Why Ron Paul is a 'natural' choice for supporters of health and food freedom

by Tony Isaacs

(The Best Years in Life) When it comes to government intrusion into our lives, Texas congressman Doctor Ron Paul stands apart from the rest of the presidential candidate field. Thus it should come as no surprise that Ron Paul stands head and shoulders above the other candidates when it comes to opposing government mandates on what we can or cannot do for our private health issues - including mandatory vaccinations.

If a mother or father says that they have chosen not to vaccinate their children, for any reason, they are liable to be branded as a flake and attacked for the choices they have made for their family. Likewise, if a military veteran contends that they have been harmed by mandatory vaccinations, they may be made out to be a nut job or someone who is trying to rob money from the government. Doctors who bravely speak out against vaccinations are often branded as quackpots.

However, when Dr. Paul speaks out we aren't talking about a quack MD that's loaded on opinion and lacking in experience. He is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine and is a veteran himself who served as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force during the 1960s. He is a also a specialist in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology who has worked with thousands of mothers and delivered more than 4000 of their children.

Dr. Paul does not oppose all vaccinations, but he does have serious concerns about vaccinations. He thinks that doctors have gotten to the point where they give too many vaccines, too often. "They bunch together four or five vaccines, overwhelming the immune system," Dr. Paul stated. Noting that he has three of his own children who practice medicine, he also said, "They have to be concerned about giving these vaccines."

Dr. Paul believes that in a free society it would be assumed that the individual makes up their own mind. He explains that if you didn't take a vaccine for polio, you're not a danger to him, you're a danger to yourself. He also said that he doesn't like the idea of the use of force and he thinks we've gone way overboard, and "there's a lot of people that have suffered severe consequences from overdoing these immunizations."

Dr. Paul's views on mandatory vaccinations dovetail closely with his views on health freedom in general. In Dr. Paul's own words:

In Dr. Paul's own words:

"Millions of Americans take dietary supplements every day, and the numbers are growing as the Baby Boom generation ages. More and more Americans understandably are frustrated with our government-controlled health care system. They have concluded that vitamins, minerals, and other supplements might help them stay healthy and less dependent on the system. They use supplements because they can buy them freely at stores and research them freely on the Internet, without government interference in the form of doctors, prescriptions, HMOs, and licenses. In other words, they use supplements because they are largely free to make their own choices, in stark contrast to the conventional medical system.

But we live in an era of unbridled government regulation of both our personal lives and the economy, and Food and Drug Administration bureaucrats burn to regulate supplements in the same manner as prescription drugs.

The health nannies insist that many dietary supplements are untested and unproven, and therefore dangerous. But the track record for FDA-approved drugs hardly inspires confidence. In fact, far more Americans have died using approved pharmaceuticals than supplements. Not every dietary supplement performs as claimed, but neither does every FDA drug."

(Taken from the article, "Common Sense Revisited - America at a New Crossroads")

Besides his many statements of support for health freedom, Dr. Paul has also backed up his statements with actions. In July of 2009, Dr. Paul introduced twin bills aimed to reign in the FDA and FTC from suppressing truth and access to supplements:

HR 3395 - The Health Freedom Act. This bill would remove the FDA's power of prior restraint over all nutrient-disease relationship claims. Under the bill, the FDA may not prohibit any statement concerning a nutrient affecting a disease (including treatment effects) and may only act against a statement if it possesses clear and convincing evidence that the statement is false.

HR 3394 - The Health Information Protection Act. This bill would prevent the FTC from taking action against an advertiser that communicates a health benefit unless the FTC first establishes, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the statement is false and its communication causes harm to the public.

In May of this year, spurred in part by an FDA raid on a small Amish farm which sold raw milk, Dr. Paul introduced HR 1830 - the Raw Milk Interstate Commerce Freedom Bill, which would repeal federal regulation or raw milk and enable consumers to purchase raw milk and raw dairy products from other states without violating federal law.

Dr. Paul had previously called the ban on raw milk "pasteurization without representation". When he introduced his raw milk bill, Dr. Paul said:

"Mr. Speaker, many Americans who the government wishes to deny the ability to purchase unpasteurized milk have done their own research and come to the conclusion that unpasteurized milk is healthier than pasteurized milk. These Americans have the right to consume these products without having the federal government second-guess their judgment about what products best promote health."

When you compare Ron Paul with a sitting president who appointed Merck and Monsanto insiders to oversee our drugs and food and GOP corporatist candidates such as Rick Perry and his close ties to Merck, the conclusion is inescapable: Ron Paul is THE health and food freedom choice.

Sources included:

http://www.tbyil.com/Common_Sense_Revisited.htm
http://www.stopfdacensorship.org/FreedomBillsSummary2009.pdf
http://www.examiner.com/nutrition-in-national/ron-paul-introduces-bill-to-legalize-interstate-sales-of-raw-milk