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From: Robbie.Bates@p1.f381.n634.z3.fidonet.org (Robbie Bates)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Australian AIDS News
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Date: 7 Jun 90 04:49:24 GMT
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Note:	Copyright 1990 by Daniel R. Greening.  Permission granted for
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Archive-number: 2156

AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SHIFTS RIGHT

Melbourne, Australia, 1 June 1990 (MSO)

The election of Bruce Shepherd to the Presidency of the
Australian Medical Association and recent statements by Professor
David Pennington point to yet another attempt by right-wing
doctors to hijack AIDS policy in Australia.

As National Vice President, Shepherd was one of the loudest
mouths for compulsory AIDS testing - originally for the entire
population, although he later moderated his demands to all "risk
groups" and later for all surgery patients.

Former Chairman of the National Council on AIDS (now ANCA)

Professor David Pennington has also attempted to revive the dying
issue of compulsory AIDS testing, and the bogey of "the
homosexual lobby". Pennington, now vice Chancellor of the
University of Melbourne, made his comments at a dinner held by
the AMA last week.

Pennington again asserted that people with AIDS had too much
control over the direction of AIDS policy in Australia, and that
"identification of those infected and strategies to minimise the
risk of them infecting others must be the central issue."

The last time that compulsory AIDS testing of hospital patients
was raised by the AMA leadership, Pennington, Fred Nile and other
bigots was in February 1989. Shepherd and other right wingers
then applauded on the refusal by the Freemasons Hospital to treat
an HIV infected man and called for compulsory testing and the so-
called "re-medicalisation" redirection of AIDS policy.

Their moves then corresponded to the resignation of Professor
Tony Basten as head of NACAIDS (now ANCA). It is a co-incidence
that both Pennington and Shepherd are repeating their discredited
opinions now, with a new Health Minister (Brian Howe) and a newly
restructured and weakened ANCA.

The AMA has been losing membership steadily since the
introduction of Medicare. It now represents only about one half
of doctors, mostly specialists. Most GPs belong to their own
professional association.

[ (C) 1990 Oz Media Ltd. Melbourne Australia. Used By Permission ]

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