Glancing at the media gallery, Matt Townsend was glad to see they were all paying rapt attention. Fiona’s story was affecting them. Touching them emotionally. This was a good thing.
Finally.
“So what did you do then?” asked the barrister, continuing on.
“Well, we were really trying to figure out how this happened. What might have triggered it. Of course, we were first-time parents, but still, we felt like we were doing the right things with his development. And then my husband started doing some other research, and we kept coming back to the vaccine issue.” She paused. “Now, I don’t want it to sound like I’m antiscience. I’m not. That’s not the case at all. But something wasn’t adding up to us the more that we read, the more we learned. And yes, I am well aware that this sort of thing has been debated at length much like we are doing now. But I was facing this in real life—my everyday life. One day my child was fine, the next he wasn’t—and the only thing outside of the norm that had happened in between was the MMR vaccination. My GP assured us that this wasn’t the case and that vaccines couldn’t possibly cause this sort of condition. He quoted from medical journals and gave me all of these explanations. Yet I felt like I was being fed an official line.” She swallowed hard. “Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I weren’t looking to blame or sue anyone. That’s not our style. Wanting to hit back because we’re angry.”
Brilliant...Matt thought, as an almost perfectly timed pause allowed that idea to sink in.
“In any case, we listened to what the doctors said, but when Brian was born, we went a different route, and to a different GP, actually. Someone who wouldn’t force us or try to guilt us into vaccinating again.”
“And has Brian suffered any adverse effects from not being vaccinated?” inquired McGuinness.
Fiona shook her head. “No. He’s a healthy, vibrant little boy who loves his brother, his cousins, everyone. He’s a great child. But Cam is, too. It’s just Cam, well, like I said, he’s a little bit different. But he’s still a fantastic boy, and we were lucky to find him a really good school. We deal with it. We encourage him. We let him know just how loved he is.”
“How did your family members, specifically the defendants, react to the situation within your family?”
Fiona looked at her brother and sister-in-law and smiled sadly. “Obviously I can’t speak for Tom and Madeleine personally. But I do know that Cam’s situation hugely affected their own approach.” She directed her attention back to the barrister. “Like I said, there’s only a couple of months between Jake and Cameron, and we were going through lots of the emotional stuff, trying to come to grips with what had happened, right when Jake was due his first MMR shot. So who could blame them for thinking twice?”
At this, Patrick Nevin jumped up. “Objection...speculation.”
“Fine, Mr. Nevin. Sustained. Mrs. Marsh, please continue without speculating on the defendants’ position.”
“Sure, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean... Look, all I know is, something happened to Cam, and Tom and Madeleine saw it happen—they were right next to me, supporting me. And when the time came for them to make a choice with their own children, they had to take it into account. And so they made a choice not to vaccinate. Just as my husband and I did with our youngest.”
McGuinness nodded solemnly. “Indeed. Every parent hopes to do what they feel is right for their kids. Absolutely.”
“And it’s not as if they—or we—broke the law, either,” Fiona continued, impassioned. “That’s why I think all of this is so unfair. There is no law in Ireland that says you have to vaccinate your kids. It’s a personal choice. And I fully support that choice—as well as Tom and Madeleine’s right as parents to make it.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Marsh. No further questions.”
“Mr. Nevin?” asked the judge.
Matt Townsend held his breath.
“Thank you, but we have no questions for the witness at this time.”
46
“Today, Tom Cooper’s sister, Fiona Marsh, took the stand in defense of her in-laws’ decision to not vaccinate their son, Jake, and daughter, Clara.
“Ms. Marsh gave a stirring and heartfelt account of her own son’s autism diagnosis and its possible connection to his receipt of the MMR vaccine when he was a mere thirteen months old. Her testimony cut through early beliefs that the Cooper family’s decision was borne of conspiracy theories and governmental cover-ups and for the first time put a very human face on the real-life issues the family has faced.
“I believe, madam, that you have been supporting Kate O’Hara’s cause and following this situation closely? Can you share your thoughts on the trial so far withRTé Newsviewers?”
“Oh, yes, from day one, I’ve been paying attention. And I’ve been standing here since the trial started. This is a major story and it’s happening right in our backyard. It’s a big deal.”
“Indeed it is. And I’m assuming from your placard that you are in support of Kate O’Hara?”
“Yes. I have supported Kate from the very beginning. I feel so terrible for her and her little girl.”
“And what do you think of today’s information? That the Coopers may have some sound reasoning for not vaccinating their children?”
“Well, I mean, it’s tough. You can’t help but feel bad for them, too. After all, every parent just wants to protect their kids. And if they had firsthand experience with their nephew developing autism because of vaccines...well, I’m a mother—that might give me pause, too.”
“Yet medical professionals have stated, repeatedly, that there is no correlation between vaccinations and the chance of developing autism or any other condition. Are you saying that those medical professionals—doctors and experts all of them—are wrong?”
“I’m not saying they are necessarily wrong, but they might not be right, either. I mean, if I saw my child change from one day to the next, I might start to think that the vaccine caused it, too. I think as parents we have to trust our instincts. And I think there is a lot of stuff that the general public isn’t told, lots of cover-ups. This could be one of them.”
