Anti-GM protesters kept from tearing up wheat crop by police

[proverbialwisdom]

59. "...AMA delegates decided to refer this resolution to a committee that would review recent science."

http://www.rodale.com/ama-conference?page=0,1

AMA conference
Nation's Doctors Want BPA Labeled, and No More Hotdog-Eating Contests

At its annual House of Delegates meeting, the American Medical Association tackled everything from GMOs to airport body scanner safety.

By Emily Main

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—As the country's most influential medical society, the American Medical Association (AMA) holds a lot of sway with government officials who decide what is and isn't important when it comes to public health. Last week, the agency concluded its annual House of Delegates meeting, where they themselves decide what health issues need to be addressed.

The 555 members of the AMA's House of Delegates meet every year to vote on policies put forth by doctors and state medical societies covering everything from organizational structure to whether doctors should accept freebies from pharmaceutical companies. Often, agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration refer to the AMA's policies when trying to make decisions on laws and regulations.

You may have heard in the news earlier this week that the group voted, by a 2 to 1 ratio, to support the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the controversial health care bill), which requires that all Americans buy health insurance. It got attention for adopting a new policy to encourage advertising agencies to limit the amount of electronic modification done to photographic images of people to make them appear more attractive, saying that the practice promotes unrealistic expectations of body image in teenagers.

The delegates also made a few other standout decisions that didn't get much press coverage:

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Genetically modified food: Prior to the House of Delegates meetings, both the Illinois and Indiana state medical societies proposed resolutions asking the AMA to support labeling requirements for genetically modified (GM) foods. Also known as GMOs, these foods have been known to increase food allergies, and animal studies have shown that they can hamper fertility, lead to accelerated aging, and possibly promote chronic diseases. Unfortunately, these were two resolutions the AMA delegates didn't adopt. But they didn't reject them, either. AMA policy currently opposes the labeling of GM foods, but the delegates decided to refer this resolution to a committee that would review the recent science on GMOs and decide then whether to change their current position.

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