Danish Doctor Fights For Freedom Of Speech

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Danish Doctor Fights For Freedom Of Speech

Fri, 7 Oct 2005 19:17:03 +0100

 

 

 

 

 

For the benefit of those who think CODEX is not a threat to health freedom

 

 

Danish Doctor Fights For Freedom Of Speech In Court And Wins!

Press release

3. October 2005

 

 

The Danish physician and health consultant, Carsten Vagn-Hansen,

better known in Denmark as 'the radio doctor', received a fine of

10,000 DKr. last year for publicly writing about the health effects of

dietary supplements, on the internet. He refused to pay the fine and

instead took The Food Administration to Court. He won the case in

September of this year.

 

Around 100 public listeners were in the Court room on Friday

September 16 2005, to support the popular health speaker, whom -

naturally - won the case. The opponent, The Food Region under the Food

Administration, had the right to appeal the Court's decision until

September 30, but this opportunity was not taken, so the case is

therefore settled, and concludes that the Danish citizens may speak

publicly about the health benefits of dietary supplements.

 

The supplement legislation of the Danish Food Administration

have since autumn 2004 dictated, that if a dietary supplement has a

beneficial, preventive, or therapeutic effect, then it must be

registered as a pharmaceutical product. The restrictive legislation of

the Food Administration is adopting the coming Pharmaceutical

Directive of the European Union, in ahead of time.

 

The pharmaceutical legislation may cause huge problems in having

access to harmless supplements that have a beneficial, preventive, or

therapeutic effect.

 

The Food Administration had control of more than 150 websites in

December 2004, that contained information about dietary supplements

and alternative therapies, and the website of Carsten Vagn-Hansen was

analysed by the Food Administration taskforce, The Supplement Group,

after which the Food Region reported the doctor to the Medical Board

for 'illegal health claims.'

 

Carsten Vagn –Hansen was then fined 10,000 DKr. for having

spoken about the beneficial effects of micro-organisms, the natural

sweetener Stevia, Saint John's Wort, and glyco-nutrients, on the

Internet.

 

Carsten Vagn-Hansen has always, throughout his career as a

medical doctor and health consultant, been financially independent of

any supplement and pharmaceutical industries, and has never received

any payments from such companies, for recommending their products.

 

Because of ideological reasons he refused to pay the fine and

wanted the case tried in Court, as he wanted to draw attention to the

restrictive, Danish, supplement legislation – thinking they should be

debated and changed.

 

He found it illogical that one could sell a supplement, but not

be allowed to tell about its effects, even if the effects were well

documented.

 

The case is a very important one for the freedom of speech in

Denmark, as it states, that the Food Administration has no right to

prohibit Danish citizens telling about the beneficial effects of

dietary supplements.

 

Had the doctor not won the case, he would have been ready to

appeal the case to higher Courts, e.g. the European Court of Human

Rights in Strassbourg, if necessary.

 

MayDay has supported Carsten Vagn-Hansen, as we found the fine an

unreasonable attack on citizens' freedom of speech. Furthermore, we

find it most unfortunate if the Court case has resulted in Carsten

Vagn-Hansen being fired from his job at the Danish State Radio (DR) in

June 2005.

 

Many listeners will now miss Carsten Vagn-Hansen's voice in DR.

For years he has been the most popular and brave speaker about natural

health and health freedom, who has dared to speak up against the very

powerful pharmaceutical industry in Denmark.

 

Carsten Vagn-Hansen is happy about the Court's decision, which

has now given him the opportunity to start TV programs on the TV

channel DK4, where he will be having a one-hour show every week

including having people with health problems coming to the studio.

 

Tamara Theresa Mosegaard

MayDay - Civil Health Rights Movement, Denmark

 

MAY you have a nice and healthy DAY!

 

 

 

 

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