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The Current

Has Shaken Baby Syndrome been overblown?

During the 1980s and 90s, researchers and pediatricians have been telling people about the damage caused by shaking an infant. But according to a new investigation by CBC Television's The Fifth Estate, there are growing concerns about the way prosecutions are being handled and serious questions about whether Shaken Baby Syndrome is even real. The Fifth Estate co-host Gillian Findlay...
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During the 1980s and 90s, researchers and pediatricians have been telling people about the damage caused by shaking an infant. But according to a new investigation by CBC Television's The Fifth Estate, there are growing concerns about the way prosecutions are being handled and serious questions about whether Shaken Baby Syndrome is even real. The Fifth Estate co-host Gillian Findlay joins us in studio to tell us more about her report called Diagnosis Murder.

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Today's guest host was Mike Finnerty in Montreal.

Part One of The Current

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It's Friday, January 13th.

Today, thousands of federal Liberals descend on Ottawa for a 3-day convention to chart the future direction of the party.

Currently, they're looking for something more specific than "nowhere to go but up."

This is The Current.

Has Shaken Baby Syndrome been overblown?

An infant's cry is one of the most trying sounds in the world. Even if you're not a parent, it'll make you want to do something -- anything -- to make it stop. As the theory goes, that's what leads to Shaken Baby Syndrome. A parent or caregiver gives in to a moment of frustration or anger, and shakes the baby in desperation. Clearly, not a good thing to do to an infant.

And throughout the 1980s and 90s, researchers and pediatricians mounted an effective campaign to warn us that shaking isn't just bad - it can be fatal. The syndrome has become so established, people have been prosecuted for assault and even murder.

But now, according to a new investigation by CBC Television's The Fifth Estate, there are growing concerns about the way those prosecutions are being handled ... and serious questions about whether Shaken Baby Syndrome is even real.
Gillian Findlay is reporting the story. She's one of the Fifth Estate's co-hosts and she was in Toronto.

You can watch her full report on Shaken Baby Syndrome tonight. It's called Diagnosis Murder and airs on The Fifth Estate at 9 o'clock on CBC Television, 9:30 in Newfoundland and parts of Labrador.


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