First of all, we want to thank everyone
who was involved in the mass lobby of Parliament and who helped gather the
signatures to the declaration.
LOBBY
250 people turned up outside Parliament, many of them over an hour before
the lobby was due to start. They included patients and homeopaths from as far
afield as Scotland, Worcestershire, Norfolk and Devon, and representing the
worldwide spread of homeopathy, including the U.S.A., Japan, India and Ghana as
well as Britain. The age range was enormous too, with a baby not yet one year
old, who has never had any treatment but homeopathy, right up to a 96-year-old,
who has also never had any treatment but homeopathy. Even animals were
represented by Frankie, a dog who has been treated homeopathically for a T-cell
lymphoma.
Members of the main registers of homeopaths were at the lobby, as were the
Friends of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. At the same time many local
groups of homeopaths and many homeopathy colleges were represented. We also saw
wider support from the CAM community with the Alliance for Natural Health and
the Complementary Medical Association backing it. The full list of supporters
appears at the end of this newsletter.
DECLARATION
The declaration was handed in to No. 10 Downing Street, with the final
number of signatures having to be altered by hand to take into account over 250
late arrivals.
The grand total of the signatures handed in was: 28,112.
At the time of writing this, there are another 450 which have arrived since
the final count, and we shall send those in too.
LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER
The letter from H:MC21 handed in with the declaration
was altered to take into account the report of the Commons Science and
Technology Committee, and it ended with the following demands:
"We urge the government
- To reject the report of the Commons Science and Technology Committee on the
grounds that it is profoundly flawed and shows strong evidence of prejudice.
- To provide a substantial re-directing of NHS research funding, so that the
use of homeopathy in the NHS can be properly assessed as regards both its
clinical and cost effectiveness.
- To instruct Primary Care Trusts that homeopathy forms part of the NHS
provision of healthcare, and that it should not be a victim of cuts simply
because decision-makers are not qualified to judge its principles and
practice.
We ask your government to recognise that this declaration is the voice of
nearly 28,000 people who represent some 10% of the electorate. It is a call to
the government to listen not to those who have abused their access to the media,
but to those who have experience of successful treatment with homeopathy, those
who proudly declare: Homeopathy Works for Me!"
PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE LOBBY
If you have any photos of the lobby, then please send them to: info@hmc21.org
WHAT NEXT?
Those who did not make it to the lobby should still contact their MPs with
the Briefing Notes and H:MC21's Critique of the Committee's
report.
SUPPORTERS
The full list of 35 organisations and others who supported the lobby is
below:
Abha Light Foundation, Kenya
Allen College of Homeopathy
Alliance for Natural Health
Alliance of Registered Homeopaths
The Centre for Homeopathic Education
College of Practical Homeopathy
The Complementary Medical Association
Contemporary College of Homeopathy
Dr. Reckeweg (UK) Ltd
Friends of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital
Hahnemann College of Homeopathy
Helios Pharmacy
Helos Centre
Hemmt Health Care Laboratories
Homeopathy Action Trust
Homeopathy College (Birmingham)
Homeopathic College of East Anglia
Homeopathic Medical Association
Homoeopathy for All
Homeopathy Heals
The Japan Royal Academy of Homoeopathy
Kent Homeopathic Associates
Lakeland College
Patients and Friends of Anthroposophic Medicine
Phoenix Talks
Pinnacle Seminars
Salisbury Homeopathy College School of Homeopathy
The Society of Homeopaths
South Downs School of Homoeopathy
South West Homeopathic Group
South West London Homeopaths (Swelhoms)
West London Homeopaths
Yorkshire Centre of Classical Homeopathy
Jenny Seagrove (actress)
Sarah Stacey (Health Editor Mail On Sunday YOU magazine)
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