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Carmel Wakefield Speaks Out on Pending GMC Decision

AndrewWakefieldG_468x323 Managing Editor's Note: Below is an excerpt from Autism File magazine by Carrmel Wakefield, wife of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Read Mrs. Wakefield's complete, heartfelt message HERE. Have you subscribed to Autism File yet?

By Carmel Wakefield

...To get us in the mood for Christmas we have just been told that the longest GMC hearing in history is grinding towards a decision on the facts – the GMC’s complaint against my husband Andy Wakefield and his two colleagues Professors Walker Smith and Murch. The sixth anniversary of the complaint being made by the freelance reporter, Brian Deer, will be in February; the GMC hearing itself has lasted over 2 and a half years. At the time of writing, the date for a verdict to be “handed down” has been set for January 29th 2010 but that date has shifted three times in less than 10 days.

It is very sad on so many levels. Obviously on a highly personal level, we have had to live with the shadow of the sword for a ridiculously long time but it goes much further than that. Think of the financial cost of this travesty of an inquiry: three barristers for the GMC, two barristers for each of the three defendants, at least one solicitor per defendant and a couple for the GMC for good measure. Add to the mix the cost of the panel’s remittance and their expenses – six lots of them – and of course the GMC administrative staff assigned to this case, both in Manchester and London; heat, light – the show goes on and on and multiplying that, brings a mind boggling total in the millions of Great British Pounds.

It may console you to know that the dosh is out of the pockets of doctors, rather than
yourselves, which in this context, would make it totally unbearable. Nonetheless it is hard earned money, which has been poured straight down the drain. Money, which if used for research might have delivered critical results that could already be impacting on your children’s lives. What a waste of time, emotion, effort and money.

Whatever the verdict in this case, there will be no winners: not a single one...

Comments

Darian (nickname)

Every time I cime here I become more and more convinced of my sanity. Having family in the medical field, when I was first diagnosed I was well on the road to being an ND. But, being the nerd tha I am, I wanted to know everythng about my diagnoses. And despite what others say, I did more than just "google research". I did the comprehensive checklist between the side effects of mercury and autism. I am not just talking about the most generally, debated, the mercury posning theory. But also the study of how those with weakened immune systems, like myself, are more subsetable to toxins than your average person. What may not be poisonus to you very likely could be to me. Trace ammounts of anything can send me into a long bout with sickness. Now, with a weakened immune system, imagine how those toxins would act? It would be like injecting a regular immune system with a pint of lead! Now imagine all the toxins a person comes in contact with in a single day. Now imagine someone with a weakened immune system, already exposed and sick from regular toxins, being immunized, and you have a recipe for trouble! Realizing this, I came to sanity, though I have been told otherwise, and imagine the arguments with the medical members of the family!! Now my mom had me on a more spread out vaccine schedule, and perhaps this is why I only have Asperger's. Or perhaps once again it is due to immune system. Though weak,mine may be better able to rid itself of toxins than someone with a weaker immune, who got Kanners instead.

CarolynKylesMom

Every time I want to fall into despair about the idiocy that so many children are suffering from a totally preventable problem, I force myself to focus on the Dr. Wakefields, the Dr. Rimlands, the Age of Autism Staff, all the DAN doctors and Thoughtful house doctors who have given up so much in their careers to fight for our children---and now, I will also remind myself of the families of all these men and women and how much you have all sacrificed too, Carmel and the Wakefield children, having to live a world away from your husband . . . Brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.

chopper

The vile Brian Deer's true colors have been on ample display with his despicable behavior toward autism parents (google Selective Hearing Brian Deer). I took note of Dr. Carmel Wakefield's wording about Dr. Andrew Wakefield being the subject of Deer's "interest." Deer seems to have an obsession with Wakefield that makes no sense, unless (a) Deer is a paid whore, or (b) Deer has a serious psychological derangement that we can make some educated guesses about.

John Stone

Tina

Wakefield's reaction in February 2004 was that of an innocent man who was absolutely certain there was nothing of substance in any of the allegations, and if there was an independent investigation there would be no basis for a prosecution - indeed there wasn't:

http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/11/a-political-tri.html

http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/12/smoke-and-mirrors-dr-richard-horton-and-the-wakefield-affair.html

http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/02/the-wakefield-affair-and-meadow-syndrome-at-the-gmc-an-open-letter-to-the-president.html

which didn't stop them going on a fishing expedition against the 3 doctors resulting in 85 page charge sheet, virtually all of which is prejudicial junk.

Again, I would point out that the establishment began to get cold feet in 2006 and there were several journal and newspaper editorials calling for the hearing to be abandoned - presumably the threadbare nature of prosecution was seeping out. Nevertheless, the GMC blundered on regardless of good sense or decency.

Darian (nickname)

It is always the good who are prosecuted. But then again, when you rattle Big Pharma's cage, unfortunately they are going to come after you! Hold on Andy! To take a quote from the Dark Knight "The night is darkest just before the dawn!"

The token pro-cure Aspie (at least it feels like it in my state!) has got your back!

John Stone

Gatogorra

No, the good news was only that the previous political trial have not turned out well for the prosecuters.

The lowering of the legal standard in future cases at the GMC (indeed current ones starting some time after July 1997) while it might have been neutral is obviously a disaster given the discretionary style in which the GMC prosecutes in the first place.

Tina

I must admit that I'm a little confused. I think Dr Wakefield himself called for a GMC investigation. Here is a BBC report I found with a quotation from him:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3512195.stm

This is at a site I visit:

http://www.parents-protecting-children.org.uk/news_view.asp?id=5

"It has been proposed that my role in this matter should be investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC). I not only welcome this, I insist on it and I will be making contact with the GMC personally, in the forthcoming week."

Does anybody know how to explain this? It does seem very strange.

PS

Hang in there, Wakefields. We must thank the prosecutors because before this, there were those who doubted Andy's findings. Now, due to the prosecution's vehement and vicious opposition, it doesn't take a genius to see who is telling the truth. Their attack has helped to create awareness about MMR and autism and made many parents curious enough to learn more about it (and avoid it). So we really must thank the GMC for their public service.

Hang in there and fight the good fight! You are not alone.

Benedetta

Because the government and other ilk are so corrupt that they not only are not proscuting the guilty, but put the innocent involving this crime on trial instead

Benedetta

Everybody would be in the history books for greatness if it was easy. Dr. Wakefield and his wonderful wife has been through the fire. I would imagine all this does is just proves how difficult and miserable greatness is. Even if he wins, it won't be justice enough. But both of these people ranks right up there with those few great men in history that stood up and fought againest injustice.

Meanwhile I will try to keep the rage down within my own heart as best I can. To have justice would require even more than jail sentences, but I doubt if that is even going to happen, ever!

Gatogorra

John-- thank you for the info. It does give hope, though I'm not sure if you meant that the GMC's burden of proof in order to file complaints is now lower than it was before.

While we're at it, I thought Julie Obradovic's comparison of the cover-up with the Argentine junta was pretty apt (she mentioned this in response to Mark Blaxill's "Lies, Damned Lies"). Kissinger was the one who gave the green light for the killings to begin, incidentally.

I tend to shy away from mentioning Stalinism or McCarthyism since "antivaccinationists" are now being pasted with the "extremist right wing/left wing" phony binary. Come to think of it, though, Brian Deer is so Roy Cohn...

Amanda Copeland

Huge fan of Dr. Wakefiled and I am aware that he is under constant attack for his work, but I have no idea what or who GMC is and no background on this event or the issue underlying it, therefore this commentary is flying over my head. Kim can you summarize what this is about for those of us not knowing the initials and just which attack this is on Dr. Wakefield? Thanks.

Casey

My son is a patient at Thoughtful House, and I am so grateful that Dr. Wakefield and the other selfless docs work so hard to help our kiddos-- despite being dragged through sh*t. Thank you Wakefield family!

Twyla

I worry that those making the judgement in these GMC proceedings will fear that to find Dr. Wakefield innocent would be an admission that this whole years-long charade was a total waste of time and money. Yet it seems so obvious that he is not guilty of misconduct, so how could they find him guilty?

I can't imagine how hard all this must have been on Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his family. Thank you, Dr. Carmel Wakefield, for your endurance in the face of this, for all that you must have taken on as far as care for your family, and for your advocacy including writing this article.

I do believe that truth will prevail -- hopefully sooner rather than later!

John Stone

Gatagorra

Stalin was pretty good at political trials too. In this instance there is enough due process left, however, for the prosecuting cabal not to be able to get it all their own way - this is, I am sure, why it is dragging on into the new decade when it was orignally scheduled to conclude in October 2007.

I think we detect here two things - an unwillingness to find the doctors innocent and difficulty in finding them guilty, but the rules have already been changed for future show trials so that they only need the level proof of civil proceedings, rather criminal proceedings, as in this case.

The good news is that against all the apparent odds legality prevailed in the end (if not in the middle) in the cases of Jayne Donegan and Lisa Blakemore-Brown (the latter case brought by the British Psychological Society not the GMC, but involving the same firm of government lawyers). So, there is hope.

amdachel

The GMC decision will hardly be the final word. Attacking the messengers doesn't change the message. Children with autism and bowel disease haven't always been here and whatever the GMC decides, it won't make them disappear.

The underlying issue in the vaccine controversy both here and in Britain has nothing to do with the science. It isn't really about the kids who got sick. The real issue here is who will be held responsible if it's clearly shown that unsafe vaccines have damaged a generation of children. The consequences are immense. So many have everything at stake in denying that this hypothesis is true. Whatever the GMC finds, the debate will be reignited by the resulting publicity. And it is the voices of the parents that will have the greatest impact. http://www.viddler.com/explore/ziggy/videos/1/
Anne Dachel
Media

Kathy Blanco

I take heart with the adage, in the END, GOD wins....and certainly that will be the case...if there is no justice on Earth, it is settled in the courts of our life deliberations with our Maker. I wonder who will be the judges of character then, who will be on the "death by fire/you made it to Heaven" panel? I would like to think it's our children! Maybe they who were injured should judge those who injured, knowingly, or by omission/comission. I would like to think the likes of Brian Deer, and his cohorts, would fry like french fries in the end. There is justice, sometimes not on this mortal sphere, but it will happen. Sooner or later, good triumphs over evil.

Cherry Sperlin Misra

No one would wish for you to suffer as you have. Money wasted , your precious time wasted. And yet, poor Brian Deer; Little could he imagine that from his silly, absurd, untruthful fire, the sparks have gone around the world to set fires of courage in all those who stand for and fight for truth in autism science. By some measure perhaps the money was well spent. We can never thank you enough for the courage you have gifted to us

A. F.

Could autism families have a better advocate, a bigger blessing, than Dr. Wakefield? How wonderful it is that Dr. Wakefield's wife, also a physician, supports him and the autism community. Thank you!

And, hopefully, it will be a "Happy New Year" for all of us as truth continues to be exposed and as research continues to be done by Dr. Wakefield and like-minded individuals.

God bless.

Lisa

Thank you Carmel and Andy for your years of endurance for truth and justice. Our community is overwhelmed with appreciation. I am very hopeful for the verdict and conclusion of this awful mess.

Gatogorra

I appreciate Carmel Wakefield's view that justice has already been miscarried long before the verdict in the cost alone.

Mrs. Wakefield didn't mention the energy expenditure and costs to the three defendants, the years of their lives, time with their families and time with patients which have been robbed from all concerned-- all so that the government could fight Glaxo's battle for them. You'd have to dredge analogies from, say, Apartheid or theocracies to find equivalent samples of kangaroo court proceedings. I wish that was an exaggeration.

I hope for the sakes of the three doctors, their families, every child already injured and those about to be that this case doesn't end the way it began.

Teresa Conrick

Thank you Mrs. Wakefield for your hopeful and eloquent words. This continues to be a longer journey than we all would want, to get to that truth and justice. Good luck to your family. We will do all we can to keep that sneezing coming and in the spotlight.

God Bless.

Parent

That was a very good piece - thank you Mrs. Wakefield. God bless you and your husband!

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