"This was a case about a GP who actually admitted to giving advice that was negligent" As explained above, only a lawyer would count that as an admission, but lawyers are dishonest people anyways. Given that I am almost certain I have heard this exact sentence before, I wonder if she has had legal coaching before deciding to go on TV. Since she declined an interview in a paper in November, and was silent on social media until now, I assumed that her lawyer told her to zip it.
"She didn't have a family her own" - as discussed before, Caroline Toombes told the court that she lost both parents at a young age (no details on what exactly happened). However, going to your doctor to ask when it is safe to attempt conception after being on the pill demonstrates to me 1. an irrational level of anxiety 2. general stupidity seeing as most women going to their GP about the pill are worried about
getting pregnant because they had sex after missing a few.
"There and then the GP said that folic acid was not necessary." "And that's what was written on the notes." "Exactly." This is just untrue. Here's what the notes said and the judge's take on them, according to the doctor's laywers.
It was accepted that Dr M had no recollection of the consultation and was therefore entirely reliant on his usual practice and his note which read: “Preconception counselling. adv. Folate if desired discussed”. The Judge did not accept Dr M’s evidence that, in accordance with his usual practice, he advised a 400 µg supplement for women preparing for pregnancy and in the first trimester. He would additionally advise that if a patient had very good folic acid intake from their normal diet, then the benefit of supplementation would be less important although the dietary intake of folic acid would need to be very good in order to avoid the need for the 400 µg supplement. The Judge found that Dr M was attempting to reconstruct a conversation/consultation on the basis of an “inadequate note” which required him to speculate or make assumptions about what was said.
Caroline disputes this.
'He told me it was not necessary,' she told the judge. 'I was advised that if I had a good diet previously, I would not have to take folic acid.'
Personally, I think this comes down to the doctor being faced by a young woman who is clearly very anxious about something that really shouldn't be much cause for anxiety and giving her suitable reassurances. Of course, Dr Mitchell cannot recall this anxious patient he met for ten minutes 20 years ago so he can't really defend himself on that point. If you want to remind yourself on how much of a nutcase Caroline Toombes really is, see my
post. As Evie admitted, she was the driving force behind the entire thing.
"This is about sticking to guidance. If the guidance had been adhered to a healthy child could have been born, based on statistics." Not wrong, as the courts operate on a 50/50 basis and Evie's genetic condition is one in a million or something like that. That's how ridiculous this case is. But it's also based on Caroline's suggestion that she would have held off conceiving for a month to let the folic acid build up, something she didn't suggest until quite late in the legal preparations. If she is telling the truth about waiting for a month it adds to the evidence that she is a mentally unwell woman.
They talk about the spina bifida - folic acid link. Evie is very careful to not announce that her form of spina bifida isn't linked to folic acid intake, even though it would be pertinent to highlight that this is not what the court case was about, rather the time of conception. During the webinar for doctors her lawyer did make sure to say this, and the other webinar by the doctors' lawyers made a point of this as well as initially the parents were trying to sue on the folic acid causing the spina bifida, things then went silent when they were told it was genetic, then the story changed 4 years later.
"How did your mum explain this to you, because it's a tough thing to hear, isn't it? That actually, if you could go back in time and go to a different GP, I mean, it's "wrongful conception", you wouldn't be here!" "Yeah, I think it's such a whirlwind and very, maybe what I think's been reported is kind of been twisted a bit, but we looked at it like when you're starting a family you want to give it the best chance, don't you, and you would want to give anyone the best chance, and GPs are given guidance to help them so that everyone can have uniform advice, whatever GP you go to, our NHS all has the same advice and criteria. But if that's not given, and guidances fail, that's where the issue comes." Evie, this is not China where doctors are forced to stick to government issued medical management plans at the cost of their wages. Doctors can and do deviate from guidance in individual cases, such as in the case of your mum. In fact, the kidney doctors probably deviated from guidance too when they were trying to treat your super rare and special potassium issues. Gonna sue them too? I was kinda upset that she went around this question because I would also like to know how she feels about it and how her mum explained that she should not have been conceived. I wonder if the public lost any remaining sympathy with her here because she comes off as a bit emotionless about her own story.
They then talk about the implications for doctors.
"I think if you are a GP that is sticking to advice and guidance and giving correct advice, you are absolutely fine. This was about a GP, knowing the guidance, and choosing not to disclose it and give the correct information and actually advised the opposite." I remember posting before about not biting the hand that feeds you. If you rely on daily medical intervention I would advise you not to sue your doctors then go on national television and tell them how to do their jobs. Especially when you only have three GCSEs yourself.
"There's been speculation that you could be awarded millions and I imagine you want to clarify this slightly because the money will be going to cover your lifelong care costs, right?" "Exactly, so this isn't anything like that. What happens now is that doctors assess my health and work out what it would costs to keep me alive and cared for, and that's what it's based on." One of the twitter commentators spoke out about her eyes lighting up when the interviewers mentioned millions. Anyways, yes, the doctor pays nothing and it comes out of NHS Resolutions, i.e. the public purse, and people are very upset that she sued "the NHS" when it is currently ailing and failing because money. What confuses me is that all her treatment would be on the NHS anyways. The only thing I can think she'd argue she needed would be a snazzy powerchair for when her legs finally give up on her. I initially thought she would spend this money on a new horse, or maybe upgrade her medical horsebox, but I'm not sure now - surely money awarded would be based on necessities and care needs.
The interviewers talk about some of her achievements
"Doesn't the fact that you are now sitting here as this incredibly accomplished woman, if you changed that at birth, you wouldn't be the person you are now." "
Exactly but this is about preventing health conditions for new children. If every family has a chance to have a healthy child I think we'll all choose that, nobody would choose to be unwell. But I've had a really great opportunity in terms of living with this to start on social media and create a place where we're all following each other's journeys and everyone is learning from each other - even people without health conditions - it's great to learn about it and create more acceptance and understanding." She then goes on to talk about some of the talks she does in school and how important it is for children to learn about her (remember that storybook she wrote with her mum about a puppy with legs that don't work and urination trouble, just like Evie?) Evie has admitted before to not having many friends and having tough times at school. It used to be all horse pics on her instagram but it slowly became a gastroparesis extravaganza as she found this fed (lol) her attention needs. Interestingly at the start of the segment she had mentioned her stoma which she hardly ever posts about. I guess it just isn't as glamorous as TPN. She also never mentions her "find a way, not an excuse" motto. I think she knows by now it is an expression that most disabled people would shake their heads at for the inspo porn value.