Another medic appears before the GMC.....

The General Medical Council (GMC) has accused another medical expert witness of producing unsafe evidence in court. This follows on from the well reported Professor Meadow case.

Jane Donegan, a GP and homeopath, gave evidence in court that supported the claims of two mothers seeking to prevent their former partners from enforcing childhood immunisation of their children (aged 4 and 10 years). The mother's case was rejected by the trial judge and their appeal dismissed in 2003.

Dr Donegan, who is personally opposed to immunisation, submitted two written expert witness court reports and also gave oral evidence. Both the trial judge, Mr Justice Sumner, and Lord Justice Sedley were highly critical of her evidence. Lord Justice Sedley said that the court had been presented with 'junk science' and Mr Justice Sumner was 'compelled to the reluctant conclusion that in this case Dr Donegan had allowed her deeply held feelings on the subject of immunisation to overrule the duty she owes to the court'.

Dr Donegan denied breach of duty but ackowledged that most of the authors of the scientific papers from which she quoted did in fact recommend vaccination, and in some cases even repeated courses of vaccination. Dr Donegan claimed that this was unintentional.

On 24th August 2007, after a 10 day hearing, the GMC Panel found that Dr Donegan did not allow her beliefs to overrule her duty to the court and to the litigants. Dr Donegan was found not guilty of serious professional misconduct.