E-NEWS | JULY 14, 2003

VACCINATION EXEMPTION BILL SIGNED INTO LAW IN TEXAS:  Parents in Texas can now exercise a conscientious belief exemption to vaccinations for their children.  House Bill 2292 which proposed vaccine exemption was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on July 8, 2003.  Texas now joins 18 other states allowing vaccine exemption.

            The proposed bill was bitterly criticized by Texas pediatricians and public health officials.  But parents and health care professional groups who believe in vaccine safety and freedom of choice voiced strong support for this new law.

            "These other states are not having raging epidemics of disease just because they respect a parent's right to make educated choices," said Barbara Loe Fisher, President of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). "It is a basic human right to be able to voluntarily decide what you are willing to risk your life or your child's life for and Texas should be proud to be among the enlightened states which recognize this simple and moral fact."

            Dawn Richardson, president of Parents Requesting Open Vaccination Education (PROVE), who worked for seven years providing Texas legislators with background information for this bill said she received a letter from the Speaker of the House Tom Craddick after the bill was signed into law saying that the bill would assist parents who are "subjected to any harrassment at schools and day care facilities since a notarized exemption form will not be disputed by officials. An additional provision in HB 2292 prohibits health and human services agency from taking punitive action against a parent ...their parental decisions will be protected and respected in the future on this issue," he wrote.

            "We share the relief of parents and other groups who fought so hard to have this bill passed in Texas," said ICA Pediatrics Council Chair Dr. Joan Fallon. " Our council has always believed that vaccinations should be a choice issue and parents deserve to be told about the potential risks so they can make an educated decision. The medical community says there is no research to show that vaccines are harmful; by the same token there is no research to show they are beneficial. Fortunately more and more MDs are realizing the risks are greater than the benefits, calling for more research and advocating freedom of choice. We have two of these enlightened doctors speaking at our conference in November and we applaud their courage in taking a stand and speaking out,"  she added.  (see details of conference below)

NOVEMBER PEDIATRICS CONFERENCE HAS DYNAMIC PROGRAM: The Council is now accepting registrations for the ICA Pediatric Council's Annual International Conference to be held November  7-9 at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley,  Lake Tahoe, California.  This is one program anyone who is interested in chiropractic care for children and pregnant women should not miss. The program is excellent and offers up to 20 hours of license renewal credits (applied for in all states by co-sponsor Palmer College, Davenport). The speakers are all field practitioners and have the practice experience as well as the advanced learning/training/teaching experience.

Speakers include Drs Joan Fallon (author of Chiropractic & Pregnancy and the landmark study on effect of chiropractic adjustments in otitis media);  Peter Fysh (author of best-selling  textbook Chiropractic Care of the Pediatric Patient); Carol Phillips, cranial-sacral expert; Dan Murphy, internationally renowned speaker; Patricia Felder, children's sports chiropractor; pediatric diplomates Drs. Lora Tanis, Sharon Vallone, Elise Hewitt and Dale Fairchild. Also on the program are Stephanie Cave, MD (author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell you About Children's Vaccinations) and Ed Yazbak, MD, pediatrician and strong advocate for freedom of choice in vaccinations and more independent research on vaccinations and autism.  

Topics include autism, vaccines, several interactive case management discussions of chiropractic pediatric cases taken from the instructors' practice; a choice of one focused 4-hour hands-on workshop (infant, pregnancy or sports); cranial-sacral care of different age groups; and an exciting evening session on Chiropractic philosophy and pediatric care with Dr. Maxine McMullen and others.  There are also several paper presentations on chiropractic pediatrics.

For a  program brochure call the ICA Pediatrics Council at 1-800-423-4690 or 703-528-5000 or check ICA's website at www.chiropractic.org.  Room block is limited so you should make your reservations early 1-800-327-3353. Registrations for the conference will be filled on a first-come first served basis.

YEAR I of Diplomate in Pediatrics starting September 22-23 in San Jose:  Palmer College will be starting Year I of the ICA Pediatrics Diplomate program (DICCP) in San Jose, Calif., starting this September. The program includes online and onsite modules. There are five onsite weekend sessions. Onsite classes are primarily hands-on instruction.   Year II and III are also a mix of online and onsite modules.

Doctors who recently sat for the 2003 Pediatrics  Diplomate Board Examination said they liked this new format.  It saved them time away from their practice and families; expense of travel and accommodations; they could learn at their own pace and could review their materials online whenever they wanted which isn't possible with onsite classes. They also felt they learned more this way and it also allowed the instructors to devote the weekends to hands-on adjusting instruction. 

If you are interested in pediatrics, now is the time to take your interest to the next level.  Call the Palmer Institute at 1-800-452-5032 and sign up now. Pediatrics Council members get 10% discount on tuition.  For those in the East Coast,we are pleased to annouce that Palmer College will be offering Year I in Arlington, Va., starting March 2004. 

The DICCP is a recognized credential and the ICA Pediatric Diplomates are much in demand for referrals, consultation, teaching and speaking.

The ICA Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics is one of the specialty councils of the International Chiropractors Association.  Members of the Council receive a quarterly newsletter, get listed in the "Pediatrics Referral Directory", receive discounted rates for seminars, conferences, diplomate program, pediatrics journal, books and products, PR support as well as networking opportunities.  To join call 1-800-423-4690.