Forwarded by the ICA
ICA’s international growth was the focus of serious planning and developmental discussion, since international membership was on pace to triple within the next calendar year. ICA now has members in 43 nations, as well in all 50 of the United States and every province in Canada. In recent weeks, ICA expanded its official international representation with the addition of nearly a dozen national Assembly Representatives and the applications of two European chiropractic national associations to be formal affiliates of the ICA. ICA’s Board discussed at great length the appropriate ways and means to promote the growth and development of chiropractic worldwide and support the profession’s pioneers as they work to establish chiropractic around the globe.
The nature of chiropractic development internationally has been the subject of grave concern, in part because of the way chiropractic has been represented in recent years by some in the World Federation of Chiropractic. Of particular concern was the apparent neglect of the traditional principles of chiropractic in presentations made about the profession to international bodies and governments. An aggressive campaign to persuade ICA to withdraw from the WFC was mounted by a few DCs, some ICA members, many not, who disagreed with the direction that group was steering chiropractic. This campaign found little support among ICA’s leadership and produced a massive counter-campaign, led by ICA’s international membership and elected international ICA Assembly Representatives who unanimously recommended that ICA stay in the WFC and fight for major reforms and personnel changes.
Important leaders from throughout the profession weighed in on this debate, urging ICA to stand its ground and become a more outspoken and dominant force in the global arena. Dr. Carl S. Cleveland, III, President of the Cleveland Chiropractic Colleges, made a special presentation to the ICA Board on behalf of staying in the WFC, a position that was actively supported by all other college presidents involved with ICA including Dr. Sid Williams from Life University, Dr. Guy Riekeman from Palmer College and Dr. Gerard W. Clum, President of Life Chiropractic College-West, ICA’s representative to the WFC and the new Secretary of that group. “ICA has a responsibility to be an active participant in the WFC to make sure that ICA’s values and vision are represented.” said Dr. Carl Cleveland, III. “It would be a shame to withdraw just when the world is beginning to embrace the ideas that ICA has promoted about chiropractic for all these years, leaving the field uncontested to those who have another, less clear, less durable and medically oriented view of what chiropractic is all about.”
ICA’s Board carefully examined every aspect of the World Federation of Chiropractic issue, listening to every voice, every perspective and examining the various motives behind the campaign to push ICA out of the WFC. In that discussion, ICA’s Western Regional Director and WFC Representative, Dr. Gerard W. Clum summed up the consensus position of the ICA leadership when he said: “If the ICA were not to be involved in the WFC, we would be the only national association of consequence in the world that would not have a seat, a voice and a vote in the WFC. We would be cut off from a world-view of chiropractic that is essential to our mission and we would be abandoning a critical opportunity to influence and support the development of chiropractic, a process that is gaining speed and impetus as never before. We must be at the table, speaking with a clear, strong voice in defense of our principles!”
Upon the conclusion of its debate, ICA’s Board of Directors voted overwhelmingly to remain a member organization of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), noting major changes in the leadership and direction of that international body. Most notably, the recent election of Dr. Bruce Vaughn from Hong Kong as the WFC President, and, the election of ICA Board Member, Dr. Gerard W. Clum as Secretary, as well as other significant policy changes were cited as evidence of the very real progress at the WFC in recent months.
ICA’s Board also unanimously agreed to expand and enhance its own international activities, including giving approval for ICA’s own application for formal recognition as a NGO (non-governmental organization) by the World Health Organization, more international member services and a renewed effort to make the ICA and FACT’s LISBON 2000 Symposium, scheduled for November, 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal, the most significant international chiropractic event in history. ICA expects a record turnout for this great international event, with DCs from nearly 20 countries already registered.
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