“And can you explain what you mean by that?” McGuinness asked.
“Of course,” Dr. Pitt replied easily. “Diseases like chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella and the like are all part of the natural world. It is actually vaccines that are unnatural and man-made. The human body, for thousands of years, has had the capability and the biological ability to counter these viruses, to attack these attackers, essentially. And our bodies still do. Vaccines, in essence, are a manufactured solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.”
“And where do you believe the danger lies with vaccines?” inquired the defense barrister.
“Vaccination requires unnatural chemicals and components to be applied to an otherwise healthy individual. Think about it: virtually all other invasive medical interventions occur only once someone has actually fallen ill. And this is where the risk lies—and I suspect that the plaintiff herself would agree with me on this—”
Patrick Nevin jumped up from where he sat. “Objection. Speculation.”
“Sustained,” replied the judge a moment later.
“Yes, well, without bringing the plaintiff’s opinion into the equation, can you please continue?” pressed McGuinness.
“Certainly,” replied Dr. Pitt, continuing with his testimony. “In my studies, I’ve found that the dangers of vaccines are just as real as the diseases they profess to fight; the effects of the ingredients used in some can themselves be substantial, lifelong and, for some people, life ending. For instance, vaccines have not been subject to intensive toxicity studies for many ingredients, such as aluminum and mercury, which are known neurotoxins. Vaccines have also not been studied for adverse effects in the combinations in which they’re given—for example, when multiple shots are given in a single day to infants and children. Furthermore, and perhaps most important of all, most vaccines are not even guaranteed to provide the benefit of immunity for which they are given.”
Matt was heartened to see the judge raise his eyebrows at this. “Explain further please, Doctor,” he interjected. “Do you have statistics to back that up?”
“I do, but the plaintiff’s own expert agrees with me. I believe Dr. Goring proclaimed that the MMR vaccine has a 97 percent effective rate for measles. That means we can vaccinate a child but there is still a 3 percent chance they will contract the virus at some point in their lives. And I have to stress that point—some people can still contract the illness, even if they have been vaccinated.”
“And you are quoting which study?” McGuinness coaxed.
“One conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as a follow-up to the California measles outbreak in 2014, again already mentioned in this court,” stated Dr. Pitt matter-of-factly. “Some people who have both recommended doses of the MMR vaccine are considered nonresponders, meaning they can still get sick from the virus. So if you think about it, you cannot say that vaccines alone prevent a virus from spreading, as so many in the pro-vaccination community like to claim. To illustrate this: if there were one million people infected in an outbreak, ten thousand of the people who received vaccinations would still get sick. In the scheme of things, that’s something worth thinking about. It completely undermines this so-called herd immunity, and the fact that disease is going to spread, regardless. The mere fact that more people don’t get sick is a testament to nature alone.”
“Objection,” said Nevin, again. “Speculation.”
“Overruled,” answered the judge just as quickly as before, and Townsend couldn’t help but smirk. Pitt’s testimony about vaccination effectiveness really was having an impact on the judge.
Looked like they were getting somewhere.
“Go on, Doctor,” encouraged Judge Dowling.
“I was about to say, this is nature at its best. Childrenshouldbe contracting various infections. It strengthens humanity’s immune system as a whole. This is survival of the fittest. However, it’s impossible to place blame on who spread what and who caught it, or when, because no one is at fault when nature is doing what it is supposed to do. Nature needs to thin the herd.”
Across the way, Matt heard Kate O’Hara gasp, realizing what Pitt was implying, that if her daughter had died, it would have been nature simply “taking its course.”
Damn. Too harsh.
A rustle duly came from the media gallery and Matt Townsend winced, worried that Pitt might have taken things too far. Hopefully, McGuinness would steer him back on track.
“But, Dr. Pitt, surely you are compassionate to the plight of the families in this courtroom—to the plight of all children who might be affected by this terrible disease—” The barrister was about to move on to another line of questioning, but Dr. Pitt cut him off.
“I don’t think you understand my point, sir. Children should be getting these infections,” he said, his voice raising. “We do not need to inject chemicals into ourselves and our children in order to boost our immune system. I personally am a big fan of paleo-nutrition. My children eat foods that our ancestors have been eating for millions of years. This is the best way to protect. And then you don’t play into the hands of Big Pharma, either. I completely support the Coopers’ belief that governments, pharmaceutical companies and multinational corporations are not helping our children, but profiting from them.”
Shit...Matt Townsend’s eyes opened wider as Dr. Pitt became more inflamed and passionate in his speech. McGuinness held up a hand to quiet the man, but to no avail.
“You know, I have been watching the media coverage of this trial since the defendant sought out my help, and I have to say that that is one of the reasons I agreed to be here today,” the doctor continued. “There is so much misguided anger at anti-vaccination proponents like the Coopers, and this needs to be redirected—not at ordinary parents but at the authorities who herd us all like sheep and force us to needlessly consume chemicals and toxins so as to line their own pockets.”
“Dr. Pitt, if you would allow me to redirect our conversation,” pleaded McGuinness, his words falling on deaf ears, Matt realized, worried.
“We need to be angry at big corporations. Sugary cereals, cookies and cupcakes lead to millions of deaths worldwide every year. At its worst, chicken pox, for instance, kills one hundred people annually. Only one hundred! We should be calling up soft drink and candy companies and complaining—theyare the real killers. Why aren’t we protesting their products, sending them hate mail? And that’s before we even consider the fast-food restaurants: tortured-meat burgers, fries dipped in pesticide, milk shakes pumped full of hormones. Honestly, measles is a mere drop in the ocean of our kids’ problems.”
Townsend could feel a murmur go through the courtroom. At this point, Pitt looked almost ready to spring up and start pounding on his chest. And alongside him, Matt saw his clients shoot him horrified glares. He didn’t even want to look in Declan Roe’s direction; it was likely the guy was tap-dancing in his seat. Why didn’t McGuinness get this guy to shut up?
“Dr. Pitt, if you would be so kind...”
“And we should also be angry with the corporations for spewing pollution into the environment while they make our toxic laundry detergent to make our clothes smell nice while simultaneously poisoning us. It’sthesechemicals that cause autism, heart disease and cancer.”
“Dr. Pitt,” admonished the judge, now looking less than impressed, “I’ll advise you to lower your voice and sit down, or I’ll hold you in contempt.”
