The Man Behind the Vaccine Mystery - Covering Eli Lilly or Nat'l Security???

[Guest guest]

>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/12/eveningnews/printable532886.shtml

>

>The Man Behind The Vaccine Mystery

>WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2002

>

>

>It's been a mystery in Washington for weeks. Just before President Bush

>signed the homeland security bill into law an unknown member of Congress

>inserted a provision into the legislation that blocks lawsuits against the

>maker of a controversial vaccine preservative called " thimerosal, " used in

>vaccines that are given to children.

>

>Drug giant Eli Lilly and Company makes thimerosal. It's the mercury in the

>preservative that many parents say causes autism in thousands of children

>like Kate Kilpatrick.

>

>Asked if she thinks her daughter is a victim of thimerosal, Kate's

>mother, Kathy Kilpatrick, says, " I think autism is mercury poisoning. "

>

>But nobody in Congress would admit to adding the provision, reports CBS

>News

>Correspondent Jim Acosta until now.

>

>House Majority Leader Dick Armey tells CBS News he did it to keep

>vaccine-makers from going out of business under the weight of mounting

>lawsuits.

>

> " I did it and I'm proud of it, " says Armey, R-Texas.

>

> " It's a matter of national security, " Armey says. " We need their vaccines

>if

>the country is attacked with germ weapons. "

>

>Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., isn't buying it. The grandfather of an autistic

>child, Burton says Armey slipped the provision in at the last minute, too

>late for debate.

>

> " And I said, 'Who told you to put it in?' " He said, 'No, they asked me to

>do

>it at the White House.' "

>

>Critics say the Bush family and the administration have too many ties to

>Eli

>Lilly. There's President Bush's father, who sat on the company's board in

>the 1970's; White House budget director Mitch s, once an Eli Lilly

>executive; and Eli Lilly CEO Sidney Taurel, who serves on the president's

>homeland security advisory council.

>

>Officials at the drug giant insist they did nothing wrong. " No one, not our

>CEO, not myself, not anyone who works with me asked the White House to

>insert this legislation, " said Eli Lilly spokeswoman Debra Steelman.

>

>But Kathy Kilpatrick and her husband argue that the thimerosal

>provision is not designed to protect the nation, but rather to protect Eli

>Lilly.

>

>Asked what he'd say to a congressman who came forward and admitted he was

>responsible for inserting the provision, Kilpatrick says, " I would

>ask him if he knew he was protecting mercury being shot into our kids. "

>

>Kathy Kilpatrick asks, " Why would anyone want to save Eli Lilly on our

>children's backs? "

>

>Because Armey is retiring at the end of the year, some say the outgoing

>majority leader is the perfect fall guy to take the heat and shield the

>White House from embarrassment.

>

>It's a claim both the White house and Armey deny.

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