National Post (National Edition)
Anti-vax chiropractor out, but another is in
A chiropractor exposed last month as an anti-vaccination sympathizer has lost her bid for re-election to the regulatory body that governs the profession in Ontario. However, the province’s chiropractors have elected a new councillor who has posted a swath of anti-vaccination material on Facebook.
Dr. Elizabeth Anderson-peacock, who lost her seat on council, was a featured speaker at a recent Montreal conference that also hosted prominent anti-vaccination chiropractor Del Bigtree. And the Post has confirmed that Ontario chiropractors could count attendance at the conference towards continuing education credits from the College of Chiropractors of Ontario, the body that regulates the province’s chiropractors.
In a March 15 story, the National Post revealed that three chiropractors who sat on the executive of the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO), including Anderson-peacock, had made anti-vaccination statements or endorsements. The Post reported that Anderson-peacock endorsed an anti-vaccine movie produced by disgraced former physician Andrew Wakefield, and published a positive online review to an anti-vaccine book. In a statement to the Post, Anderson-peacock denied she endorsed “any ‘anti-vaccination’ position” and said her personal views were separate from her duties with the CCO.
Earlier this month, the CCO released unofficial results for the district in which Anderson-peacock was running for re-election. She was narrowly defeated by chiropractor Dr. Steven Lester. Unless there’s a recount, she will lose her seat on the CCO council. However, one of the new councillors elected last week, Dr. Paul Groulx, also has a history of promoting anti-vaccination views.
In 2015 Groulx posted a promotion by Vaccine Choice Canada, an anti-vax group, to his Facebook page. He also mocked the effectiveness of flu vaccines on Facebook in 2017, and in 2016 announced his daughter had not been vaccinated. (While these posts have now been removed, the Post has archived copies.)
Groulx told the Post that he has changed his position on chiropractors discussing vaccination: “Personally, I used to question vaccines but years ago I realized it had nothing to do with our practice. I have been outspoken for quite some time that the vaccine issue needs to be shut down. By shut down I mean zero tolerance on speaking about vaccinations. It’s none of our business.”
On March 10, Ryan Armstrong, a London-based health activist, filed a formal written complaint to the CCO about Anderson-peacock’s anti-vaccination statements. The CCO would not confirm to the Post whether it was investigating Anderson-peacock or the other two members of the CCO executive, Dr. Peter Amlinger and Dr. Clifford Hardick, whom the Post identified as having made anti-vaccination statements.
The Regulated Health Care Professions Act that governs all regulated health professionals in the province does not require an external formal complaint to launch an investigation if there are “reasonable and probable grounds that the member has committed an act of professional misconduct.” However, CCO Registrar and General Counsel Jo-ann Willson told the Post that confidentiality provisions prevent her from discussing any inquiries, complaints, reports or disciplinary matters that are in their early stages.
The Canadian Chiropractic Association and the Ontario Chiropractic Association have both said they both support “vaccination and immunization as established public health practices in the prevention of infectious diseases,” but neither association responded to a question from the Post asking whether they had a zero-tolerance policy regarding members who make anti-vaccination statements or endorsements.
Jonathan Jarry, a science communicator in the Office for Science and Society at Mcgill University said: “Anti-vaccination views seem to be innate to a certain persistent strain of chiropractic. What is particularly worrisome is that these unscientific opinions are not only held by some practicing chiropractors, they are being publicly espoused by many of the leaders of their regulatory body.”
“If a professional regulator is allowed to be so wrong about a basic building block of public health, the public should demand change for its own protection,” he said. “Swift action is needed to correct this dangerous misfire.”
In an interview with the Post, Ontario NDP health critic France Gélinas said she believes the anti-vaccination problem in chiropractic goes far beyond the leadership, and that she was surprised at the extent of anti-vax sentiment among rank-and-file chiropractors. “I realized that a lot of them were reluctant to say vaccination saves lives, that vaccination was an important part of public health,” she told the Post
Gelinas said that she discussed the issue with the Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, and “(the minister) did not reassure me that she is going to act. I am hoping she changes her mind.” The Ministry of Health had previously told the Post it would not intervene as chiropractic is a self-regulated profession in Ontario.