Stichting Skepsis is a Dutch organization dedicated to the promotion and practice of scientific skepticism. Since 1988 the organization publishes a journal titled Skepter twice a year. It also hosts an annual conference in Utrecht.

Controversies [edit]

The foundation has played a part in several high profile controversies.

Robbert van den Broeke [edit]

In late 2005 Stichting Skepsis took on Robbert van den Broeke, a self-proclaimed psychic with numerous appearances on Dutch television. In an episode of his television show Er is zo veel meer (with Irene Moors) he did a reading for a woman. During the conversation he claimed knowledge of the woman's supposed past lives, telling her that she had been a certain "Hillegien Rozeboom" in an earlier life and that her husband was a "genverbrander".

Stichting Skepsis looked up this information and found a genealogical website with the same information. However, the occupation "genverbrander" never existed. The word was mistyped and should have been "jeneverbrander". According to Stichting Skepsis, the fact that van den Broeke mispronounced the word exactly as it was mistyped on this website proved that he had simply looked up the information in advance.^[1][2] Two months later, in February 2006, it was reported that because of Stichting Skepsis' efforts no further episodes of the show would be produced and that no re-runs would be aired.^[3]

Jomanda and Sylvia Millecam [edit]

In August 2001 the Dutch television personality Sylvia Millecam died as a result of breast cancer. After being diagnosed the actress sought second opinions and treatment from two alternative medicine providers and self-proclaimed healing medium Jomanda. These told Millecam that she did not have cancer but suffered from some bacterial infection instead. Millecam's condition steadily worsened until the cancer could no longer be treated.

The Dutch public prosecutor initially pressed charges but dropped them after concluding that Millecam had made her decision independently. At this point Stichting Skepsis and the Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij took legal steps forcing the prosecutor to continue his case.^[4][5] In 2009 the case concluded with a guilty verdict against the two alternative healers, but acquittal for Jomanda.^[6][7]

See also [edit]

• List of skeptics and skeptical organizations

References [edit]