Phoenix surgeon Jeffrey Singer, who is also a senior fellow in Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, has leapt into action, spurred by the looming execution of Texas father Robert Roberson, whose 2003 conviction was based on a diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS).
In the few weeks since the state of Texas turned down Robert’s final appeal and confirmed an execution date of October 17, Dr. Singer has not only published an op ed in U.S.A. Today calling for a pardon but also organized an on-line Cato Institute symposium, open to the public, looking at the evidence underlying SBS/AHT theory.
“Regardless of one’s position the death penalty, it is evident that reasonable people with great expertise disagree regarding the plausibility of the SBS/AHT hypothesis,” he argues, “Therefore, we should all agree that the government should not execute someone based on the hypothesis while scientists are continuing to debate it.”
Hoping to assemble a panel of experts from both sides, Dr. Singer reports, he’d started contacting the physicians who’d signed the 2018 consensus statement supporting the prevailing model of SBS/AHT, but no one he’s reached has accepted his invitation to share a dais with critics of the theory. “One representative of the Child Abuse Pediatrics establishment went as far as to say that only clinical pediatricians are qualified to offer expert opinions on the subject,” he noted.
The Cato panel, therefore, features only consensus skeptics:
- Emeritus law professor Keith Findley, founder of the Wisconsin Innocence Project and the force behind the pivotal Audrey Edmunds appeal
- Radiologist Julie Mack, co-author of a paper this summer reporting on a videotaped short fall that caused subdural hematomas & retinal hemorrhages and a chapter in last year’s careful academic examination of SBS
- Forensic pathologist Patrick Lantz, whose groundbreaking work has challenged both the specificity and the timing of retinal findings
The community of families affected by abuse misdiagnosis is encouraging anyone who can attend to register, in hopes that a large turnout will underscore the magnitude of the problem. You can also submit questions ahead of time on the event site.
If you haven’t yet signed the Innocence Project petition on behalf of Robert Roberson: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/justice-for-robert-roberson/?p2asource=ip-em_09112024_Robert
Post-presentation update: You can see a recording of the presentation at the link above, https://www.cato.org/events/shaken-baby-syndrome-examining-evidence-shadow-execution
If you are not familiar with the debate around Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma, please see the home page of this site.
On Shaken Baby 