ABC drama with mercury-autism plot creates controversy

ABC, the same network that brought us 'Fatal Impact' -- the 2006 TV movie presenting a much-criticized dramatization of an avian flu pandemic -- is drawing fire from medical groups regarding the plot of the premiere episode of 'Eli Stone', a legal drama scheduled to debut on January 31.

As this New York Times story first reported last week, the plot of the first episode involves a 'ripped-from-the-headlines' case about a mercury-based vaccine preservative (called 'mercuritol' in the show) alleged to have caused autism in Eli Stone's client. At the end of the show, the jury apparently agrees that a link exists, deciding against the pharmaceutical industry and awarding the plaintiff $5.2 million.

News of the episode's plot has generated a remarkable amount of criticism from the medical community, including campaigns demanding ABC not air the episode. Here's a follow-up by the Times, "ABC Show Will Go On, Over Protests By Doctors." Leading the opposition has been the American Academy of Pediatrics -- here's a press release demanding the episode's cancellation and a letter to ABC from AAP President Renee Jenkins. Here is more coverage from the Associated Press, Reuters, and USA Today.

While all accounts suggest that 'Eli Stone' is a light-hearted series rather than a serious courtroom drama (commercials for the show prominently feature a singing-and-dancing George Michael, the 1980s pop singer who appears in 'visions' of the lead character), the medical community is still concerned that the show's plot will impact parents' decisions regarding vaccination. Today, the Immunization Action Coalition -- among the nation's most prominent advocates of vaccination -- encouraged readers of its e-mail newsletter to contact ABC and request that they cancel the episode.