Fluoride Free NZ has been working tirelessly throughout last month to raise awareness about the serious issues surrounding water fluoridation in New Zealand. Posting daily throughout July (#FluorideFreeAwarenessMonth) has brought extensive awareness to a wide range of Kiwis on the harmful effects of fluoridation.
The Five Main Themes of Fluoride Free Awareness Month
Wrapping up this awareness month, FFNZ portrayed and supported five main themes. These need to remain at the forefront of public awareness.
1. Health Risks
Fluoride is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain. Studies have shown that exposure to fluoride, especially in children (and formula-fed babies in particular), lowers IQ levels. This is an extreme concern for the brain function of the next generation.
2. Lack of Consent
Water fluoridation forces everyone to take a supposed ‘medication’ without their consent. Informed consent is a fundamental principle of medical ethics, and fluoridation bypasses this right for all citizens. New Zealanders are still waiting for the Bill of Rights review that the court ordered the Director General of Health (DGoH) to undertake.
3. More Harm than Dental Goodness
Over 40 per cent of teenagers in New Zealand display some degree of dental fluorosis, which manifests as discoloured and pitted teeth. This condition clearly indicates overexposure to fluoride, which can have lifelong negative impacts on dental health and self esteem.
4. Effectiveness Questioned
Modern research has shown zero to minimal difference in tooth decay rates between communities that fluoridate their water and those that do not. This calls into question the necessity of exposing the entire population to fluoride. More effective public health advice is to brush teeth and to avoid the consumption of fizzy drinks and juices.
5. Environmental Impact
The fluoride chemicals added to water are toxic industrial by-products that are illegal to dispose of into nature. Their use in our water systems can lead to environmental pollution, harming aquatic life and ecosystems. Yet these toxins, which are unfit for our environment, can be sold to our councils to add to our waterways for a profit.
The Court Case: Fluoride Action Network NZ Inc v Hastings District Council
Copy_Decision_2024-NZHC-1313Download
In a significant legal challenge, Fluoride Free New Zealand and NZDSOS took on the Hastings District Council regarding the issue of water fluoridation.
We maintain that this practice breaches both local and international human rights legislation as well as medical ethics, particularly the fundamental right of individuals to refuse medical interventions, especially those known to be toxic.
Whilst the Hastings District Council supported water fluoridation as a public health initiative, the case illustrates the significant implications of imposing treatment on the population. We requested that the council pause fluoridation until the Bill of Rights assessment had been completed by the DGoH. The courts did not uphold our request. This case represents an important step toward questioning the ongoing practice and advocating for the rights of New Zealanders to make informed choices regarding their health.
Act Now: Sign the Petition!
Thanks to your support, we’ve made significant strides. Still, we need a monumental collaborative push to show the councils and courts that we are not a fringe group as they claim but a countrywide public interest movement!
When imposing costs for the legal challenge, the judge stated, “while the applicants clearly consider they are acting in a public interest, in reality, the case reflected the special interests of their members” and “their claim was about advancing the special interests of its members rather than the wider public interest”.
We disagree and think that if New Zealanders were asked, a large proportion would be opposed. Furthermore, the population has not been fully informed about all aspects of water fluoridation (we’ve only had glossy promotional material short on the truth).
In order to demonstrate to the courts that those who oppose the mass medication of water are not a fringe minority, as the judge claimed, we need thousands of signatures on the parliamentary petition.
By doing this, we have the chance to avoid the hefty court fees we and Fluoride Free NZ have incurred by challenging the Hastings District Council. Your signature is crucial in our fight to stop this practice and save us tens of thousands of dollars in court fees, which are waived normally in public interest cases.
Stop Water Fluoridation Petition
Once you have signed the petition, please share this post with your friends, family, and colleagues – every signature counts.
If your region’s water is not currently fluoridated, it may well be shortly, so please get involved. The DGoH has a list of the next 27 councils to be directed.
Let’s Keep Making Our Voices Heard
Protect our health and environment from needless fluoride exposure. If we get enough signatures, we will prove to the government that plenty give a damn and the costs must be dropped in this case.
Save us this court fee money so we can use the funds to keep the momentum up in exposing and keeping pressure on the Ministry of Health, which has imposed this action on the local councils and people of New Zealand. Your support allows us to continue our core work for medical freedom.
This article was originally published by New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out with Science.
