Quackery & Junk Medicine: The Women's Health Collaborative Peddles Both

      Who is Suzanne Topping, and why is State Senator Joseph Robach cozying up to her?  Topping, who is pictured to the far right of Robach in his latest mailing to constituents, is the prime mover behind a local anti-abortion group which calls itself the "Women's Health Collaborative" (WHC).

     Although it claims its mission is to educate women about their health choices, in reality, the WHC  is akin to the fake abortion clinics which lure unsuspecting women in with false advertising, then use deceptive methods to try and talk them out of having an abortion.

     The caliber of educational materials distributed by the WHC is questionable at best.  For example, on its website is posted a research study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPandS) purporting to show that abortion causes cancer, a claim that has been rejected by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the mainstream scientific community.

     Further investigation reveals that the JPandS has been listed as "an untrustworthy, non-recommended periodical" by Quackwatch, the nonprofit corporation which combats health-related frauds, myths, fads and fallacies.  The JPandS is not listed in the major literature databases of MEDLINE/PubMed nor the Web of Science.  The World Health Organization has criticized research published in the journal.

     The JPandS once published an article arguing that HIV does not cause AIDS and another criticizing humanists for conspiring to replace creationism with evolution.

    Investigative reporter Brian Deer has written that the journal is the "house magazine of a right-wing American fringe group" and "is barely credible as an independent forum."

     The right-wing fringe group of which Deer speaks is the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), which the New York Times has described an an "ultra-right-wing...political-economic rather than medical group, some of whose leaders have been members of the John Birch Society."

     Some other facts about the AAPS:  It opposes mandatory vaccination, universal health care and government intervention in healthcare.  It has characterized Medicare and Medicaid, as "evil" and "immoral," and discourages members from participating in the programs. It opposes abortion and over-the-counter access to emergency contraception.

     Judging by the disclaimer on its website disavowing any legal responsibility for the medical advice it dispenses, Suzanne Topping and the others associated with the Women's Health Collaborative apparently realize they are treading on dangerous ground with the dubious health information they are circulating.  Their disclaimer reads in part:

     "The WHC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the WHC website."  The disclaimer goes on to tell women to always consult a doctor "if you are in any way concerned about your health."

     And what of Suzanne Topping, the director of the Women's Health Collaborative?  From all indications, Topping has no particular expertise in women's medicine.  She has worked for a number of years in the field of computer technology.  A Google search of Ms. Topping's name reveals that she belongs to the local anti-abortion group Feminists Choosing Life and that she was associated with the "We Regret Our Abortions" campaign initiated by Fr. Frank Pavone, the controversial  anti-abortion troublemaker.

     Ms. Topping once authored a blog entitled "Come Home to Truth," where she posted passages from the bible.  Topping is active in, and maintains a website for, Trinity Communion Church, which caters to evangelicals and charismatics.  The mission of the church is to support the "culture of life," and its members are heavily involved in anti-abortion activities.

     Currently, Ms. Topping and the Women's Health Collaborative are bent on obstructing passage of much needed legislation which would update NY State's antiquated abortion laws.  Here again, the WHC is circulating misleading and false information about the bill in an effort to kill it.  For example, the WHC claims that if the legislation is passed, unqualified people would be allowed to perform abortions, dentists, for example.  This claim has absolutely no basis in fact.

     Senator Joseph Robach's latest mailing to his constituents (the one highlighting Suzanne Topping and the Women's Health Collaborative) is billed as a report on "Women's Issues."  It is lamentable that Senator Robach chooses to link his name and office with a group so out-of-the-mainstream and so at odds with the actual well-being of women.

 

Comments

[Suzanne Topping]

I am honored to be seen as worthy of so much webspace!

The author is accurate; I am not a medical professional, nor have I claimed to be. My background has been in administration and public relations, which is the role I play as president and primary spokesperson for the Women's Health Collaborative.

Given that abortion is legal and will undoubtedly remain so throughout our lifetime, it is frightening that NOW does not work to ensure that women enter into abortion decisions equipped with information that allows for informed consent. Even the staunchest of pro-choice supporters should agree that true choice requires knowledge. The pro-choice vs. anti-abort fracas prevents women from understanding worst case scenarios, yet the advantages of abortion are widely understood. The WHC was created to try to fill that information gap.

It is a pity that NOW views the WHC as an enemy when our end goals are essentially the same; helping women. Our positions as presented in a NYS Senate hearing on Gardasil were nearly identical, which implies that the WHC correctly analyzed available data in NOW's eyes.

It is unfortunate that NOW opposes women having information on the risks and side effects of abortion given that so many look to them as champions of women's rights.