Nanny’s case emboldens those who question shaken-baby theory

Kudos to Kevin Cullen for his compelling follow-up on Aisling Brady McCarthy’s ordeal at the hands of Middlesex County (“ ‘I don’t trust people like I used to,’ ” Page A1, Jan. 17). And kudos to McCarthy, who seems to be showing a lot of wisdom.

The news that she is planning to file a civil case has electrified the growing community of innocent people whose lives have also been torn apart by a misdiagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. Some families have been exonerated when defense doctors uncovered other explanations for the findings. Others have lost their children to foster care and their spouses to prison.

For 40 years, the sincere but unproven opinions of child-abuse experts have informed the investigation of child abuse cases. When the doctor tells the detective that a baby was violently shaken by the caretaker in charge at the time of the collapse, the police identify that person, and the prosecutor presses charges. No one is looking closely at how the doctor can be so sure the child was shaken, and when.

Now a coalition of accused families and the professionals who defend them is calling for an objective, scientific review of the evidence for shaken baby theory, which we know to be flawed.

Sue Luttner, President
Protecting Innocent Families