Medical Freedom

[Soroush Ebrahimi]

Some 200 years ago the matter was discussed :

"Unless we put Medical Freedom into the Constitution, the time will come
when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship.
To restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges
to others will constitute the Bastille of medical science.
All such laws are un-American and despotic...
The constitution of the Republic should make special provisions for Medical
Freedom as well as Religious Freedom. "

Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Shannon Nelson]

Oooh, I *like* that!!!
Soroush, where did you come across it, and what was the context, audience,
etc.?
on 7/20/04 2:41 PM, Finrod at finrod@webstar.co.uk wrote:

[Allen Coniglio]

http://www.citizenshealth.org/amta.htm

The Access To Medical Treatment Act (AMTA)
We strongly support the American Association for Health Freedom ( web site
www.apma.net) in their effort to pass the The Access To Medical Treatment
Act. This is a Federal bill that has been introduced in the House by
Representatives Peter DeFazio, Joe Barton, and Ron Paul and in the Senate by
Senators Tom Daschle, Tom Harkin and Orrin Hatch, among others. The bill
numbers are HR 1964 and S 1378 respectively, to read the text of the bill
see http://thomas.loc.gov. and enter in the bill number.
Successful passage of this bill will require massive grass-roots community
support. We urge everyone to become active and work to support this bill by
writing your Senators and Representative. Visit How You can Support AMTA .
You can become familiar with the bill by going to www.apma.net and visiting
their Legislative Action Center for the names of your Representatives, and a
sample letter.

The American Association for Health Freedom has provided write-ups on three
topics.
The Access to Medical Treatment Act
Why Is Passage Of The Access To Medical Treatment Act Necessary For All
Americans?
Sample letter
See Access to Medical Treatment Act Questions & Answers
The Access to Medical Treatment Act
The Access to Medical Treatment Act (AMTA) would allow an individual to
be treated by any health care practitioner who is legally authorized to
provide health services in the state in which the services are provided,
with any method of medical treatment the individual desires, so long as:

1) the treatment causes no harm more serious than reactions experienced
with routinely used medical treatments for the same medical conditions; and

2) the patient is fully informed about the treatment and its possible
side effects.

The bill does not dismantle the FDA or allow pharmaceutical companies to
circumvent the agency. This legislation merely attempts to open up a closed
system to the utilization of new, alternative treatments. The strict claims
restriction in the bill is designed to ensure that little incentive exists
for major marketing efforts on non-FDA approved treatments, and should
address the legitimate concern that this legislation merely establishes a
"bypass" for the FDA approval process. In addition, the Federal Trade
Commission Act prevents pharmaceutical companies from marketing and
advertising non-FDA approved drugs.

This is a freedom of choice issue:

Permitting the administration of alternative medical treatments, provided
that individuals are not misled or misinformed, extends freedom of choice to
the consumers of health care and increases market competition. This
legislation stems from the conviction that patients should not be denied
access to a non conventional treatment, if there is no evidence that it is
harmful.

Medical doctors using only conventional therapies probably won't change
their way of practicing medicine if AMTA becomes law. The small percentage
of doctors using alternatives in medicine, naturopaths, dentists,
nutritionists, and others, however, will finally be free to use the
therapies they believe are best for their patients, and no longer have to
worry about harassment, censure, or recrimination.

As things stand now, those who hold one view of health care expect to be
allowed to decide what constitutes legal methods of healing. Benjamin Rush,
MD, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and personal physician to
George Washington said: "Unless we put medical freedom into the
Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an
undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of men
and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should
make a special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom."

Actually, access to the full range of therapies, products and medical
devices is quite restricted in the United States today. Americans are
prevented from using life enhancing and even life saving therapies that have
been used in other countries for decades. In surveys done by the Competitive
Enterprise Institute, emergency room physicians, oncologists, neurologists,
neurosurgeons, and cardiologists overwhelmingly favored access to unapproved
drugs and devices, as long as the products carried a warning about their
unapproved status. They also overwhelming agreed that the FDA's approval
process has hurt their ability to treat their patients with the best
possible care.

The FDA's present monopoly over approving new medical therapies is
creating a two-tiered health care system. Those with more resources are able
to access the best that the world has to offer. The rest of the population
must make due with what the FDA has approved.

Back to top of page
Why Is Passage Of The Access To Medical Treatment Act Necessary For All
Americans?
Medical doctors using only conventional therapies probably won't change
their way of practicing medicine if the Access to Medical Treatment Act
(AMTA) becomes law. The small percentage of doctors using alternatives in
medicine, naturopaths, dentists, nutritionists and others however, will
finally be free to use the therapies they believe are best for their
patients, and no longer have to worry about harassment, censure, or
recrimination.

As things stand now, those who hold one view of health care expect to be
allowed to decide what constitutes legal methods of healing. It is just this
kind of despotism that our Founding Fathers intended to prevent. Benjamin
Rush, MD, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and personal physician
to George Washington said: "Unless we put medical freedom into the
Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an
undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of men
and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should
make a special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom."

Actually, access to the full range of therapies, products, and medical
devices is quite restricted in the United States today. Americans are
prevented from using life enhancing and even life saving therapies that have
been used in other countries for decades. In surveys done by the Competitive
Enterprise Institute, emergency room physicians, oncologists, neurologists,
neurosurgeons and cardiologists overwhelmingly favored access to unapproved
drugs and devices, as long as the products carried a warning about their
unapproved status. They also overwhelming agreed that the FDA's approval
process has hurt their ability to treat their patients with the best
possible care.

The FDA's present monopoly over approving new medical therapies is creating
a two-tiered health care system. Those with more resources are able to
access the best that the world has to offer. The rest of the population must
make due with what the FDA has approved. Today, desperate patients travel to
clinics in Mexico, the Bahamas and elsewhere to access treatments that may
or may not be effective, and fall prey to internet scams and snake oil
salesmen. There is no way to collect data about what works and what doesn't.
Instead, we would rather ensure that patients are able to remain in the
United States, visit authorized practitioners, receive the protection and
complete information afforded by the legislation's informed consent and
other consumer protection requirements, and make it possible for
practitioners and the government to gather data on the effectiveness of
these therapies.

Not only does the Access to Medical Treatment Act expand patients' options,
it helps ensure patients' safety. In addition, it returns the
decision-making authority to the patient, and reasserts the sanctity of the
doctor-patient relationship.
American Association for Health Freedom
P.O. Box 458 . Great Falls, Virginia .22066
703-759-0662 . Fax 703-759-6711
www.apma.net

6/18/2001
Back to top of page
Sample for Letters to Senators and Congressman
Capitol Hill Address:
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0505

RE: Access to Medical Treatment Act

Dear:

I am writing, as a constituent and consumer, to ask you to cosponsor the
Access to Medical Treatment Act (S 1378/HR 1964). It would give me the right
to use non-FDA approved products, so long as I followed the consumer
safeguards outlined in the bill, and am under the care of an authorized
health care practitioner.

This is truly a patients' Bill of Rights. It returns the decision-making
authority to the patient, and reasserts the sanctity of the doctor-patient
relationship. Most importantly, it gives American consumers access to the
many drugs and therapies that are available to people all over the world,
but which cannot be sold in the United States.

Today, we have a two-tiered medical system: one track for the people who can
afford to fly to Germany or Italy or Canada for life-enhancing and
life-saving treatments; and one track for the rest of us. As a result, we
are literally encouraging a black market in such things as cancer and
arthritis treatments. We are also condemning millions of Americans to a life
of pain and even premature death because they cannot use safe and effective
products that are available elsewhere in the world.

It takes an average of 10 years and $320 million to get one drug through the
FDA approval process. Not every company is willing or able to make that kind
of investment, especially if they are already selling their products in
other countries. In the case of non-patentable products, there is simply no
incentive for companies to make that kind of investment.

I say, give Americans credit for being able to decide if they want to use a
particular therapy. Give their physicians credit for knowing if a therapy
will help their patient. And get the FDA bureaucrats out of the
decision-making process. Cosponsor the Access to Medical Treatment Act. It
has been introduced in the House by Representatives Peter DeFazio, Joe
Barton, and Ron Paul and in the Senate by Senators Tom Daschle, Tom Harking,
and Orrin Hatch, among others. Please add your name to this list of
cosponsors who understand the importance of health freedom!

Sincerely,