[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [SRRTAC-L:9441] Hg-WG: NY Times: Justice Dept. Seeks to Seal Vaccine Papers (fwd)

[Alfred Kagan]

>Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 10:21:17 -0500 (EST)
>From: Frederick W Stoss <fstoss at buffalo.edu>
>X-Sender: fstoss at joxer.acsu.buffalo.edu
>To: SRRT Action Council <srrtac-l at ala.org>
>Subject: [SRRTAC-L:9441] Hg-WG: NY Times: Justice Dept. Seeks to 
>Seal Vaccine Papers (fwd)
>X-MailScanner: Found to be clean, Found to be clean
>Reply-To: srrtac-l at ala.org
>Sender: owner-srrtac-l at ala.org
>X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.8 required=5.0
>	tests=CLICK_BELOW,GAPPY_TEXT,SPAM_PHRASE_03_05,USER_AGENT_PINE
>	version=2.43
>X-Spam-Level:
>
>Homeland Security in action: hide information and data, protect big
>business and industry. Fred Stoss, University at Buffalo--SUNY
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 09:04:53 -0500
>From: David Higby <dhigby at sover.net>
>To: mwg-mercury at igc.topica.com
>
>New York Times						November 27, 2002
>
>Justice Dept.  Seeks to Seal Vaccine Papers
>By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
>
>WASHINGTON, Nov.  26 - The Bush administration asked a federal claims court
>today to seal documents relating to hundreds of claims that a mercury-based
>preservative in vaccines, thimerosal, has caused autism and other
>neurological disorders in children.
>
>Lawyers for the Justice Department asked for the protective order on behalf
>of Tommy G.  Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, whose
>department administers a government fund to compensate people injured by
>vaccines.
>
>A department spokesman said that the law creating the fund gives the
>secretary control over what information is released and that the government
>was merely trying to preserve that right.
>
>About 1,000 families have filed claims under the program, asserting that
>their children suffered mercury poisoning from the vaccines, which until
>recently included the preservative.  The claims are being heard by a
>special master, George Hastings, in a so-called vaccine court that was
>created in 1986, when Congress passed the measure setting up the government
>fund.
>
>Lawyers for the families said they were outraged by today's move.  They
>said the government was trying to prevent families from obtaining damaging
>information about the preservative, which could later be used against drug
>companies in civil courts.
>
>"We're dealing with real injury to real children in a program that is
>funded by taxpayer dollars," said Michael R. Hugo, a Boston lawyer.  "It is
>unbelievable to me that the president of the United States, in the name of
>trying to help the drug industry, would put the interests of the drug
>industry over the interests of neurologically impaired sick children and
>their parents."
>
>Today's move comes on the heels of another controversy involving thimerosal.
>
>Congressional Republicans inserted a provision into the domestic security
>bill, signed into law on Monday by President Bush, that is intended to
>protect Eli Lilly, thimerosal's manufacturer, from lawsuits over the
>preservative.  The provision would force families to seek compensation
>through the vaccine court instead of civil courts.
>
>Michael Bender, a spokesman for the Mercury Policy Project, a nonprofit
>advocacy group that is helping the families, said today's move "amounts to
>insult on injury" for children whose parents have filed claims.
>
>"Suppressing these documents," Mr.  Bender said, "flies in the face of an
>open and transparent court system."
>
>Posted by:
>David Higby
>348 Quarry Road
>Salem, NY  12865
>(518) 854-3223
>"David Higby" <dhigby at sover.net>
>===================================================================
>This email was sent to: fstoss at acsu.buffalo.edu
>EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxio8.a2y8uW.ZnN0b3Nz
>Or send an email to: mwg-mercury-unsubscribe at igc.topica.com
>T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
>http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
>===================================================================


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu