Letter to Pointer

Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 16:25:01 -0600

From: "Baxterno"

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The past few days have been a shock to many women who over the past four years have read many of mplnts posts. Some of the women have been in contact with him concerning health issues. Many believed he was probably a med student or that the character of mplnt was a group of med students.

Today, those women are devastated. It doesn't matter that women have been warned about revealing themselves to strangers. Those who reached out to Mr. Patrick O'Leary did so in good faith, never believing that he was actually a employee of not just any breast implant manufacturer, but maybe their own.

For those ladies, I am truly sorry that their lives have been exposed to the antics of Mr. O'Leary. Mr. O'Leary never revealed his identity to me, even when I asked him for his credentials. Being very vocal that I was a Baxter victim and that the legal system had cost me my rights in this legal war, I was not a target of Mr. O'Learys. I can just imagine his glee when he has worked to cause so much division amongst the ranks.

Had Mr. O'Leary kept himself to just giving his scientific knowledge, I believe women could have dealt with that. However, he not only gave his own scientific knowledge, he also attacked anyone who questioned him for his credentials or who was working in the courts or media on behalf of women. I sincerely hope the board of directors of McGhan are proud today of their shining boy.

At least Dr. Uthman was man enough to fly under his own colors. Manhood has not reached Mr. O'Leary yet.

Judge Pointer does not believe it is his problem to monitor what a manufacturer may do. However, how many of us have been under the assumption for the past few years that we were to have no contact with any representative of a manufacturer. I guess when the cards were passed out, all the good hands were given to the manufacturers and to the lawyers. We women got the jokers.

Pointer and the Plaintiff Steering Committee should have known this situation existed. Since members of the PSC and the TCC had attended meetings all over the country where Penny Downey was, they had to have recognized her name too. If Mr. O'Leary was at any of those meetings, his name also should have been easily recognizable.

This Alabama judge and his legal beagles have not done their job in protecting the women from such invasions of privacy. Yes, they could argue that we should have stayed off the net. They could argue that we brought this upon ourselves. But, keeping our health problems hidden is not the way to healing.

I join Myrl is asking that the membership list of this group be accessible to all the members. For such a large group, we actually know who few of them are.

To contact Judge Pointer, send an email with your concerns about this i ssue to: Judge Pointer cc's on his letters are the following. Please feel free to include them in any message concerning this issue. Also, you might want to include your congressman in any correspondence.

The lists that have been so valuable over the past few years have been a haven for many women who felt so alone before. The lists have been a way to reach out and touch each other's lives. I know that many of you have lifted my family and me up in your prayers for along time. I love you all for that.

May God bless each of you.