Ahead of her seminar on 23 October at CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine) in Manchester, GP and Homeopath Dr Jayne Donegan explains how daring to challenge the prevailing wisdom on Vaccination, nearly destroyed her career.
Having trained as a conventional medical doctor, all of my training and practice led me to be a strong supporter of the Universal Childhood Vaccination Programme. Indeed, along with many of my colleagues, I used to think that parents who didn’t want to vaccinate their children were either ignorant, or sociopathic.
Why did I have this attitude? Well, throughout my medical training I was taught that the people who used to die in their thousands or hundreds of thousands from diseases like diphtheria, whooping cough and measles, stopped dying because of the introduction of vaccines.
I was shocked when I discovered through painstaking personal research, that in fact, 95-99% of the reduction in deaths from, for example, measles and whooping cough had already occurred before the vaccines were introduced. I approached the vaccination issue anew, my interest fuelled by my concern for child health and safety. I continued my reading of refereed scientific and medical journals with a new and more critical eye, having realized that what is sometimes held up as ‘science’ is not necessarily a truthful quest for knowledge but just someone’s opinion, not backed up by evidence or fact.
It is very hard for doctors to start seriously questioning medical training that might lead them in the opposite direction to the healthcare system in which they work. Yet this is what I did when in the interests of fair play I agreed to act as an expert for two mothers who could find no-one else acceptable to the court, in a case bought by absent fathers who wished to force their daughters to be vaccinated.
Although I am an expert in my knowledge of vaccination and disease ecology, I am not an expert in being cross examined by hostile barristers. I presented evidence to show that the vaccines are neither so safe nor so effective as generally believed. The experts called on the father’s side, who sat on a committee recommending vaccination, an obvious conflict of interest, presented an opposite view. The judge swept aside my evidence, which an appeal judge called ‘junk science’.
Having heard about the furore via the BBC, the General Medical Council (GMC) accused me of serious professional misconduct, and of bringing the profession into disrepute, threatening to strike me off the medical register, which would have destroyed my career and my livelihood.
It was a stressful and drawn out case lasting over three years. Ultimately and thankfully, the GMC panel found me not guilty and agreed in their findings that my research and conclusions had been objective, independent and unbiased. Although happily fully vindicated, it is not an exercise which I should like to repeat.
It never has been, nor would it be, my intention to advise any parent not to vaccinate their child. However, I feel strongly that parents should be entitled to a full range of information before making their own decisions. At my seminar in Manchester on 23rd October, I will review the impact, efficacy and safety of vaccinations, and look at what options could be available to families who do not choose vaccination.
“Vaccination – The Question” is a seminar which Dr Jayne Donegan will be holding at CNM on 23rd October. See inset for details. Please book on-line to reserve your place at either event, or contact us for information on courses: www.naturopathy-uk.com
| Attend a CNM event in Manchester
Vaccination- The Question: Thursday 23rd October 6.30pm-8.30pm A seminar by Dr Jayne Donegan, looking at the safety risks versus the benefits of modern vaccinations, and how to protect children’s health. £15 entry FREE CNM Open EveningWednesday 8thOctober 6.30pm-8.30pmFind out about training with CNM Manchester for a career in Naturopathic Nutrition or Herbal Medicine. Free Entry, but please reserve your place. Please book on-line to reserve your place at either event, or contact us for information on courses: www.naturopathy-uk.com 01342 410 505 |
