Trust your doctors and not the lawyers

I want to thank Naperville pediatrician Timothy Wall for sounding the alarm about the new show "Eli Stone" on ABC in a recent letter he submitted to the Daily Herald. He referenced the Jan. 31 episode in which Stone defends a woman who claims her child became autistic after being vaccinated. Dr. Wall stated that, "the media portrayals of these issues ignore the clear scientific research -- that vaccines do not harm our children."

Dr. Wall is expressing the frustrations of many Illinois physicians who are tired of combating the misinformation and sensationalism personal injury lawyers use to build class action lawsuits. The tactics of these lawyers are outlined in a recent report from the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest which shows how they are using health-related Web sites to scare consumers into filing lawsuits against drug manufacturers. The study shows that 43 percent of supposed medical information sites were, in fact, personal injury lawyer Web sites cleverly disguised as authentic medical information sites.

The show "Eli Stone" takes the sleazy tactics of personal injury lawyers and elevates them to hero status, which sends the wrong message to viewers. As Dr. Wall observed, "we are all influenced by what we watch." Parents will be unnecessarily risking their children's health if this show influences them to stop vaccinating their kids. The decision to vaccinate and any other health decision should be made between patients and their doctors -- not between patients and their lawyers -- and yes that includes make-believe lawyers. Parents would be wise to put more stock into what a medical professional such as Dr. Wall has to say than the ramblings of a fictional character.

Travis Akin

Executive Director

Illinois Lawsuit

Abuse Watch

Marion, IL