Helen Caldicott

"As a doctor, as well as a mother and a world citizen, I wish to practice the ultimate form of preventive medicine by ridding the earth of these technologies that propagate disease, suffering, and death."

All physicians are required to take the Hippocratic Oath, a vow to dispense care in a professional and ethical manner. Dr. Helen Caldicott has taken that promise one step forward by swearing to care for the Earth with the same dedication and concern she reserves for her patients. She has spoken out against nuclear technology and has rallied many others to make their voices heard as well. Her books and lectures about the need to care for the planet have received international acclaim and have made Dr.Caldicott a widely respected hero of peace education.

Dr. Caldicott became increasingly concerned about nuclear technology in the early 1970s. The French government was conducting numerous atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific Ocean. After radioactive fallout from these tests were detected in her city of, Adelaide, South Australia, she began writing letters to newspapers and appearing on television explaining the real and graphic effects of radiation sickness. Dr. Caldicott became recognized for her direct and dramatic manner of teaching the horrors of nuclear technology. As she explained, "Every time the French blew up another bomb I was back on the news talking about fallout and babies."

Through her constant efforts of public awareness, she was able to galvanize others into action. What began as a letter written to a newspaper later resulted in the Australian government contesting the French in the International Court of Justice. The Court's decision ultimately led to a ban on nuclear atmospheric testing in the Pacific Ocean.

In the late 1970s Dr. Caldicott moved to Boston, Massachusetts to teach at Harvard University. There she became co-founder of the Physicians for Social Responsibility. Initially consisting of only 10 members in 1979, the organization has since grown and evolved into the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). With over 135,000 concerned medical professionals and citizens, the organization has educated countless people about the effects of nuclear war. In 1985 the Nobel Peace Prize was presented to the IPPNW for their role in peace education. The Nobel Committee announced that "the organization has performed a considerable service to mankind by spreading authoritative information and by creating awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare."

Her peace activism has continued over the years. Besides being the inspiration for the IPPNW, she founded the Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament and has served as the Director of the Stanley Foster Foundation, an organization dedicated to the promotion of environmental education. For her efforts she has received countless awards and honorary degrees, including a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Her work has brought her in close contact with many of the world's leading heads of state, including Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. Meeting with Gorbachev, she thanked him for saving the planet, to which he responded, "Thank you."

Over the last few years, she has spent most her time traveling around the world addressing both environmental and nuclear issues. She has made a passionate call for us to take better care of our planet by demonstrating that the degradation of the planet caused by uncontrolled consumerism is as damaging and dangerous as a nuclear war.

Through her books and lectures, Dr. Caldicott has given us the necessary prescription to heal the Earth. All we have to do now is make a sincere commitment to do so. For as she has routinely demonstrated, a single person can make a difference.