The Waikato DHB spent $47,000 on a pro-fluoride campaign to influence a referendum aimed at getting fluoride put back into Hamilton’s water supply. The campaign achieved its goal and in the referendum 23,000 citizens voted in favour of having fluoride medication and 10,000 voted against.
The action of the DHB is wrong. They shouldn’t be advocating medicating people against their wishes.
A guy I used to work with made an amusing observation about electronic faults we repaired. He said that there were only two types of faults – electricity going where it shouldn’t or electricity not going where it should. There is similar but useful truth about Government faults. With Government each fault is either a bad law or Government not following it own laws.
In this case are the DHB employees driven by bad laws or are they acting against the law?
The Act that prescribes legal DHB activities is the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000. This legislation refers to the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights which identifies the following right:
Right 7
Right to Make an Informed Choice and Give Informed Consent
So, it appears the DHB employees are acting against the DHB’s own rules. They are acting illegally.
The remedy under this legislation is to make a complaint.
Right 10
Right to Complain
…
(2) Every consumer may make a complaint to —
… ( C) (ii) the Health and Disability Commissioner.
The complaint I suggest is this:-
The Waikato DHB is advocating medicating people with fluoride against their wishes. This is a breach of Right 7 of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Right to Make an Informed Choice and Give Informed Consent).
Someone should make this complaint. I don’t feel I can because I’m not a Waikato DHB consumer.
Online complaints can be made here.
Best principled argument I’ve seen Reed.
Fluoridation is a WASTE of Tax Money
All Civil Engineers and all water managers know that people drink only 1/2% of the water they use. The rest goes directly down the drain in toilets, showers, dishwashers, etc.
So for each $1000 of fluoride added annually to drinking water, people drink $5 and $995 is wasted down the drain. Children would drink only $0.50 (fifty cents).
That would be comparable to buying one gallon of milk, using six-and-one-half drops of it, and pouring the rest of the gallon in the sink.