Tag: Legislation

Bills eliminating school immunizations and other anti-vaccination measures confront state legislatures
Bills eliminating school immunizations and expanding exemptions are pending in state legislatures. Other state bills strengthen immunization requirements by eliminating exemptions, among other measures. An anti-vaccination misinformation campaign is underway to influence legislators' votes.

Federal appeals court strikes down conversion therapy bans
A recent federal Court of Appeals decision struck down local governments' conversion therapy bans on First Amendment grounds, characterizing licensed mental health therapists' advice as a "viewpoint" and regulation thereof subject to strict scrutiny by the courts, a standard that, historically, is rarely met. This decision carries disturbing implications for the regulation of the practice of medicine as well as the government's...

New Florida law forces physicians to endorse pseudoscience
A new Florida law forces physicians to endorse chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage as non-opioid alternatives for pain, even if the physician disagrees with that advice.

Maine considers protecting quacks from accountability to regulators and patients
The Maine Legislature is considering a bill that would put quacks beyond the reach of state healthcare regulatory authorities and leave patients without effective redress for harms.

Indian Doctors Fight Against Quackery
To address a doctor shortage, Indian health minister JP Nadda is proposing licensing practitioners of ayurveda and homeopathy. This would be a terrible mistake.

Legislative Alchemy 2017: Naturopathy
Via the magic of Legislative Alchemy, naturopathic "doctors" gained state licensure and practice expansion, but also suffered major defeats, in 2017.

Repealing Legislative Alchemy
We need to repeal federal and state laws that allow quackery and pseudoscience in healthcare.

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 04/09/2017
The NECSS is coming. Acupuncturists mimic chiropractic. Flu vaccine prevents death. In the UK they care more for cats than people. The problem is my middle burner, not too many burgers. And more.

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 03/19/2017
What happened this week? Measles returns to kill. Stem cell injections blind. Lousy acupuncture studies. Fire hot. Skinny jeans are not a reason to see a chiropractor. Lesbian tendencies do not respond to homeopathy. And more.

Corrigendum. The week in review for 03/12/2017
Waiting for a vaccine-preventable infection. More lousy acupuncture studies. Medical students interested in homeopathy are not as strong at science. Water wet. TCPM consuming donkeys. What the FDA does, and doesn't do, for now.