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Later, after a meeting when Multnomah executives decided to sever ties, Gerke e-mailed to Aney: "The bomb has been dropped." According to Gerke, Multnomah vice president Kyle Cummings called Ezzo in mid-March to inform the author of the company's decision. "Gary was instantly broken," Gerke wrote Aney. "He was very hurt that we would have to sever ties with him."

Christianity Today contacted Ezzo at his southern California office, but Ezzo refused to discuss Multnomah's decision, claiming there was more to the story. Ezzo told CT he was planning to meet in person with Multnomah executives. But in an interview with CT, Multnomah president Don Jacobson said an official statement would be released within weeks. "This [investigation] has been under way for quite some time and has reached a new height and level," he said.

The publishing company could face legal repercussions for its role in promoting Ezzo's materials. Gerke admitted to Aney that Multnomah did not have a medical editor who reviewed Ezzo's manuscripts. "Besides these [Babywise] books, we don't do any medical books," Gerke wrote. Moreover, the AAP has issued a statement saying that Ezzo's infant feeding schedule is inconsistent with the academy's own feeding recommendations for newborns.

Aney believes Multnomah should issue a public apology for misleading the public for so many years. "They're publishing a medical book with medical information in it, and they couldn't even spend the money and time to get a medical consultant to review the book and get a comment," he told CT. "It's insane. Multnomah should recall [the books]. They should acknowledge that they've been deceived by Ezzo. They are an accomplice and a victim. But they're not innocent."

In the process of gathering research, Aney says, he discovered multiple cases of children suffering because of Ezzo's methods: "It was literally an endless web of information regarding medical problems associated with it." Aney has documented the ten most serious cases.

In defending Babywise, Ezzo has dismissed reports of problems as poor parenting, inability to follow Babywise methods, or infant problems unconnected to Babywise.

Frank York was GFI's editorial director for two years before the organization fired him. York said he was instructed to examine the complaints being made against Babywise. Yet when he presented his findings to Ezzo, York says, the author appeared aloof and claimed certain parents were exaggerating their problems.

Although GFI told York he was being fired because he did not meet the company's editorial needs, York believes differently. "They realized I was not a Gary-worshiper," he said. "I pointed out all sorts of medical problems. I was very honest in the report. Gary does not like to be told that he's wrong."

York wrote an open letter to Multnomah last January strongly urging an investigation.

It is unclear whether GFI or Ezzo himself will gain control of the copyrights to the Babywise materials. "There are babies who are still going to be harmed," Aney said. "Churches are still going to want to teach it."

Hundreds of church leaders have distributed Ezzo's materials in their congregations to first-time parents. Others have parenting classes using Babywise methods. "The more people find out about Gary's character, he's losing influence gradually," York said. "Multnomah has had a reputation for integrity in the past, but they have been deceived by Gary for years. It seems that they have finally come to the conclusion that Gary lacks personal integrity. This has been a long time coming, but I am gratified that Multnomah is choosing integrity over profits."

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March (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45