>>>>  CALIFORNIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ON NUCLEAR WAR PREPAREDNESS  <<<

While  you may have been hearing a lot of noise about the Physicians for Social
Responsibility and their refusal to cooperate in disaster preparedness  because
it  "invites  nuclear  war,"  an  organization  tion of physicians taking their
Hippocratic Oath more seriously has  been  established:  Doctors  for  Disaster
Preparedness.   Probably   under   their   influence,  the  California  Medical
Association has resolved to "work  with  state  authorities  in  in  developing
statewide  contingency  plans  for  dealing  with  the  medical consequences of
limited or all-out nuclear war." Here is the full text:

CALIFORNIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION NUCLEAR WAR PREPAREDNESS
(Resolution #1783) Sponsor: William Hall, M.D.  Author: Arthur L. Dick, M.D.

WHEREAS: The thought of human destruction from nuclear war is  appalling,  AND
WHEREAS  the  present CMA position is that the only defense against nuclear war
is prevention, AND WHEREAS the CMA preoccupation with prevention  has  resulted
in  total lack of preparation for the unthinkable, should it occur, AND
WHEREAS nuclear war could well occur during this generation because--

1) the good deeds and intentions of  the  major  powers  will  not  necessarily
control other nations,

2)  dozens  of minor and irresponsible nations now have access to weapons grade
plutonium,

3) the US has practically no defense against attack except for
the threat of retaliation, AND WHEREAS a nuclear explosion or war does not mean
the end of all life (almost 2,000 nuclear war explosions  have  occurred,  many
above  ground,  without  seriously  hurting  life  on  earth),  AND WHEREAS the
exploding of one nuclear weapon does not  automatically  mean  that  all  other
nuclear weapons will inevitably be exploded, AND WHEREAS it is likely that even
after  an  all-out  nuclear war there will be many pockets of survivors who are
relatively unscathed, AND WHEREAS it is appalling that organized  medicine  has
not prepared plans to assist these survivors,

BE  IT  THEREFORE  RESOLVED:  that the California Medical Association will work
with state authorities in developing statewide contingency  plans  for  dealing
with the medical consequences of nuclear war,

AND  BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED:  that  the  California delegation of the AMA be
instructed to present a similar resolution  to  deal  with  the  public  health
consequences of nuclear war.

*  *  *

PLEASE SHOW THIS RESOLUTION TO YOUR DOCTOR
and to your City Council if it rejects civil defense!

[For more information, to the contrary, on the irresponsibility of the
"Physicians for Social Responsibility," send $2 for "Doctors Against  Health"
to Golem Press, Box 1342, Boulder, CO 80306.]

*  *  *
[Note added in 1988:
The Doctors for Disaster Preparedness organization is alive and,  in at least
one state, well. The state is Arizona, thanks to the inde-
fatigable Jane Orient, M.D. Her address is 1601 N. Tucson Blvd., Suite  9,
Tucson, AZ 85716. The Arizona M.A. passed a resolution similar to  the above in
1987.
Other civil defense organizations are: The American Civil Defense Assn., Box
1057, Starke, FL 32091;
Amer. Homeland Defense Alliance, Box 1159, Cave Junction, OR 97523.]