Chiropractic Awareness Council Discussion of Vaccination

Chiropractic Awareness Council (Canada)

Colleagues,

As many of you are aware, last fall the CCO indicated their intention to effectively put a gag order on the discussion of vaccination by a chiropractor. This came to fruition on Tuesday, February 10 with a vote by the Executive Council to accept the proposed change in Standard of Practice S-015 known as Version 1.

The entire Standard, as voted on by the Executive Committee, is included at the bottom of this communique. In a nutshell, any DC licensed with the CCO will be required by law to NOT comment on the public health issue of vaccination in any form, with fines of $25,000 and/or imprisonment as penalty for contravention of the standard.

For your information, the voting by the Executive Council is as follows:

– In favour of proposed Standard: ALL 6 public members, Dr. Brian Schut (District 4 – Metro Toronto), Dr. Drew Potter (District 5 – Central West), Dr. David Leprich (District 5 – Central West)

– Opposed to proposed Standard: Dr. Gilles Lamarche (District 1 – Northern), Dr. Jacques Laquerre (District 2 – Eastern), Dr. Marshall Deltoff (District 4 – Metro Toronto), Dr. Lynda Montgomery (District 6 – Western).

If you like the way your elected representative voted, we would suggest that you write them to congratulate them. If you do not like the way your elected representative voted, we would suggest that you write them to chastise them. We would also suggest that you copy the CCO with your letter so that they have a record of your opinion on this very important matter as well. We would appreciate a copy as well. Please keep your correspondence polite, respectful and professional.

We would also suggest that you contact any other chiropractic organization that you are connected with to have them apprise you of both their policy on vaccination (ours is attached), and their position in this matter. You may be surprised at what you hear.

We feel that our regulatory body taking away our right to make comment on ANY issue related to the health and well-being of our patients, the citizens of Ontario is contrary to the very reason they exist. The CCO mission statement states they are “committed to improving the health and well-being of Ontarians by informing the public and assuring them of competent and ethical chiropractic care”. We do not believe this standard reflects that mandate.

If you are concerned about this issue, we would suggest that NOW is the time to voice your opinion. Waiting for someone else to do it is NOT an option. Let your CCO representative know your feelings, let the CCO know your feelings. If you have patients who have an opinion on this matter, feel free to let them know that it is for their “best interests” that this proposal has been voted in, and that above all, their feelings matter the most.

Please recognize that this is not a ‘pro vs con’ argument on the merits of this medical intervention. It is about freedom of speech, and the rights and responsibilities that accompany the granting of the title “Doctor” when we graduate. We feel that being portal of entry practitioners, having this sort of standard as a legal entity is demeaning to our profession, in that it implies that although we are thoroughly trained and licensed as doctors, we somehow are not intelligent enough to be able to research this topic and provide the best available evidence for those who seek our guidance. It is also both morally corrupt and potentially harmful to our patients in that they are denied an opportunity to be given access to all information allowing them to make an informed decision on this issue.

Standing on Principle
Dr. Steven J. Silk
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Chiropractic Awareness Council
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C.A.C. Head Office
Toll Free Number: 1-877-997-9927
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Mailing Address:
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595 Woolwich Street
Avenue Guelph, Ontario N1H 3Y5

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