Frist's latest Deceits Feb 2004
For those of you who may be unaware, I'm re-posting as this is
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Information that may have not been posted
already also might be helpful...
Regardless as to whether parents have or haven't filed a claim in
VICA, civil court, or have a RhoGAM lawsuit, these lawsuits are VERY
important, especially those that allow for a discovery phase.
Discovery will reveal what the drug companies knew---very important
for all of us!
Currently there is legislation (Frist, S2061) that will go to vote
in two days, Tuesday. If this legislation passes the following will
happen:
- All RhoGAM lawsuits that have not yet been filed will be at risk
of being kicked out completely. It narrows statute of limitations.
Basically, those children who are over seven will not be allowed in
civil court. For those who are younger, it limits damages received.
Keep in mind that punitive damages is what makes negligent companies
suddenly become less negligent.
- It basically restricts expert witnesses to only those in
mainstream medicine. Osteopaths, or anyone of the like, will not be
allowed to speak on behalf of our children as an expert witness.
- There's lots of language about vaccines in this bill. This has
nothing to do with OB/GYN, so why is it in there? Whoever wrote
it
knows much about vaccines and VICA...it's a sign of things to come.
Although this legislation would affect RhoGAM lawsuits the most, it
affects EVERYONE. Again, RhoGAM lawsuits would open the door for
others by providing the valuable discovery process and all the
documentation that comes with fetal mercury exposure...which may
eventually translate into post-natal mercury exposure. It certainly
has a trickle-down effect and hurts all of us. Please read the alert
below and write, write, write if you haven't already.
If Frist is so confident that drug companies need to be protected,
he wouldn't hide the legislative language under the title "Healthy
Mothers and Healthy Babies Access to Care Act of 2003"...a bill
that's supposed to only shield OB/GYN from hefty med-mal suits. The
fact that it's so misleading discredits the bill right away, so
please make sure the people you write know that it's sneaky,
misleading and talks about vaccines more than doctors!
Dear Parents,
We need your help immediately!!!
Sen. Gregg, under Sen. Frist's bidding, has introduced Senate bill
S2061. This bill is Frist's first attempt this spring to protect
pharmaceutical companies who manufactured products containing
thimerosal. (Go to www.thomas.loc.gov to view this legislation.)
We must all stand together on this! This legislation has been
promoted as protecting OB-GYN doctors from frivolous medical
malpractice suits, but what it also does is protect manufacturers
from their products including injections containing thimerosal.
Much like the thimerosal liability shield rider added to the
Homeland security bill, Senator Frist has attached legislation again
protecting pharmaceutical companies in a popular bill.
RhoD Products, including RhoGAM, typically administered to all RH-
mothers during pregnancy contained thimerosal and will be affected
by this bill. A recent study found that almost half of all children
with autism were exposed to thimerosal during their pregnancy by
RhoD products. It may also impact litigation regarding flu vaccines
administered during pregnancy as well.
If we allow this bill to stop RhoD lawsuits, it is the first step to
shut down all future vaccine lawsuits. Why? Because RhoD litigation
is vital to the other vaccine injury lawsuits moving forward.
Mercury damage to a fetus is well documented. If these lawsuits are
won, it is just a side step to prove that mercury can also damage
one-day-old babies or two-month-old babies as well. The RhoD
lawsuits also open the door for all other Thimerosal lawsuits
because they allow for vital discovery (the ability for our lawyers
to see pharmaceutical company records and research.)
Here is what we all need to do:
Fax AND call your Senator ASAP. Please make plans to do both! Please
include this ad at
http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/pdf/s2061.pdf. Enter your
zip code in the box at the bottom of this page
(http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/grassroots.php)
under "Write to Congress" and it will give you your state's elected
officials and all of their contact information. Contacting the two
Senators in your state is the first step. Then we need to fax all
Senators that we think may provide us with the swing votes needed in
the Senate: Collins, Chafee, Snowe and McCain. Also it is important
to contact the Senators that have helped us in other Floor fights:
Dodd, Clinton, Daschle, Kennedy, Edwards, and Reed. Here is all of
their information.
Collins, Susan (R-ME)
172 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2523
Fax: (202) 224-2693
Email: http://collins.senate.gov/low/contactemail.htm
Snowe, Olympia (R-ME)
154 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5344
Fax: (202) 224-1946
Email: olympia@s...
Chafee, Lincoln (R-RI)
141A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2921
Fax: (202) 228-2853
Email: http://chafee.senate.gov/webform.htm
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)
448 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
Phone (202) 224-2823
Fax (202) 228-1683
E-mail: http://dodd.senate.gov/webmail/
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4543
Fax: (202) 224-2417
senator@k...
Clinton, Hillary (D - NY)
476 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4451
Fax (202) 228-0282
E-mail: http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html
McCain, John (R-AZ)
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2235
Fax: (202) 228-2862
Email: http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home
PLEASE DO THIS on the weekend, Monday and Tuesday. THE VOTE WILL BE
ON THE SENATE FLOOR, FEBRUARY 24th (In just TWO more days!). Forward
this note to all the members of your family that you think will
help. If they don't mind, do the work for them. Just substitute
their name at the bottom of your letter and send it to their Senator
or yours again. The staff will be counting names, not looking
specifically at letters. We need to inundate them with calls and
faxes. They need to know that thousands of parents are watching!
Below is a sample letter should you wish to use it. (Feel free to
use it or your own.)
Thank You!!!
Laura Bono
Jo Pike
Lori McIlwain
Wendy Fournier
(Sample letter)
Dear Senator _______,
STOP S2061!!!!
I am writing to you to vote NO to S2061. Although this bill is
supposed to provide relief to Ob-Gyn doctors from frivolous
lawsuits, it also contains language that protects pharmaceutical
manufacturers from product liability lawsuits if their products were
FDA approved. We all know that FDA approval does not always equate
with a drug being safe or free of harm. Just look at thaliomide
for
example.
Our concern stems from the use of Thimerosal, a mercury
preservative, administered to all RH- mothers during the pregnancy.
It is well documented that mercury exposure causes
Neurodevelopmental disorders in a fetus. Current research is linking
exposure to thimerosal either during pregnancy from RhoD or after
birth from vaccines to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes including
ADD and autism in some children.
Lawsuits stemming from exposure to mercury from thimerosal are
presently winding their way through the courts across the US and
this bill will effectively stop them.
If RhoD lawsuits are stopped, other lawsuits of mercury-
poisoned/vaccine-injured children presently suing pharmaceutical
companies for their vaccine injuries could be next. The attachment
of this provision in a popular bill is reminiscent of the same
attempt made when an attachment was added to the Homeland Security
bill again protecting pharmaceutical manufacturers who used
thimerosal from liability.
S. 2061 makes it much harder to hold drug companies and the makers
of medical devices accountable by restricting victims' rights to
call witnesses, further shielding drug companies and incompetent
health care providers from accountability.
Please don't take away the rights of families and their children who
have been harmed.
Protect your voters! Not big companies responsible for injuring
children. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Your name, your mother, your father, your brothers, sisters, etc,
etc.
Lori McIlwain
National Autism Association
Phone: 877-NAA-AUTISM
Email: Lori@n...
http://nationalautismassociation.org/
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