"Blood Money" TV programmes about US blood companies not to be viewed in public

RTE NEWS ^ | Friday, July 7 2000 | Staff

[adanaC]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0707/lindsay.html TV programmes about US blood companies not to be viewed in public

Friday, July 07 2000

Judge Alison Lindsay ruled against a public viewing of programmes There has been a ruling at the Lindsay Tribunal not to allow three World In Action programmes, which made serious allegations against US blood companies, to be viewed in public. Judge Alison Lindsay ruled that the programmes were records of allegations rather than fact, that interviewees could not be cross-examined and that they could blur the issues she must consider. John Trainor, Senior Counsel for the Haemophilia Society, had made the application for the programmes to be viewed stating that they were "clearly relevant". He said that the Blood Transfusion Services committed an act of "irresponsible madness" when it continued to deal with the US company Travenol without having investigated the allegations after broadcast. Mr Trainor charged that it was "grossly irresponsible" that the Board of the BTS did not reconsider distributing the Travenol concentrated clotting agent. He said that the programmes had brought into the focus the need for Ireland to be self-sufficient in the production of blood supplies and accused the Board of "unforgivable" inactivity. Mr Trainor stated that the Haemophilia Society's ability to participate in the Tribunal would be "greatly hindered" if the programmes were not admitted in evidence. The application for a public viewing was opposed by Senior Counsel for the Tribunal, Mr Finlay. In her ruling, Judge Lindsay stated that she had viewed the programmes and considered the arguments, but decided against a public viewing. However, she ordered that transcripts of the programme be made available and said that the allegations could then be put to any witness. The World in Action programmes, two of which were transmitted as part of a series in 1975, investigated US blood companies, how they screed blood donors who were being paid for donations and the risk of blood products being infected with Hepatitis. Related Stories Heated exchanges take place at Lindsay Tribunal Blood Transfusion Service records shredded on orders of Chief Technical Officer Lindsay Tribunal hears how BTS records were destroyed in bulk Lindsay Tribunal hears evidence on clotting agent deal

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http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0714/lindsay.html

Haemophiliac probably infected with HIV from clotting agent

Friday, July 14 2000

Dr Emer Lawlor said clotting agent was most likely the source of haemophiliac's infection A haemophiliac probably became infected with HIV from a clotting agent given at St James hospital, which the Blood Transfusion Service had already returned to the manufacturer. The disclosure was made at the Lindsay Tribunal during the final day of the cross-examination of Dr Emer Lawlor, BTS Deputy Medical Director, by the Haemophilia Society. Dr Lawlor stated that she believed a clotting agent made by the firm 'Armour' and given to the haemophiliac at St James in Feb 1986 was most likely the source of his infection. She told the Tribunal that the BTS had earlier returned all of its Armour products to the company because Irish made concentrates, which were considered to be safer, were coming on stream. However Armour re-issued the product to St James' hospital and, in the view of Dr Lawlor, it was 'most likely' to have been the source of the HIV infection. Dr Lawlor agreed with John Trainor, Senior Counsel for the Irish Haemophilia Society that the destruction of 20 years of BTS dispatch records had made it more difficult to establish where the Armour batch had gone to. The Tribunal also heard extracts from two World In Action programmes, broadcast in 1975, which made serious allegations about a US blood firm and how it collected plasma to make blood products. The programmes which were entitled 'Blood Money' alleged to show how a division of the Baxter group did not apply its own donor screening procedures and increased the risks of hepatitis. Dr Lawlor stated that the risks of infection were known by the BTS, treating doctors and users but the benefits to haemophiliacs outweighed those considerations. She told the Tribunal that she would have put her own child on concentrates despite the known risks, because of what she termed 'the horror of untreated bleeds'. Dr Lawlor will return to the stand on Monday when she will be cross-examined by another party. Budge's Links to the Tainted Arkansas Prison Blood Story Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four Latest 100 'Blood Trail' Posts on the Free Republic BLOOD TRAIL -- Clinton  BLOOD TRAIL -- Timeline  BLOOD TRAIL - Who, What, Where …  FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE OUR GOVERNMENTS DIDN'T KNOW!!!

 

1976 Blood Money: What Canadian Red Cross donors didn’t know (1976)

1978 HEPATITIS AGENT: They've named it for what it isn't

(Early 70s) Poisoned blood left thousands to suffer unaided
with transcripts from an embargoed Canadian 1976 fifth Estate TV show "Bad Blood".

RCMP will not lay charges against government bureaucrats who destroyed crucial evidence

[adanaC]

These articles explain how major media and television were trying to alert the public in the mid 1970s to the danger of hepatitis in our blood supply, but health authorities in Ireland and Canada ignored this to save money. It shows how our governments shredded proof to cover their own hides. The ones who have paid for this tragedy are victims who were transfused. The costs have been lives. Some still survive to tell the story.

[lelio]

Here's a page about Clinton's Arkansas blood scandal in which prisioner's plasma was harvested and sold. Michael Sullivan's book _Blood Trail_ is about it.
According to this search on google there's a bunch of links (one of which mentions FR) but I can't pull up the seark.net link; the cache works though.

[adanaC]

Thanks lelio

I do have the book Blood Trail. I forgot to put the link to it.

 

(Early 70s) Poisoned blood left thousands to suffer unaided
with transcripts from an embargoed Canadian 1976 fifth Estate TV show "Bad Blood".

[Jen]

Attention FReepers: We interrupt this thread for a brief announcement regarding our sponsor:

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Thank you. We now return you to your regular postings.

[T'wit]

> seark.net link;

Probably Budge's old site. Budge, that so? How's the new one with Askel5 coming along?

[T'wit]

Note also that Armour reissued a product already thought to be inferior or dangerous.

We are so used to product recalls for the slightest safety reason that we can hardly imagine the irresponsible practices of the blood trade. Yet the truth is, both government and corporate bureaucrats consistently put money before public health. Blood products are costly to make and command a huge mark-up. Therefore, the bad stuff was almost always used instead of being thrown out. In one case I recall, blood known to be contaminated and banned for Canadian use, was simply sold overseas. It spread death and disease through several countries.

[T'wit]

The way you're jumping around there, it looks as if a bee got under your, um, outer garments :-)

[Jen]

That's what keeps me yelling!

[T'wit]

:-)

Thanks for your efforts on behalf of Freepland.

[T'wit]

> I forgot to put the link to it.

I'm not sure there is one. The book apparently was remaindered, i.e., sold for pennies on the dollar to be remarketed in discount places. I have a few copies if any of the 'Hounds needs one. Mike Galster and an associate may have a supply. Budge could ask him, if it's of interest.

It's a heckuva good book. We think Galster did better thinking on this than, oh, Ken Starr.

[lelio]

Are you talking about Blood Trail? Amazon says that it has 2 in stock and can get more. $20.

[T'wit]

> Are you talking about Blood Trail?

Yes. $20 is original list price. I can do better than that -- for a Bloodhound!

But I still have reason to believe that the main supply of the book was remaindered. Quite a few were printed. I can inquire, if it matters.

[Askel5]

How's the new one with Askel5 coming along?

I was about 1/2-way through saving hard copies of what's still up when I got a wild hair for the Catholic FReeper get-together in New Orleans. I'll be back on the trail in a fortnight.

[Askel5]

Thank you, adanaC.

I'd probably get banned for writing what I'm thinking so I'll leave it at that for now.

[Askel5]

you can be sure that Washington spin doctors are going to find a way to say that this is Saddam's fault. Their NWO lackeys had the gall to say that it was Milosevic's fault that NATO was dropping depleted uranium on Yugoslavia

Nothing like the Blood Trail to drive home how profitable are the relationships between Government and the purveyors of death, fear and population control.

[T'wit]

> I got a wild hair for the Catholic FReeper get-together in New Orleans.

Great! I'd love to hear how that went/goes :-)

> I'll be back on the trail in a fortnight.

Thanks much. Budge reports computer problems now anyway, but will also be ready in a bit. Both of you let me know how I can help, and keep me posted. I probably have nearly all the old files on disk somewhere. How -- and when -- to get at them is another matter!

[Askel5]

Great! I'd love to hear how that went/goes :-)

It's the 16th. I'll be sure to let you know how it went.

[T'wit]

> I'd probably get banned for writing what I'm thinking

<vbg>

[T'wit]

Please do! Regards to all from me and the Bloodhounds. If you do it at a certain Celtic pub, keep an eye out for Vali Talbot, the singer, aka Mrs. G.