ABC show to discuss Pittman case

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/2/04 8:37:08 AM US Eastern Standard Time,

mofunnow@... writes:

> http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3788492p-3395610c.html

>

> ABC show to discuss Pittman case

>

> By Cato The Herald

> (Published September 2, 2004)

>

>

Yes and hopefully they will pick up the 10 year old in Texas too.

These acts of violence are in no way coincidence. We are making kids into

killers though the use of forced drugging.

Marhoefer

The Defense Foundation for children USA

<A

HREF= " www.defensefoundationforchildren.com " >www.defensefoundationforchildren.com\

</A>

~Changing The Destiny Of A Child ~

investigative journalist-media-defense resources

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/2/04 8:37:08 AM US Eastern Standard Time,

mofunnow@... writes:

> http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3788492p-3395610c.html

>

> ABC show to discuss Pittman case

>

> By Cato The Herald

> (Published September 2, 2004)

>

>

Yes and hopefully they will pick up the 10 year old in Texas too.

These acts of violence are in no way coincidence. We are making kids into

killers though the use of forced drugging.

Marhoefer

The Defense Foundation for children USA

<A

HREF= " www.defensefoundationforchildren.com " >www.defensefoundationforchildren.com\

</A>

~Changing The Destiny Of A Child ~

investigative journalist-media-defense resources

[Guest guest]

ABC show to discuss Pittman case

By Cato The Herald

(Published September 2, 2004)

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3788492p-3395610c.html

Less than two weeks after landing on the front page of The New York

Times, the story of a boy charged with murdering his grandparents in Chester

County will be told Friday on " Good Morning America. "

The show can be seen locally on cable Channel 4 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

An ABC employee said the segment could be four to five minutes long and

should appear around 7:30 a.m., barring any major breaking news that could

pre-empt the appearance.

Andy Vickery and Menzies, attorneys for Pittman, as

well as the boy's maternal grandmother, Del Duprey, will fly to New York

today for the appearance.

The trio plans to discuss what they believe, and will try to prove in

court, is that an adverse reaction to antidepressant medication caused

Pittman to allegedly shoot and kill his grandparents in their rural Chester

County home in November 2001. Police say the boy shot Joe Pittman and

Joy Pittman both in the head while they were in bed and then set the

house on fire before fleeing in a family vehicle. He was 12 at the time, but

will be tried as an adult and could be sentenced to life in prison if

convicted.

Over a five-week period prior to the killings, Pittman had been on

Paxil and then Zoloft -- both of which are prescription antidepressants

classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.

Duprey said she's making the trip in order to get the word out about

what the drugs did to her grandson.

" That's the only reason I'm doing the show, " said Duprey, who lives

in central Florida. " I'm hoping it will bring awareness to the world, at

least to the United States, about these drugs and their dangers. "

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hold a two-day hearing

this month to release the findings of a months-long review of SSRIs and

their potential to cause children and teens to become suicidal. It has been

widely reported in recent weeks that the FDA's review will conclude that

there is an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in children

taking these drugs during company-sponsored clinical trials compared to

children given a placebo.

The British government late last year all but banned SSRIs from being

prescribed to children. Prozac, the only SSRI with FDA approval to treat

depression in children, was the lone exception.

Pittman's attorneys are seeking confidential Pfizer documents they

say will help prove that Zoloft can produce side effects that include

violence. The drug company denies this and is fighting the effort to have

these materials made available. A hearing on the matter has not been

scheduled.

Duprey believes the documents will prove that such problems exist

with the drug and thinks it's unfair that the public has not been informed.

" How can we make decisions about our children's medicines if we don't

have all the information? " Duprey asked. " It's so unfair we have to make

decisions about our children's health without it. Sometimes that information

is not known. But that's not the case here. The information is known. "

Cato . 329-4071

jcato@...

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