kids.

In response to your comment "Why couldn't I consider myself an expert then if, hypothetically, I vaccinated my child and watched them continue on as they were before? I mean if you are an expert based on that, only the opposite, surely I can be too - " my thoughts are this: you were an expert on your child's TYPICAL BEHAVIOR prior to her vaccinations. Whether or not she reacts adversely to them does not change this FACT. That's the piece that mainstream medical "experts" fail to acknowledge. So if your child behaves exactly the same way after vaccination, no, I don't consider you an expert on autism. I consider you lucky.

[candace passino]

jb you rock!!!!!!!!! all of you did..they the dr.s made themselves look small...grow up docs...us 3% arent buying it...the sheep are awakening...

[Catherine]

JB--Once again I give you a standing ovation for your clear-headed, logical remarks and your ability to stay calm while others are having hissy fits around you. Bravo!!!!

And big hugs to Jenny, Dr. Jerry and Stan for keeping this issue in the public eye. I know sometimes you probably feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall, but I truly feel that even if only one parent hears your story each time you are in the media, that is one more child who can be saved from harm.

Thank you ALL for everything that you do and for giving us a voice.

[Lin]

JB-
I think you were great and I thank you for all you are doing. Please keep it up.

[Lynda Huggins]

Having watched the Autism/Vaccine debate for more years than I can count - I believe since 1998, I thought the show was FANTASTIC! Everyone made so many good points and got really important facts before more of the public.

If we want a large scale independent study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children, WE will have to fund it. Come join our efforts to do just that with the Million Dollar Puzzle on the ARI site, www.autism.com