Association of American Physicians and Surgeons 3666556 224502385 2008-07-09T03:37:21Z Andrewlp1991 4322169 /* Positions */ merging short paragraph, reorg. the Hurwitz appeal The '''Association of American Physicians and Surgeons''' (AAPS) is a [[Conservatism in the United States|politically conservative]] association of [[physician]]s, medical professionals and students, patients and others,<ref name="membership">{{cite web | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/membership.php | title=AAPS membership information | publisher=AAPS website | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> founded in 1943.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,933370,00.html | title=Portent | publisher=[[Time (magazine)|TIME magazine]] | date=8 May 1944 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> According to the AAPS's website, the organization is "dedicated to the highest ethical standards of the [[Hippocratic Oath|Oath of Hippocrates]] and to preserving the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship and the practice of private medicine",<ref>{{cite web | title=AAPS Online | publisher=AAPS website | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/| accessdate=2006-01-30}}</ref> and to "supporting the principles of the [[free market]] in medical practice."<ref name="membership"/> The motto of the AAPS is ''omnia pro aegroto'' which means "all for the patient." The group had approximately 4,000 members in 2005.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1090918,00.html | title=Doctors Who Hurt Doctors | publisher=[[Time (magazine)|TIME magazine]] | date=2005-08-07 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> Notable members include [[Ron Paul]] and [[John Cooksey]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/newsletters/oct02.htm | title=Volume 58, No. 10 October 2002 | author=AAPS | date=October 2002 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> The executive director is Jane Orient, professor of clinical medicine at the [[Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine]]. ==Positions== A 1966 article in the ''[[New York Times]]'' described the organization as an "ultra-right-wing... political-economic rather than medical" group, and asserted that historically some of its leaders had been members of the [[John Birch Society]].<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0714F73F55117B93C2AA178DD85F428685F9 New Power in A.M.A.; Milford Owen Rouse], published [[June 30]] [[1966]] in the ''[[New York Times]]''. Accessed [[March 16]] [[2007]].</ref> According to the JBS website, several members of the JBS National Council are associated with the AAPS.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Council|url=http://www.jbs.org/index.php/aboutjbs1/john-birch-society-national-council|publisher=John Birch Society|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> Currently, the organization opposes mandatory [[vaccination]],<ref>{{cite web | title=AAPS Mandatory Vaccine Factsheet | publisher=AAPS website | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/testimony/mandvac.htm | accessdate=2007-02-23}}</ref> [[universal health care]]<ref>{{cite web | title=AAPS Petition | publisher=AAPS website | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/alerts/singlepaypetition.htm | accessdate=2007-02-23}}</ref> and government intervention in healthcare.<ref>{{cite web | title=AAPS Letter Against Healthcare Reform | publisher=AAPS website | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/confiden/hr4157-letter.php | accessdate=2007-02-23}}</ref> The AAPS has characterized the effects of the [[Social Security Act of 1965]], which established [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]], and socialized medicine as "evil" and "immoral",<ref>[http://www.aapsonline.org/brochures/princip.htm Principles of the AAPS], from the AAPS website. Accessed [[March 10]] [[2007]].</ref> and encouraged members to avoid participating in Medicare and Medicaid.<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A11FE3A54177A93C7A91783D85F418685F9 Medicare Boycott Urged for Doctors], published [[August 5]] [[1965]] in the ''[[New York Times]]''. Accessed [[March 16]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://www.aapsonline.org/medicare/optoutnotes.htm Notes on Opting Out of Medicare], from the AAPS website. Accessed [[March 10]] [[2007]].</ref> AAPS believes that there is no [[right]] to medical care, and opposes efforts to implement a national health plan.<ref>[http://www.aapsonline.org/resolutions/2001-1.htm RESOLUTION 2001-1: Medical Care Is NOT a Right], from the AAPS website. Accessed [[March 10]] [[2007]].</ref> The organization also opposes the use of [[evidence-based medicine]] and practice guidelines as a usurpation of physician [[autonomy]].<ref>[http://www.aapsonline.org/newsletters/jan06.php The Standard of Care], from the AAPS website. Accessed [[March 10]] [[2007]].</ref> Other procedures that AAPS opposes include [[abortion]]<ref>[http://www.aapsonline.org/resolutions/2003-2.htm Resolution passed by the Assembly - Affirming the Sanctity of Human Life], from the AAPS website. Accessed [[March 12]] [[2007]].</ref> and [[Over-the-counter drug|over-the-counter]] access to [[emergency contraception]].<ref>[http://www.aapsonline.org/testimony/fda-ab.php Comments re: Docket No. 2005N-0345, RIN 0910-AF72], from the AAPS website. Accessed [[March 12]] [[2007]].</ref> In 2004, AAPS filed a brief on behalf of [[Rush Limbaugh]], opposing the seizure of his medical files in an investigation of alleged misuse of prescription drugs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/2/21/141518.shtml | title=Doctors Group: Limbaugh Medical Records Seizure Unlawful | publisher=[[NewsMax Media|NewsMax.com]] | date=2004-02-22 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> In 1975, they went to court to block enforcement of a new [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] amendment that would monitor the treatment given [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]] patients.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,913792,00.html | title=Review for Doctors | publisher=[[Time (magazine)|TIME magazine]] | date=1975-12-01 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> More recently, they have been involved in litigation against [[HIPAA]], arguing that it is violates the [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] by allowing government access to certain medical data without a warrant.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4365/is_200110/ai_n15252165 | title=Physicians File Lawsuit To Overturn HIPAA | author=Peters, S. | publisher=Internal Medicine News | date=October 2001 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> In 2006 the group criticised what it called [[sham peer review]], claiming it was a device used to punish [[whistleblowers]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/peerreview/epidemic.php | title=Sham Peer Review: A National Epidemic | author=Lawrence R. Huntoon | date=2006-05-09 | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> In 2005, the AAPS helped appeal the conviction of Virginia internist [[William Hurwitz]], who was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for prescribing excessive quantities of [[narcotic|narcotic drugs]] after 16 former patients testified against him.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1083911-2,00.html | title=Why Is The DEA Hounding This Doctor? | date=2005-07-18 | publisher=[[Time (magazine)|TIME magazine]] | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> Hurwitz was granted a retrial in 2006, and his 25-year prison sentence was reduced to 57 months.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301035.html Washington Post story], July 14th, 2007.</ref> ==Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons== The ''Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons'' (JPandS), until 2003 named the ''Medical Sentinel'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://haciendapub.com/issues.html | title=Medical Sentinel | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aapsonline.org/alerts/journalalert.htm | title=Major Changes to AAPS Peer-Reviewed Journal | publisher=AAPS website | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> is the journal of the association. Its mission statement includes "… a commitment to publishing scholarly articles in defense of the practice of private medicine, the pursuit of integrity in medical research … [[Political correctness]], dogmatism and orthodoxy will be challenged with logical reasoning, valid data and the scientific method." Articles in the journal are subject to a double-blind [[peer-review]] process.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jpands.org/vol10no1/authors.pdf | title=Manuscript information for authors | publisher=JPandS website | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> Some past articles and commentaries published in the journal have argued: * that the [[Food and Drug Administration]] and [[Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services]] are [[constitutionality|unconstitutional]],<ref>[http://www.haciendapub.com/albright2.html The FDA and HCFA (Part II): Unconstitutional Regulatory Agencies], by James A. Albright, MD. Published in ''Medical Sentinel'', 2000;5(6):205-208.</ref> * that "[[humanist]]s" have conspired to replace the "creation religion of Jehovah" with [[evolution]],<ref>[http://www.haciendapub.com/caine6.html Conspiracy --- Part III], by Curtis W. Caine, MD. Published in ''Medical Sentinel'', 1999;4(6):224.</ref> * that increased [[carbon dioxide]] in the [[atmosphere]] has not caused [[global warming]],<ref>[http://www.jpands.org/vol12no3/robinson.pdf Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide] by Arthur B. Robinson, Noah E. Robinson, and Willie Soon. Published in ''The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons'', 2007; 12(3), 79.</ref> * that [[AIDS denialism|HIV does not cause AIDS]],<ref name="baueraids">[http://www.jpands.org/vol12no4/bauer.pdf Questioning HIV/AIDS: Morally Reprehensible or Scientifically Warranted?], by [[Henry Bauer]]. Published in the ''Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons'' 2007: Vol 12, No. 4, p. 116.</ref><ref>[http://www.haciendapub.com/v2n3.html AIDS - A Heterosexual Epidemic? by Michael Fumento and AIDS - Inventing a Virus? Commentary by Peter H. Duesberg, PhD]. From ''Medical Sentinel'', Volume 2, No. 3, Summer 1997. [http://www.duesberg.com/ | duesberg.com ]</ref> * that the "gay male lifestyle" shortens life expectancy by 20 years.<ref>[http://www.jpands.org/vol10no3/lehrman.pdf Homosexuality: Some Neglected Considerations], by Nathaniel S. Lehrman, MD. Published in ''Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons'', Volume 10, Number 3 (Fall 2005), pp. 80-82.</ref> A series of articles by [[pro-life]] authors published in the journal argued for the existence of a [[abortion-breast cancer hypothesis|link between abortion and breast cancer]];<ref>[http://www.jpands.org/vol8no2/malec.pdf The Abortion-Breast Cancer Link: How Politics Trumped Science and Informed Consent], by Karen Malec. Published in ''Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons'', Volume 8, Number 2 (Summer 2003), pp. 41-45.</ref><ref>[http://www.jpands.org/vol10no4/brind.pdf Induced Abortion as an Independent Risk Factor for Breast Cancer: A Critical Review of Recent Studies Based on Prospective Data], by Joel Brind, Ph.D. Published in ''Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons'', Volume 10, Number 4 (Winter 2005), pp. 105-110.</ref> such a link was rejected by a [[National Cancer Institute]] [[Abortion-breast cancer hypothesis#National Cancer Institute|workshop]]<ref>[http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/abortion-miscarriage Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk]. Fact sheet from the [[National Cancer Institute]]. Accessed [[March 11]] [[2007]].</ref> and is not recognized by major medical organizations such as the [[American Cancer Society]]<ref name="ACS">[http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Can_Having_an_Abortion_Cause_or_Contribute_to_Breast_Cancer.asp Can Having an Abortion Cause or Contribute to Breast Cancer?], from the [[American Cancer Society]]. Accessed [[March 31]] [[2008]].</ref> or [[World Health Organization]].<ref name="WHO">{{cite web |url=http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs240/en/index.html |title=Induced abortion does not increase breast cancer risk |accessdate=2007-12-24 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]]|format= |work=}}</ref> The journal is not listed in the major literature databases of [[MEDLINE]]/[[PubMed]]<ref>{{cite web | url=ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/pubmed/J_Medline.txt | title=[[PubMed]] database | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> nor the [[Web of Science]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://scientific.thomson.com/products/wos/ | title=[[Web of Science]] | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> The [[World Health Organization]] found that a 2003 article on vaccination published in the journal had "a number of limitations which undermine the conclusions drawn by the authors."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/thiomersal/statement/en/index.html | title=Position of the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety regarding concerns raised by paper about the safety of thiomersal-containing vaccines | publisher=[[World Health Organisation|WHO]] | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> [[Quackwatch]] lists JPandS as an untrustworthy, non-recommended periodical.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/nonrecperiodicals.html | author=[[Stephen Barrett|Barrett, S.]], M.D | title=Nonrecommended Periodicals | accessdate=2007-02-12 | publisher=[[Quackwatch]]}}</ref> [[Investigative journalist]] [[Brian Deer]] wrote that the journal is the "house magazine of a right-wing American fringe group [AAPS]" and "is barely credible as an independent forum."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://briandeer.com/wakefield/private-eye.htm | title=Bitter Heather Mills defends credibility as Wakefield anti-MMR campaign crumbles | publisher=BrianDeer.com | accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> == AAPS vs Clinton == In 1993, the AAPS, along with several other groups, filed a lawsuit against [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Donna Shalala‎]] over closed-door meetings related to the [[1993 Clinton health care plan]]. The AAPS sued to gain access to the list of members of [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton's]] health care taskforce. Judge [[Royce C. Lamberth]] found in favor of the plaintiffs and awarded $285,864 to the AAPS for legal costs; Lamberth also harshly criticized the Clinton administration and Clinton aide [[Ira Magaziner]] in his ruling.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E5DA1E3FF93AA25751C1A961958260 Judge Rules Government Covered Up Lies on Panel], By Robert Pear. From the ''New York Times'', [[December 19]] [[1997]]; accessed [[January 3]] [[2008]].</ref> Subsequently, a federal appeals court overturned the award and the initial findings on the basis that Magaziner and the administration had not acted in bad faith.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE7DB1F38F936A1575BC0A96F958260 Court Clears Clinton Aide In Lying Case], by Neil A. Lewis. Published in the ''New York Times'', [[August 25]] [[1999]]. Accessed [[January 3]] [[2008]].</ref> ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.aapsonline.org/ AAPSonline.org] - Association of American Physicians and Surgeons home page * [http://www.jpands.org/hacienda/issues.html Medical Sentinel] - The first journal published by AAPS, now renamed to the ''Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons''. * [http://www.haciendapub.com/ Hacienda Publ.] [[Category:Advocacy groups]] [[Category:Conservative organizations in the United States]] [[Category:American medical associations]] [[Category:Pro-life organizations in the United States]] [[Category:Organizations established in 1943]] [[Category:American political magazines]]