Massage Legislation, The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend, Not

I, as well as others, have written a great amount in opposition to the proposed California legislation, SB 412, setting up a private board to govern the massage industry on a statewide basis. The great attraction of such a board is to relieve the massage industry from the onerous regulations and restrictions placed on the industry by many local jurisdictions. Frankly, many jurisdictions treat the legitimate massage community as if the massage practitioners are prostitutes. And, to tell the truth there is lots of prostitution masquerading as legitimate massage, chiefly, but not exclusively, by Asians. Unfortunately, the big massage organizations took advantage of the situation and carved out a self-serving niche by: creating a special category for their members: creating a lesser category for others; and leaving behind many other well qualified massage therapists to continue to be victimized by local jurisdictions. A system with one level of recognition with appropriate grandfathering would have solved the industry needs.

SB 412 failed in the California Assembly yesterday on the final day of the 2006 legislative session. The Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals Association, which pushed for the legislation, reported:

A number of individuals and organizations who opposed the bill will likely claim credit for its demise. As the old aphorism says, "Victory has many authors. Defeat is an orphan." Through the cold prism of efforts actually being mounted in the Legislature's final week, however, just one organization was centrally responsible. Very simply the California Chiropractic Association (CCA) fought the bill and called in their chits, bought with $400,000 a year political contributions to state legislators. I expect many of you who enjoy good working relationships with one or more chiropractors find the CCA stance mystifying. We don't know the internal political dynamics that led to CCA adopting their position, but sometimes professional healthcare associations are controlled by particularly zealous individuals and focus defensively on protecting their turf and perpetuating the organization itself rather than taking a broad view of what's beneficial for consumers.

While I am extremely pleased that the bill failed, I am distressed that the failure may well have been chiefly because of the CCA. It was not too long ago that the chiropractors were the brunt of the exact same treatment at the hands of the medical associations.

It is ironic that ABMP, of which I am a member, can’t see the log in its own eye when they wrote:

…sometimes professional healthcare associations are controlled by particularly zealous individuals and focus defensively on protecting their turf and perpetuating the organization itself rather than taking a broad view of what's beneficial for consumers.

The truth of the matter is that the big massage interests are as guilty of protecting their own turf as was CCA. Only, CCA prevailed.

The issue is not over. We’ll see it raise its head again. And, it must because many local jurisdictions are out-of-control.

My Previous Postings:
Massage Therapist, Masseuse, or Whore --Take Your Pick
An Open Letter on Massage to CA State Sen. Figueroa
When an Angel Whispers & You Hear the Devil
Angel Responds
Special Interest to Control CA Massage

Other Oppositional Postings:
Ramblemeuse
The Flammia Touch