Christine Maggiore
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2008-07-13T22:48:25Z
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'''Christine Maggiore''' (born [[1957]]) is an [[HIV-positive]]<ref name=Newsweek/><ref name="primetime"/> [[activist]] who [[AIDS denialism|denies]] that [[HIV]] causes [[AIDS]]. She is the founder of [[Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives]], an organization which questions "most common assumptions about HIV and AIDS".<ref name="AliveAndWell">[http://www.aliveandwell.org Alive & Well: AIDS Alternatives] official organization page.</ref> She is the author and self-publisher of the book ''"What If Everything You Thought You Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?"''
Maggiore has long been a controversial figure, particularly following the death of her 3-year-old daughter, Eliza Jane Scovill, on [[May 16]] [[2005]]. The [[Los Angeles County]] [[coroner]] concluded that Eliza Jane had died of [[Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia]] as a result of untreated [[AIDS]]. Maggiore had not taken medication to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to her daughter during pregnancy, and Eliza Jane was never tested for HIV during her lifetime.<ref name="LATimesArticle">[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/901859901.html?dids=901859901:901859901&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+24%2C+2005&author=Charles+Ornstein+and+Daniel+Costello&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=A+Mother%27s+Denial%2C+a+Daughter%27s+Death A Mother's Denial, a Daughter's Death]: Article from L.A. Times, Sep 24, 2005</ref><ref name="guardian">[http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1578142,00.html "Mother who denied Aids link faces police investigation after death of daughter"], by Julian Borger. Published in ''[[The Guardian]]'' on [[September 26]] [[2005]]. Accessed [[March 28]] [[2007]].</ref> A veterinary [[toxicologist]] (and [[AIDS denialist]]) retained by Maggiore to review the autopsy report disagreed with the coroner's conclusion, stating that he believed Eliza Jane's death was due to an [[allergic reaction]] to [[amoxicillin]].<ref name="LATimesArticle"/>
==History==
Born in [[Chicago, Illinois]], Maggiore grew up in Southern California. After graduating with honors from Reseda High, she worked in advertising and marketing in [[Los Angeles]] until 1984. After traveling through [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]] in 1984, she settled in [[Florence, Italy]], where she lived from 1985 to 1987. In 1986, Maggiore started what became a multimillion dollar import/export clothing company, Alessi International, based in [[Tuscany]]. In 1992, as part of a routine medical exam, Maggiore tested [[HIV positive people|HIV positive]]. A former boyfriend also tested positive.<ref name=Newsweek>"The HIV Disbeliever", by David France. Published in ''[[Newsweek]]'', 28 August 2000.</ref>
Following her diagnosis, Maggiore became involved in volunteer work for a number of AIDS charities, including AIDS Project Los Angeles, L.A. Shanti and Women at Risk. However, following some anomalous HIV test results (negative, positive and indeterminate) and subsequently an interaction with prominent [[AIDS denialist]] [[Peter Duesberg]] in 1994, she began to question whether HIV did in fact cause AIDS. Maggiore came to believe that her positive test may have been due to [[flu shot]]s, [[pregnancy]], or a common viral infection.<ref name="LATimesArticle"/>
In 1995, Maggiore left the clothing business to work as a freelance consultant for US government export programs. At the same time, she founded Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives, an organization designed to foster an environment where HIV-positive people can feel free to openly discuss their health decisions, including decisions to avoid HIV medications for themselves or their children.<ref name="AliveAndWell"/><ref name="LATimesArticle"/> Maggiore herself drew criticism for [[breast-feeding]] her children;<ref name="primetime">[http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/print?id=1386737 ABC News Primetime Live special report]</ref> breast feeding has been shown to increase the risk of [[vertical transmission|mother-to-child transmission]] of HIV.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Nduati R, John G, Mbori-Ngacha D, Richardson B, Overbaugh J, Mwatha A, Ndinya-Achola J, Bwayo J, Onyango F, Hughes J, Kreiss J | title = Effect of breastfeeding and formula feeding on transmission of HIV-1: a randomized clinical trial. | journal = JAMA | volume = 283 | issue = 9 | pages = 1167–74 | year = 2000 | pmid = 10703779 | doi = 10.1001/jama.283.9.1167}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Tess B, Rodrigues L, Newell M, Dunn D, Lago T | title = Infant feeding and risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in São Paulo State, Brazil. São Paulo Collaborative Study for Vertical Transmission of HIV-1. | journal = J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol | volume = 19 | issue = 2 | pages = 189–94 | year = 1998 | pmid = 9768630}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Watts D | title = Management of human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnancy. | journal = N Engl J Med | volume = 346 | issue = 24 | pages = 1879–91 | year = 2002 | pmid = 12063373 | doi = 10.1056/NEJMra013338}}</ref>
In a 2002 article entitled ''My Bout of So-Called AIDS'', Maggiore wrote that she had been diagnosed with a cervical condition (a "Grade 3 [[Pap smear]] with cervical dysplasia") which she wrote would qualify her for an AIDS diagnosis (in fact, although invasive [[cervical cancer]] is an AIDS-defining illness, an abnormal Pap smear has never been an AIDS-defining condition). Maggiore's doctors recommended further evaluation with [[colposcopy]]; Maggiore instead followed a [[naturopathic medicine|naturopathic]] program and had a third Pap test performed by another doctor under an assumed name, which she wrote was normal.<ref>[http://www.aliveandwell.org/html/rethinking/my_bout_of_so.html "My Bout of So-Called AIDS"]. Article by Christine Maggiore. Accessed 5 Dec 2006.</ref>
In a 2005 article in the [[L.A. Times]], Maggiore claimed to be in excellent health without taking [[HAART|anti-retroviral treatment]].<ref name="LATimesArticle"/> Maggiore states that her husband and partner, filmmaker Robin Scovill, tests repeatedly negative despite what Maggiore describes as "a decade of normal, latex-free relations", as does their son Charlie, born in 1997.<ref name="primetime"/><ref name="LATimesArticle"/>
==Death of Eliza Jane==
Christine Maggiore chose to not take [[antiretroviral]] drugs or other measures that medical evidence suggests could have reduced the risk of [[vertical transmission|mother-to-child transmission]] of HIV during her pregnancies.<ref name="guardian"/><ref>[http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD003510/frame.html Antiretrovirals for reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection]: A review of the medical literature from the [[Cochrane Library]]. Accessed [[March 16]] [[2007]].</ref><ref name=medical>Mofenson, LM, and the Committee on Pediatric AIDS. [http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/106/6/e88 Technical report: perinatal human immunodeficiency virus testing and prevention of transmission]. Pediatrics 2000; 106(6).</ref> However, given the known and unknown risks of antiretroviral use in pregnancy, the [[National Institutes of Health]] guidelines state that the final decision regarding their use "should be made by the woman after discussion with her health care provider about the known and unknown benefits and risks of therapy" in a "noncoercive" environment.<ref>[http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/PerinatalGL.pdf National Institutes of Health recommendations on HIV therapy during pregnancy.] Accessed 4 Dec 2006.</ref> Maggiore also [[breast-feeding|breast-fed]] her children, despite evidence that breast-feeding can also transmit HIV from mother to child. Her youngest daughter, Eliza Jane, was never tested for HIV, nor did she receive any of the recommended childhood vaccines.<ref name="LATimesArticle"/> Maggiore discussed her beliefs as an AIDS dissident on [[Air America Radio|Air America]] in March 2005, stating that "...our children have excellent records of health. They've never had respiratory problems, flus, intractable colds, ear infections, nothing. So, our choices, however radical they may seem, are extremely well-founded."<ref name="LATimesArticle"/>
===Illness and death===
Several weeks after this interview, in April 2005, Eliza Jane became ill with a runny nose. She was seen by a physician from the family's pediatric practice, who documented a normal physical exam. Several days later, Maggiore took Eliza Jane to see another [[pediatrician]], Dr. Jay Gordon, who felt she had a mild ear infection.<ref name="LATimesArticle"/> Reportedly, Gordon was aware of Maggiore's HIV status,<ref name="LATimesArticle"/> but did not have Eliza Jane tested for HIV and was not concerned about [[opportunistic infection]]. According to the hospital report, filed just after Eliza Jane's death and based upon an interview with Maggiore, Eliza Jane "had been diagnosed with pneumonia,"<ref name="autopsy">{{PDFlink|[http://www.aidstruth.org/ejs-coroner-report.pdf Autopsy Report on Eliza Jane Scovill]|2.29 [[Mebibyte|MiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 2409565 bytes -->}}</ref> in the weeks preceding her death.
When Eliza Jane failed to improve, Maggiore took her to see Dr. Philip Incao, a [[holistic]] practitioner and board member of Maggiore's dissident organization ''[[Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives]]''. Incao stated that Eliza Jane appeared "mildly ill... no way I considered her in danger... she did not act as a patient acts if she's severely ill or in danger."<ref name="primetime"/> On [[May 14]] [[2005]], Incao prescribed [[amoxicillin]] for a presumed [[otitis media|ear infection]].
The following day, Eliza Jane became lethargic and vomited several times. While Maggiore was on the phone to Dr. Incao, Eliza Jane collapsed and stopped breathing.<ref name="LATimesArticle"/> She was rushed by ambulance to Valley Presbyterian Hospital in [[Van Nuys, California]]. Physicians attempted to resuscitate Eliza Jane, but were unsuccessful. According to the hospital report, a "chest x-ray revealed pneumonia," and Eliza Jane was pronounced dead at 5:40 AM on [[May 16]] [[2005]].<ref name="autopsy">{{PDFlink|[http://www.aidstruth.org/ejs-coroner-report.pdf Autopsy Report on Eliza Jane Scovill]|2.29 [[Mebibyte|MiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 2409565 bytes -->}}</ref>
===Cause of death===
An [[autopsy]] was performed. The [[Los Angeles County]] [[coroner]] found that Eliza Jane was markedly [[failure to thrive|underweight and underheight]], consistent with a chronic illness, and that she had had pronounced [[atrophy]] of her [[thymus]] and other lymphatic organs. Examination of her lungs showed infection with ''[[Pneumocystis jiroveci]]'', a common [[opportunistic infection|opportunistic pathogen]] in people with AIDS and the leading cause of pediatric AIDS deaths.<ref>[http://www.thebody.com/content/treat/art6573.html] Accessed 20 July 2007.</ref> The post-mortem examination of Eliza Jane's [[brain]] showed changes consistent with HIV encephalitis; protein components of [[HIV]] itself were identified in Eliza Jane's brain tissue via [[immunohistochemistry]].<ref name="autopsy"/>
Based on the clinical information, the immunohistochemical documentation of HIV in Eliza Jane's brain, the evidence of pronounced immunosuppression, and the isolation of the opportunistic [[pathogen]] ''Pneumocystis jiroveci'' from Eliza Jane's lungs, the coroner concluded that Eliza Jane had died of [[Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia|Pneumocystis pneumonia]] in the setting of advanced AIDS.<ref name="autopsy"/> This conclusion was described by the coroner as "unequivocal".<ref name="primetime"/>
Maggiore rejected the coroner's conclusion, ascribing it to political bias and attacking the personal credibility of the senior coroner, James Ribe.<ref name="justiceforej">[http://www.justiceforej.com/ Justice For E.J.], website maintained by David Crowe of the Alberta Reappraising AIDS Society, accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref> Maggiore retained a board member of [[Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives]], [[toxicologist]], Mohammed Al-Bayati, to review the autopsy report. Al-Bayati holds a [[Ph.D.]] in comparative pathology (the pathology of animal diseases). He is not a [[medical doctor]], nor is he board-certified in human pathology.<ref name="cv">[http://www.justiceforej.com/al-bayati.html Mohammed Al-Bayati's C.V.], accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref> He is the author of a book entitled ''Get All The Facts: HIV Does Not Cause AIDS''.<ref>[http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/books/abbtoxic.htm Virusmyth (dissident) website advertising Mohammed Al-Bayati's book]. Accessed 1 Dec 2006.</ref>
Al-Bayati released a report describing his conclusion that Eliza Jane had not died from AIDS or pneumocystis pneumonia, but from an [[allergic reaction]] to [[amoxicillin]].<ref name="abreport">[http://www.justiceforej.com/Al-BayatiReport.pdf Mohammed Al-Bayati's review of Eliza Jane Scovill's autopsy], accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref> Maggiore embraced Al-Bayati's conclusion that a reaction to amoxicillin was responsible, stating, "I believe the unfortunate irony in this situation is that the one time that we were asked to and that we complied with mainstream medicine, we inadvertently gave our daughter something that took her life."<ref name="primetime"/>
Al-Bayati's report has been dismissed as both biased and medically unsound.<ref name="gdotcom">[http://www.gay.com/health/safetyzone/article.html?coll=health_fitness&sernum=3265&page=1 Christine Maggiore: AIDS naysayer], accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref><ref name="Bennett">[http://catallarchy.net/blog/wp-content/images/A_report_on_Eliza.pdf#search='nicholas%20bennett%20eliza%20jane%20scovill' Rebuttal to Dr. Mohammed Al-Bayati's report, by Nicholas Bennett], accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref> Both the [[L.A. Times]] and [[Primetime (TV series)|ABC PrimeTime Live]] consulted independent experts in pathology about Eliza Jane's case; these experts agreed unequivocally with the coroner's conclusion that AIDS and resultant Pneumocystis pneumonia were the cause of death, and rejected Al-Bayati's report.<ref name="LATimesArticle"/><ref name="primetime"/>
==Criticism and controversy==
Following Eliza Jane Scovill's death, Maggiore's beliefs have become points of controversy. Maggiore has held fast to her belief that HIV does not cause AIDS, and that Eliza Jane died of a reaction to amoxicillin.<ref name="justiceforej"/> Maggiore has also described much of the major journalistic coverage of her story as biased or inaccurate.<ref name="justiceforej"/> She submitted a letter to the L.A. Times alleging factual errors and omissions in their articles on Eliza Jane; the Times did not print the letter, stating that "If facts in an article are wrong, a correction would be published. However, no correction is warranted in this case."<ref>[http://www.justiceforej.com/LATimes.html Maggiore's view of the L.A. Times article], accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref>
Others point to the evidence which indicates that Eliza Jane acquired AIDS from Maggiore [[perinatal]]ly or via breast feeding, that Eliza's HIV infection might have been prevented had Maggiore taken antiretroviral drugs or avoided breast feeding, that Eliza Jane's death was due to complications of AIDS, and that her death may have been preventable with proper medical care.<ref name="LATimesArticle"/><ref name="primetime"/><ref name="Bennett"/>
Dr. John Moore, speaking at the 16th [[International AIDS Conference]], described Eliza Jane's death as a concrete example of the human harm that can result from [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] beliefs such as [[AIDS denialism]]:
{{Quotation|... infants whose HIV infected mothers listen to AIDS denialists never got the chance to make their own decisions. The Maggiore case received wide publicity. Christine Maggiore is a person who’s proselytized against the use of antiretrovirals to prevent HIV/AIDS. She’s a classic AIDS denialist, and she gave birth to a child who died at age three late last year of an AIDS-related infection. The coroner’s report clearly reports that the child died of AIDS. That was another unnecessary death.<ref>[http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/uploaded_files/081306_ias_sat_journalism.pdf HIV and Responsible Journalism], presented at the 16th annual International AIDS Conference, accessed [[5 September]] [[2006]].</ref>}}
Maggiore's inclusion as an exhibitor at the 13th [[International AIDS Conference]] in [[Durban]], [[South Africa]] has been criticized by AIDS activists.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/04/opinion/edmoore.php Criticism of Maggiore's inclusion in the 13th International AIDS Conference]</ref>
The journalist and [[AIDS denialist]] [[Celia Farber]] wrote an article in June 2006 in the independent paper ''[[Los Angeles CityBeat]]'', arguing Maggiore's case and alleging incompetence, [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy]], and coverups on the part of the coroner, the mainstream AIDS community, the mainstream media, and the medical community. In particular, Farber's article raised the issues that the coroner's office had not disclosed the results of Eliza Jane's HIV serology test, and that her [[lymphocyte|total lymphocyte count]] was elevated at the time of her death.<ref>[http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/a_daughter_s_death_br_a_mother_s_survival/3887/ Celia Farber, ''A Daughter's Death, A Mother's Survival,'' Los Angeles City Beat].</ref>
===Legal ramifications===
The death of Eliza Jane was investigated by the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] and the Los Angeles Department of [[Child Protective Services]] as a possible case of medical neglect or [[child endangerment]].<ref name="LATimesArticle"/> On [[September 15]] [[2006]] the LA County District Attorney's office announced that it would not file charges against Christine Maggiore, noting that Ms. Maggiore did take her sick child to several physicians.<ref name="latimesfollowup">[http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aidsmom16sep16,1,5247537.story "L.A. County D.A. Won't Act in Girl's AIDS-Related Death"], article in the L.A. Times, published 16 September 2006. Accessed 5 October 2006.</ref>
In September 2006, the Medical Board of California filed charges of [[gross negligence]] against one of these physicians, [[Paul M. Fleiss|Dr. Paul Fleiss]], a convicted [[felon]]<ref name="latimesfollowupII">[http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-fleiss9oct09,1,764988.story "Fleiss (the father) is placed on probation], article in the L.A. Times, published 9 October 2007. Accessed 10 October 2007.</ref> who was Eliza Jane's pediatrician, alleging a failure to test Eliza Jane for HIV (or to document her parents' refusal of testing), a failure to counsel Maggiore to avoid breast-feeding at any time during the three years Maggiore breast-fed her daughter, given the risk of transmitting HIV, and similar violations of standard medical practice in Fleiss' care of a second HIV-positive child.<ref name="latimesfollowup"/>
In September 2007, the Medical Board of California issued its decision in the Fleiss case, effective October 8, 2007.<ref name="FleissDecision">{{cite web|url=http://www.aidstruth.org/MedBoardResult.pdf|title=Decision in the Matter of the Accusation Against: Paul Fleiss, M.D. - MBC Case #17-2005-169843|accessdate=2007-10-21|author=Attorney General|coauthor=Medical Board of California|date=2007-09-10|format=PDF|publisher=Medical Board of California|pages=14|language=English}}</ref> The Board revoked Fleiss' medical license, but stayed this action in favor of a 35-month probation period during which Fleiss must submit to regular monitoring, pay costs, notify insurance and hospitals of the decision against him, and take continuing medical education (CME) classes and record-keeping courses. He is not permitted to supervise Physician's Assistants and has affirmed the practice of referring HIV-positive patients to a specialist.
In an admonition letter dated September 13, 2007, an Inquiry Panel of the Colorado State Board of Medical Examiners issued its finding that Dr. Philip Incao's "care and treatment and lack of timely documentation" in the case of Eliza Jane Scovill "falls below the generally accepted standards of medical practice". The Panel warned Dr. Incao that any further instances of such behavior could result in "formal disciplinary proceedings against your license to practice medicine".<ref>[http://www.aidstruth.org/Incao-Letter.pdf State of Colorado State Board of Medical Examiners letter to Dr. Philip F. Incao, M.D.] Accessed 04 May 2008.</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-eliza24sep24,0,4062292.story A Mother's Denial, A Daughter's Death]: from the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.
*[http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/print?id=1386737 Did HIV-Positive Mom's Beliefs Put Her Children at Risk?] An ABC News Primetime special.
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1578142,00.html Mother who denied Aids link faces police investigation after death of daughter]: from ''[[The Guardian]]''.
*[http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/maggiorecoroner.pdf Autopsy report of Eliza Jane Scovill] dated [[May 18]] [[2005]].
*[http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3887&IssueNum=157 Celia Farber article in LA City Beat]
*[http://www.justiceforej.com/ Justice for EJ], a site defending Christine Maggiore, maintained by David Crowe of the Alberta Reappraising AIDS Society.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maggiore, Christine}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:AIDS denialism]]
[[Category:HIV-positive people]]
[[Category:Living people]]