MCCFHC Mission Statement

MISSOURI CITIZENS COALITION

FOR FREEDOM IN HEALTH CARE

Mission Statement

Part I - Premises (patients' bill of rights):

The United States of America and the State of Missouri through their constitutions as enacted by the People are intended to be respectful not only of each person's freedom and individual rights but also of the diversity of individuals' ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds and of choices made by individuals in these areas; in other works, are intended to be a Just, Free and Pluralistic society.
Medicine, or the Art and Science of Healing, is not a single and unified ststem, but comprises many systems, traditions, philosophies and methodologies, some of which have developed historically throughout the ages, while others have developed in more recent times and continue to evolve.
Modern allopathic medicine, as practiced by most medical physicians in the western hemisphere, while being the dominant system at this time in history, is not the only one from which the public would derive benefit and which it ought to have access.
Therapies lying outside the western medical model, including, but not limited to: Acupuncture, Anthroposophical medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, Chelation, Chiropractic, Herbal medicine, Homeopathy, Nutritional supplementation and Orthomolecular medicine form the field of alternative health care and complimentary medicine.
The patient should be allowed to be at least a full and equal partner in all health decisions, having the ultimate say while being guided by the health professional(s) of his/her trust and confidence. This includes the right to ultimately refuse therapeutic or prophylactic treatment, though medically recommended.
One of the patient's most basic rights is the right to choose treatment philosophy that is in harmony with her/his own philosophical, ethical and religious beliefs. This includes the right to choose an alternative or complimentary therapy, even though it may fall outside of allopathic medical science. The healing professions owe it to the public to nurture the highest possible level of professionalism in the allopathic as well as the alternative or complimentary fields.
A health professional's right to practice a certain therapy is ultimately only a derivative of the patient's right to receive it. The health professions could serve the public to its fullest in an environment of Enlightened Pluralism where full respect is the norm between professionals of different backgrounds and persuasions with an honest effort to provide the public with well-balanced and unbiased information. Such an environment would not only further the growth and development of the individual therapies, whether conventional or alternative/complementary, but create the level of vigilance and knowledge necessary to identify and counter fraud and incompetence in the allopathic, alternative health care and complementary medicine fields.

Part II - Goals and purposes

Based on the principles laid forth in Part I, MCC-FHC will strive to:

educate the Missouri public about their rights as health care consumers.
defend these rights whenever threatened from any source.
educate the public about the actual benefits and limitations of all health care therapies.
promote an environment in which alternative health care and complimentary medical therapies can be studied and practiced by qualified health professionals based in their true merit rather than prejudice, and without undue interference from governmental or regulatory agencies while not condoning any harmful or fraudulent practices.
work for above goals by whatever educational, political and legal means deemed appropriate by the membership and the board at the time, within the State of Missouri.

MCC-FHC stand on the issues:

Patient Autonomy/Right to Refuse. The patient is at least a full and equal partner in all health matters and the ultimate decision maker. His/Her rights need to be protected from undue interference from any source.
Vaccinations/Immunizations. These, like any other medical treatment, have certain risks and benefits. MCC-FHC supports the public's free choice to accept or reject them. Vaccination campaigns should be voluntary, with ample respect for personal and religious exemptions. Computerized surveillance systems are to be rejected as a violation of Missourians' privacy and a travesty on the principle of informed consent.
Right to Health Care Self-Determinations. MCC-FHC supports the individual's right to terminate medical treatment in the case of hopeless or incurable illness and respecting the wishes of a Living Will.
Alternative Health Care/Complementary Medicine. MCC-FHC recognizes the existence of a plurality of systems, world views and philosophies with the healing arts. It supports the citizens choice among these as well as the practices of ethical and qualified practitioners with the respective field and opposes unjust discrimination directed against people in these fields.
Home birth/Midwifery. MCC-FHC supports home delivery by qualified midwives which has been shown to be a safe alternative for low-risk pregnancies.
Chiropractic. MCC-FHC supports the role of chiropractic in the state and wishes to support and endorse chiropractics acceptance in the general population.
Health Fraud/Quackery/Malpractice. MCC-FHC supports honest efforts directed against such abuses but opposes persecution of or discrimination against professionals and individuals solely because of their "Alternative Philosophy".
Vitamins/Homeopathic and Herbal Products. Since they are an integral part of our health culture, MCC-FHC supports the continued availability of high quality natural health products to Missouri's citizens.