When to Watch
Tonight,
Friday at 9 p.m. JAN 13
For decades, the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome virtually
guaranteed convictions, shattering the lives of thousands of parents, babysitters
and families. Now new evidence questions whether the syndrome even exists, and
whether some have been wrongfully convicted.
In a promotional video of an
interview this subject is discussed for five minutes – good introduction. Paul
and Zabeth Bayne are interviewed.
CBC News: 'Shaken Baby
Syndrome?'
If you are not in Canada and cannot tune in tonight, the video will be archived online for viewing around the world. And the link will be placed at this blog site.
Gillian Findlay hosts and reports for CBC Television's investigative program,
the fifth estate, and she is the principal reporter tonight with video and interviews that have been researched and assembled for many months for tonight awaited feature. Here is her bio. Her colleagues are
I AM CERTAIN THAT IT IS MERELY COINCIDENCE THAT THIS BROADCAST AIRS ON FRIDAY THE 13TH, ON ONE OF THE DARKEST STORIES OF OUR SOCIETY, WRONGLY ACCCUSED PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS.
Diagnosis Murder
"It's a scenario as
horrifying as it is heartbreaking: a frustrated parent ... a baby that
just won't stop crying ... and suddenly, what were tender, cradling arms
become instruments of death. At least this is how Shaken Baby Syndrome
has been characterized in countless court cases in recent years. But
what are the scientific foundations of this diagnosis?
Gillian
Findlay examines the conventional wisdom around Shaken Baby Syndrome,
discovering that those who question it often feel targeted by those who
believe passionately in it. And yet new science suggests the so-called
syndrome may be a physical impossibility.
"Diagnosis Murder"
tells the story of several Canadian parents who say they were wrongfully
accused--and the leading-edge medical researchers who believe they're
telling the truth. The stakes are high: Some have gone to jail. All have
had their other children taken away from them.
One couple
recently had their children returned after a four-year battle. Even
though the courts in B.C. cleared Zabeth and Paul Baynes of charges they
had shaken their baby, the couple feel they will carry the stigma for
life. Another man in Ontario has now had his case put up for judicial
review, giving him hope that his name may too be cleared.
Is
Shaken Baby Syndrome conclusive evidence of murder? Or is it a
scientific hypothesis that has convicted an untold number of parents as
killers -- when their children actually died from other causes?"
“Some time ago submissions were invited to the provincial standing interparty committee on the representative for children and youth. It is this committee which selected Ms. Turpel-Lafond and with whom she dialogues and to whom she reports. I made a fairly long submission and copied the minister, and deputy minister. In it I used the Bayne case to illustrate some of the serious flaws in the protection services and to suggest some remedies. I emphasized that I was not advocating for the Bayne case, but simply using the Baynes to illustrate some of the problems. Even before submissions had been invited, I had sent a similar letter to the minister and the deputy minister. I eventually got a reply.
