James Edwards DC, FICA a long time champion of merger between the ICA and ACA, served as Chairman of the Board of Governors (CEO) of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and President of the American Chiropractic Foundation from 2001-2003. He also served as ACA Treasurer from 2003-2005 and represented 9 states as the ACA District VI Governor from 1998-2005. In addition, he served as Treasurer and then Chairman of the American Chiropractic Association PAC from 1995-1998, and as Chairman of the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund from 2005-2008.
Edwards is currently a dues paying member of the ACA and at the same time - Texas Representative Assemblyman to the International Chiropractors Association (ICA). Sources tell the Chronicle that he has been heavily involved in ICA legislative matters including the ICA's endorsement of the ACA's Medicare Scope Expansion and Drug Bill.
In April 2003, Edwards made the following statement on the topic of Merger between the ICA and ACA:
"Once the top ICA leaders are also willing to subordinate their political positions for the good of the profession, a merger of the ACA and ICA can and will occur. And once that merger takes place, reasoned debate among chiropractic leaders will yield agreements on important issues, the self-serving public rhetoric will end, and this profession can move forward. The ACA looks forward to that day."
In addition to Edwards, Ronda Sharman DC is the ICA's Assembly Representative from Maryland and a dues paying member of the ACA.
Joining his fellow ACA Members on the ICA's Representative Assembly is James Groene DC, FICA representing the ICA in Nebraska.
Edwards and Groene are also Fellows of the ICA - one of its highest honors.
In addition to these ICA leaders being ACA Members, the President of the International Chiropractors Association - Stephen Welsh DC, and ICA Assembly Representative for Georgia - Leana Kart DC are both dues paying members of the Georgia Chiropractic Association (GCA). Kart is the Immediate Past President of the GCA.
In a shock to the ICA membership and especially to the Georgia Chiropractic Council (GCC) which has been a longstanding ICA Affiliate, the ICA Board under Welsh's leadership recently voted to accept the Georgia Chiropractic Association (GCA) as an Affiliate member and did the same thing with the Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association.
The move was blocked by the ICA's Representative Assembly which appears to be attempting to hold the ICA to its values despite what appears to be out of control leadership.
DD Humber DC, FICA a former President of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), the Georgia Council of Chiropractic (GCC) and the Georgia Chiropractic Association (GCA) emphatically called on ICA members to question the ICA's motives in cozying up to ACA related organizations. In a widely circulated letter, Humber stated he was "shocked and embarrassed that the ICA would even be considering such a move".
Humber continued: "Has ICA leadership slipped to the point where they want to draw closer to the ACA? If so, why? Is a merger considered next?"
CLICK HERE for more on the GCA/ICA story
Despite the outright rejection of these moves, the ICA went ahead anyway and promoted the Pennsylvania ACA group and their upcoming convention in defiance of the Representative Assembly.
The Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association (PCA) is an ACA supporter and its President & Vice President are both dues paying ACA Members. Adding further insult to injury, the PCA has endorsed the ACA's Medicare Scope Expansion and Drug Bill. Making the treasonous behavior that much worse is the ICA is promoting the PCA's upcoming Convention which features Subluxation Denier Carlo Ammendolio who is a darling of the anti-subluxation faction of the profession.
Another speaker at the Pennsylvania Convention being promoted by the ICA is sponsored by the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic (UBCC). UBCC is a signatory to the Anti-Subluxation hate group known as the International Chiropractic Education Collaboration (ICEC) - an outgrowth of the World Federation of Chiropractic.
Four out of the 10 Georgia Chiropractic Association Board of Directors are members of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) including its current President:
- G Clark Stull, DC - President
- John A. Webster, DC - Secretary
- Robert L. Alpert, DC
- Vincent J Erario, DC
While members scramble to get more information out of an ever tightening grip by ICA administration that is filtering information and censoring members, the ICA is forging ahead with its "Big Tent" strategy championed by ICA President Stephen Welsh DC and, by all appearances, supported by the ICA Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
Part of the Board's strategy is to establish Affiliate relationships with state organizations even when those state organizations are already ACA Affiliates or even run by ACA supporters.
The ACA has emerged over the past several years as an anti-subluxation, anti-vitalistic trade organization with policies reflecting those descriptions. The most well known prohibition is the ACA's rejection of imaging in relation to vertebral subluxation.
In order to be a member of the ACA its members must sign a PLEDGE to uphold ACA's policies and practice standards which includes the prohibition on imaging related to vertebral subluxation. ICA members and some of its leaders are questioning how anyone could be a member of the ICA and a member of the ACA at the same time - never mind someone in a position of leadership that is supposed to be fighting for ICA values and policies.
