From the article:
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) became the first medical society to sue to overturn the newly enacted health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
The article presents the group's opinions as facts. For example:
The PPACA also violates the Tenth Amendment, the Commerce Clause, and the provisions authorizing taxation, the AAPS says. The Taxing and Spending power cannot be invoked, as the premiums go to private insurance companies. The traditional sovereignty of the States over the practice of medicine is destroyed by the PPACA.So who is the AAPS? Why, it's a 4,000-member conservative nonprofit organization that basically wants the government to stay out of health care. Ron Paul is a member! Almost half a percent of doctors are members! And according to the journal they publish:
- Abortion causes preterm birth later in life, and thus birth defects such as cerebral palsy to future children born to women with a history of abortion. [I bet they supported government intervention of people getting abortions (which would be contrary to their mission). Furthermore, I wonder how they felt about stem cell research.]
- The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are unconstitutional.
- "Humanists" have conspired to replace the "creation religion of Jehovah" with evolution.
- Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has not caused global warming.
- HIV does not cause AIDS.
- The "gay male lifestyle" shortens life expectancy by 20 years.
- Vaccinations are harmful.
- In the past 3 years [2002-2005] America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy because of illegal aliens. [There have been 7,000 cases of leprosy in America over the last THIRTY years.]
Many of these activities appear to violate their "Patient's Bill of Rights", which, among other things, states:
(the right) to refuse third-party interference in their medical care, and to be confident that their actions in seeking or declining medical care will not result in third-party-imposed penalties for patients or physicians
- AAPS files lawsuit against FDA to overturn approval of "Plan B" morning after pill for over the counter use by women over 18.
- Fight against "Sham Peer Review": The AAPS recognizes "sham peer review" as an abusive use of such entities as hospital by-laws and disciplinary committees to exclude physicians for other-than legitimate or the explicitly-stated reasons.
- Defense of a physician convicted of improper narcotic prescribing while operating a clinic to treat patients with chronic pain.
- Fighting mandatory vaccination.
- Fighting against mandated mental health parity, which is advocated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Promoting contracting between physicians and patients without government or insurance company involvement.
- Fighting socialized and single-payer healthcare.
- Fighting to debunk "Shaken baby syndrome", and to link it to vaccines rather than abuse.
- Advocating for so-called "freedom of conscience" to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill lawful prescriptions. This would appear to interfere with a patient's right "to refuse third party interference in their health care".
- Fighting abortion, not simply through moral objection, but also by attempting to link abortion to unrelated health problems, including breast cancer.
- Advocating against the sale of organs for transplant.
- Advocating against organ donation in cases where brain death is unclear.
- Advocating against withdrawal of care, as in the Terri Schiavo case, including misrepresenting the results of autopsy in the case.
- Their 1601 N. Tucson Blvd. Suite 9, Tucson, Arizona address is shared with that of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness.
Their website also has a picture of a guy in a straightjacket. Looks pretty credible to me.
Oh, and one last thing. Here's a short list of organizations (mostly medical) that do support health care reform that aren't mentioned in the fair and balanced article:
AARP, AFSCME, AIDS Action Council, AIDS Project Los Angeles, ASPIRA Association, Academic Medical Centers, Alliance for Children and Families, Alliance for Retired Americans, Alzheimer's Foundation of America, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Art Therapy Association, American Association for Cancer Research, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, American Association of Pastoral Counselors, American Association of People with Disabilities, American Association on Health and Disability, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), American College of Nurse Midwives, American College of Physicians, American College of Seniors, American Council of the Blind, American Counseling Association, American Dance Therapy Association, American Diabetes Association, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organization, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention/ SPAIN USA, American Foundation for the Blind, American Friends Service Committee, American Group Psychiatric Association, American Group Psychotherapy Association, American Heart Association, American Hospital Association, American Hospice Foundation, American Library Association, American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association, American Mental Health Counselors Association, American Music Therapy Association, American Network of Community Options and Resources, American Nurses Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, American Public Health Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Psychological Association, American Public Health Association, American Social Health Association, American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Americans for Democratic Action, Andakusia Regional Hospital, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Arthritis Foundation, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian American Justice Center, Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Association for the Advancement of Psychology, Association of American Medical Colleges, Association if Assistive Technology Act Programs, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, Association of Community Affiliated Plans, Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Autism National Committee, Autism Society of America, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Black Women's Health Imperative, B'nai B'rith International, Brain Injury Association of America, Breast Cancer Network of Strength, Bourbon Community Hospital, Building and Construction Trade Department, Burton Blatt Institute, California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Castleview Hospital, Catholic Health Association, Center for Adolescent Health & the Law, Center for Community Change, Center for Clinical Social work, Center for Integrated Behavioral Health Policy, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc., Center for Rural Affairs, Center for the Study of the American Electorate, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Change That Works, Child Welfare League of America, Children and Adults with ADHD, Children's Defense Fund, Clergy Strategic Alliances, LLC, Clinch Valley Medical Center, Clinical Social Work Association, Coalition on Human Needs, Colon Cancer Alliance, Committee for Education Funding, Common Cause, CommonHealth ACTION, Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief Coalition, Community Access National Network, Community Action Partnership, Community Catalyst, Community Health Councils, Community Health Partnership: Oregon's Public Health Institute, Community Transportation Association of America, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers' CHECKBOOK/Center for the Study of Services, Consumers Union, Corporation for Supportive Housing, Council for Exceptional Children, Crocket Hospital, Danville Regional Medical Center, Defeat Diabetes Foundation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Disciples Justice Action Network, Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children, Doctors for America, Dolores Huerta Foundation, Easter Seals, Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, Eating Disorders Coalition, Epilepsy Foundation, Evangelicals for Social Action, Every Child Matters Education Fund, Faithful America, Faithful Reform in Health Care, Families USA, Family Equality Council, Family Violence Prevention Fund, Family Voices, Farmers Union, Federation of American Hospitals, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, First Focus Campaign for Children, Forrest City Medical Center, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends Fiduciary Corporation, Generations United, Harris Center for Disability and Health Policy, Health Care For All, Health Care for America Now, Healthcare Access Project, HealthHIV, Helen Keller National Center, Hillside Hospital, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Dental Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, Hispanic Federation, HIV Health Care Access Working Group, HIV Medicine Association, IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron, Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, IronShip Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers,, and, Helpers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsworkers, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers, of, America (UAW), Japanese American Citizens League, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, LA County Federation of Labor, Labor Council for Latin America Advancement, Latin American & Caribbean Office of Planned Parenthood, Latinos For National Health Insurance, Latinos United For Health Care, Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), League of Women Voters of the United States, Legal Momentum, Learning Disabilities Association of America, LIVESTRONG, Lutheran Health Network, Malecare Prostate Cancer Support, MANA - A National Latina Organization, Medicare Rights Center, Memorial Medical Center, Mental Health America, Mental Health Liaison, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Mimbres Memorial Hospital, MomsRising, NAACP, NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, National Academies of Practice, National Alliance for Caregiving, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Children's Behavioral Health+A86, National Association for Rural Mental Health, National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, National Association of Childrens Hospitals, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability, Directors, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, National Association of Human Rights Workers, National Association of Jewish Chaplains, National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils, National Association of Neighborhoods, National Association of Psychiatric Heath Systems, National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, National Association of State Head Injury Administrators, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer III, Community Networks Program, National Breast Cancer Coalition, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Center on Caregiving, Family Caregiver Alliance, National Cervical Cancer Coalition, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, National Coalition for LGBT Health, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations, National Coalition on Deaf-Blindness, National Coalition on Health Care Action Fund, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Congress of American Indians, National Congress of Black Women, Inc., National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care, National Consumers League, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, National Council of Asian & Pacific Islander Physicians, National Council of Churches, USA Health Task Force, National Council of La Raza, National Council of Negro Women, Inc., National Council of Urban Indian Health, National Council on Aging, National Council on Independent Living, National Disability Rights Network, National Down Syndrome Congress, National Education Association, National Family Caregivers Association, National Farmers Union, National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives, National Foundation for Mental Health, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Health Council, National Health Equity Coalition, National Health Law Program, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, National Hispanic Council on Aging, National Hispanic Environmental Council, National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Indian Health Board, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, National Lung Cancer Partnership, National Medical Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Patient Advocate Foundation, National Physicians Alliance, National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness, National Public Sector HealthCare Roundtable, National Puerto Rico Coalition, National REACH Coalition, National Research Center for Women & Families, National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health, National Respite Coalition, National Rural Health Association, National Senior Citizens Law Center, National Senior Corps Association, National Spinal Cord Association, National Spinal Cord Injury Association, National Urban League, National Women's Law Center, NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office, OCA, Opinion Leaders Advocacy Network, Our Bodies Ourselves, Out of Many, One, OWL - The Voice of Midlife and Older Women, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Partnership for Prevention, PHI - Health Care for Health Care Workers, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, Prescription Policy Choices, Progressive States Network, Project Inform, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition, RESULTS, Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, School Social Work Association of America, Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium, Seniors to Seniors, SER - Jobs For Progress, Service Employees International Union, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Justice Team, Small Business Majority, Society for Adolescent Medicine, Southern TN Medical Center, South Texas Health Reform, Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, SparkLight Communications, State Legislators for Health Care Reform, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc., The Access Project, The AIDS Institute, The Arc of the United States, The Center for Health Care Policy Research and Analysis, The Children's Partnership, The Healing of the Nations Foundation, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), The LGBT Cancer Project - Out With Cancer, The Main Street Alliance, The Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence, Therapeutic Communities of America, Tourette Syndrome Association, Trust For Americas Health, US Hispanic Leadership Institute, U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group), U.S. Positive Women's Network, US Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipe Fitting, Industry, of the US and Canada, United Cerebral Palsy, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society, United Neighborhood Centers of America, United Spinal Association, United Steel Workers, Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN), Urban Coalition for HIV AIDS Prevention Services, Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education & Support Network, USAction, VetsFirst, Voices for America's Children, Volunteers of America, Washington Health Foundation, Wider Opportunities for Women, WISC Health Care Working Group, Witness Justice, Women of Reform Judaism, Women Together for Change
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