Bristol, Tenn., Dec 16, 2009 / 06:26 pm (CNA).- On Tuesday, Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical Association (CMA), announced that he is canceling his membership to the American Medical Association as a public protest of the group's endorsement of the House health care bill and its promotion of liberal social policies. “I can no longer associate with or support and organization that is unscientific, unprofessional and controlled by special interests,” said Dr. Stevens in a letter to the AMA earlier this week.
Dr. Stevens has also urged the 17,000 members of the CMA to “carefully consider if they should continue their memberships,” citing reasons such as the AMA's support of abortion, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex 'marriage' and medical marijuana, as well as the recent allegations that the AMA endorsed health care overhaul legislation after “behind-closed-doors” negotiations with lawmakers.
“The AMA claims to put the needs of patients first and then meets with Senate leaders to bargain for higher physician Medicare reimbursement in exchange for support of healthcare reform legislation,” claims Dr. Stevens in his letter. “This unseemly, behind-closed-doors session trades the future welfare of our patients away for physicians' personal gain.”
“It is a violation of the doctor-patient covenant and sells out our professional heritage.”
Dr. Stevens continued to charge in his letter that the AMA “has even violated its own ethical statements in political advocacy at the behest of a vocal pro-abortion faction within the AMA.”
Reciting the AMA's resolution on right of conscience, Stevens stated that the “'AMA reaffirms that neither physician, hospital, nor hospital personnel shall be required to perform any act violative of personally held moral principles.' Yet you have worked vigorously at the federal level to overturn the only federal regulation that protects your members from this type of discrimination.”
Dr. Stevens concluded his letter to the AMA by saying “in light of radical policies, it is no wonder that AMA's membership has dropped since the 1960's from nearly three of four practicing doctors to closer to one in five.”
“Personally, I no longer see any hope of changing your radical positions by working from the inside.”
The Christian Medical Association is the largest faith-based association of doctors with 17,000 members.
