Standing Strong: The Role of OneChiropractic and Bharon Hoag in Defending Chiropractic Freedom During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dr. Kim learned of OneChiropractic, the Chiropractic Defense Council (CDC), and its founder, Bharon Hoag, during the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2021. Chiropractors in Australia, feared being unable to practice without being vaccinated against COVID-19 or, worse, losing their registration.

 

“Bharon has been a fantastic support to hundreds of Chiropractors across Australia. He was a beacon of light for many, who were worried that they would be unable to earn a living for their families, have their practices closed down, or potentially lose their registrations.” 

 

Bharon would be on a weekly call with regular updates about what was happening across the country and how they were supporting chiropractors and other health practitioners who were being challenged for practicing without being vaccinated. In those dark times, Bharon was a warrior for our profession, helping people stand their ground and continue to care for people. Our community needed chiropractic more than ever, so we needed to be available for our practice members, who were stressed, frightened, and isolated. Everyone felt that they weren’t fighting alone.

 

One of the best things about Bharon and the Chiropractic Defense Council is that he supports individuals experiencing professional conflict anywhere in the world, not just in his state or country. He is the head of the collective group fighting for Chiropractic freedom worldwide. His vision is so expansive that he is prepared to instruct lawyers in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States, and anywhere else where the ability to practice is challenged. He is happy to go to war with anyone trying to restrict chiropractic’s scope or freedom to practice. We make a small contribution of US$33 per month. Yet, the effect of hundreds of chiropractors contributing means the Chiropractic Defense Council has a central fund to direct money wherever action is required.

People don’t always realize the work that goes on behind the scenes. The Chiropractic Defense Council is playing the long game, continuously investing in supporting freedom in chiropractic. Hence, they are ready when the next challenge appears. Unfortunately, it is the nature of the legal profession that much work is abortive and doesn’t always end up going to court or getting the right outcome the first time. It’s a game of strategy that takes time and effort to find loopholes and ways around the current legislation, test the waters, and try new ways to stand up against conflict.

 

Currently, in Australia, OneChiropractic is fighting the interim ban on HVLA manual adjustments on children two and under. This ban restricts our practice and denies young children the potential benefits of chiropractic care. 

 

Chiropractors also face limitations in advertising their services, such as not being able to post Google reviews on their websites or post information on chiropractic on social media. Operation FreeSpeech is a OneChiropractic initiative to help educate the public about our profession and to support chiropractors in having more advertising freedom. 

 

Supporting OneChiropractic and the Chiropractic Defense Council with a monthly donation is a small price to pay for a massive impact on the future of our great profession. Participating in this movement for such a nominal fee is a no-brainer.”