Ilena Rose
November 19th 05, 06:14 PM
"Issues and Action in Education"
November 18, 2005
"Issues and Action in Education" is an e-letter produced by
<http://www.edwatch.org/>EdWatch, a nonprofit organization.
----------
House Passes Child Medication Safety Act
Vote is 407 to 12 in important step toward protecting children
On Wednesday, November 16th, the U.S. House of
Representatives
overwhelmingly approved the Child Medication Safety Act (CMSA)
sponsored by
Cong. John Kline of Minnesota. We commend and thank Mr. Kline and the
US
House for this strong effort to protect children and parental rights.
The
bill must still be introduced and passed in the Senate. Currently,
there is
no Senate author.
The vote on
<http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/lgwww_bill.pl?201790>H.R. 1790, "to
protect
children and their parents from being coerced into administering a
controlled substance or a psychotropic drug in order to attend
school," was
407 to 12 on a <http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll590.xml>Roll call
vote.
Please call your members to thank them for their support for children
and
families.
The bi-partisan vote for CSMA demonstrates that its
provisions
enjoy broad public support. All 25 co-sponsors, however, were
Republican,
with the noteworthy exception of Collin Peterson of Minnesota. The
absence
of more Democratic co-sponsors is disappointing on an issue that
should be
aggressively promoted by all elected officials. The powerful
pharmaceutical
lobby is now the chief obstacle to final Congressional passage, and
bi-partisan support will be required to stir action in the Senate.
In a November 15th floor speech , Cong. Kline noted the
potential
for "serious harm and abuse" in the use of psychotropic drugs on
children.
"In some instances," he stated, "school personnel freely offer
diagnoses
for ADD and ADHD disorders and urge parents to obtain drug treatment
for
their child. Sometimes, officials even attempt to force parents into
choosing between medicating their child and allowing that child to
remain
in the classroom. This is unconscionable. Parents should never be
forced to
medicate their child against their will and better judgment in order
to
ensure their child will receive educational services."
EdWatch's Dr. Karen Effrem has
<http://edaction.org/2005/050205-HR1790b.htm>presented testimony to
Congress on this issue and has led the charge to put this protection
into
law. One example of the need to prohibit coercion to medicate is
demonstrated in the article --
<http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/05/medicating_aliah.html>Medicating
Aliah.
ALIAH GLEASON IS A BIG, lively girl with a round face, a quick wit,
and a
sharp tongue. She's 13 and in eighth grade at Dessau Middle School in
Pflugerville, Texas, an Austin suburb, but could pass for several
years
older. She is the second of four daughters of Calvin and Anaka
Gleason, an
African American couple who run a struggling business taking people on
casino bus trips...Aliah was a B and C student who "got in trouble for
running my mouth."
First diagnosed by school personnel as having "oppositional
disorder", Aliah was later screened for mental illness and taken to
the Austin State Hospital, a state mental facility, against her
parents
wishes. She was denied family contact for five months and forcibly
medicated with 12 different powerful and toxic psychotropic
medications.
"What, if anything, was wrong with Aliah remains cloudy." The entire
story
is on-line. <http://ritalindeath.com/homepage.htm>Children have died
from
the toxic effects of psychotropic medications on which their parents
were
forced by the schools to put them.
EdWatch is especially focused on the CMSA, because state and
federal policies are rapidly
<http://www.healthychild.ucla.edu/Publications/Documents/IMH%20executive%20summary%2012.pdf>establishing
comprehensive state mental health systems that would require universal
mental health screening of all children. These are funded by Congress
and
administered by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) and by the
<http://www.nccic.org/statedata/dirs/plangrant.html>Administration for
Children & Families (ACF). The result of massive mental health
screening
will inevitably be massive drugging. The pharmaceutical lobby also
drives
universal screening policies.
<http://edaction.org/2005/051205-mhs.htm>The
Parental Consent Act of 2005 to prohibit federal money for universal
screening programs still awaits Congressional action.
In addition, this month's Ninth Circuit Appeals Court's now
infamous
<http://www.pacificjustice.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?ID=PR051103a>Palmdale
<http://www.pacificjustice.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?ID=PR051103a>decision
against parental authority, besides establishing the school as arbiter
of
sex education and supporting a school's right to ask nosy questions
that
were part of a mental health study, was actually upholding the
schools'
right to "protect the mental health of children." Legislation like the
CMSA
is absolutely vital to protect and reassert parental rights to direct
the
education and health care of their children.
Rep. Hinojosa, D-TX, said, "the decision to medicate a child
to
treat mental health problems ... belongs solely to the parents."
Chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee,
Rep.
Boehner, R-OH, pointed out that in Congressional hearings, he has
learned
of "the number of complaints from parents, grandparents and others
where
their children were going to be denied admission to school or denied
services unless their child was put on medication." He further said:
"Last year when <http://edaction.org/2005/070505-mhsa.htm>we
reauthorized
IDEA, the special ed law, we put identical language in that law to
protect
the parents of special needs children. What this does is covers the
rest of
the children. I think it is a great step in the right direction, and I
urge
my colleagues to support it."
Rep. Murphy, R-PA, stated that he is "concerned about some
schools
coercing parents to medicate their children without medical
justification--exactly what this legislation aims to prevent. When I
saw
child patients as a psychologist," Mr. Murphy said, "I was once
strongly
pressured by a school administrator to recommend medication for
students.
That sort of pressure is unethical, not to mention potentially leading
to
harm for children." In other words, we know that coercion to drug
students
is a reality in our nation.
In the last Congress the CMSA passed the House 425 to 1 Yet
in
2004 it died in the Senate for lack of committee action, thanks to the
active blockade by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Kennedy admitted
those
efforts in a
<http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/07/02/kennedy_ties_up_drug_bill>July
2, 2004 Boston Globe story: "Kennedy's office said that it is
important to
separate the roles of schools and doctors but that any legislation
limiting
schools' ability to push for treatment of children with mental-health
issues should wait until further study of the benefits and detriments
of
psychiatric drugs." That story also noted that Kennedy had received
$171,601 in campaign contributions from health professionals and
$97,050
from the pharmaceutical and health-product industry.
Since that statement by Kennedy's office, a
<http://ahrp.org/infomail/05/11/02a.php>flurry of revelations have
been
published. They document pharmaceutical industry cover-ups of
unflattering
clinical trial data and scientific data that show lack of safety and
effectiveness of any of the psychiatric drugs in children. Given that
information, opposition to the CMSA by the Senate would now be absurd.
<http://markkennedy.house.gov/cgi-data/press/files/523.shtml>Congressman
Mark Kennedy, R-MN, stated, "As a father of four, I understand how
important it is to protect parental rights. Parents are the ones who
should
be deciding what is best for their children's health and education."
Yet,
twelve House members actually
<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll590.xml>voted no this week -- 11
Democrats and one Republican. It's hard to imagine what their excuse
might be!
Will this urgent protection for our children and our rights
as
parents die again in the 109th Congress? Will Senators step forward to
sponsor this common-sense, necessary protection for our children and
see to
it that the CMSA receives an up or down vote in committee and on the
Senate
floor? Or will the pharmaceutical lobby once again have their way as
they
did in the last Congress?
EDUCATION FOR A FREE NATION
105 Peavey Rd, Suite 116, Chaska, MN 55318
952-361-4931 - <http://www.edwatch.org/>www.edwatch.org -
November 18, 2005
"Issues and Action in Education" is an e-letter produced by
<http://www.edwatch.org/>EdWatch, a nonprofit organization.
----------
House Passes Child Medication Safety Act
Vote is 407 to 12 in important step toward protecting children
On Wednesday, November 16th, the U.S. House of
Representatives
overwhelmingly approved the Child Medication Safety Act (CMSA)
sponsored by
Cong. John Kline of Minnesota. We commend and thank Mr. Kline and the
US
House for this strong effort to protect children and parental rights.
The
bill must still be introduced and passed in the Senate. Currently,
there is
no Senate author.
The vote on
<http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/lgwww_bill.pl?201790>H.R. 1790, "to
protect
children and their parents from being coerced into administering a
controlled substance or a psychotropic drug in order to attend
school," was
407 to 12 on a <http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll590.xml>Roll call
vote.
Please call your members to thank them for their support for children
and
families.
The bi-partisan vote for CSMA demonstrates that its
provisions
enjoy broad public support. All 25 co-sponsors, however, were
Republican,
with the noteworthy exception of Collin Peterson of Minnesota. The
absence
of more Democratic co-sponsors is disappointing on an issue that
should be
aggressively promoted by all elected officials. The powerful
pharmaceutical
lobby is now the chief obstacle to final Congressional passage, and
bi-partisan support will be required to stir action in the Senate.
In a November 15th floor speech , Cong. Kline noted the
potential
for "serious harm and abuse" in the use of psychotropic drugs on
children.
"In some instances," he stated, "school personnel freely offer
diagnoses
for ADD and ADHD disorders and urge parents to obtain drug treatment
for
their child. Sometimes, officials even attempt to force parents into
choosing between medicating their child and allowing that child to
remain
in the classroom. This is unconscionable. Parents should never be
forced to
medicate their child against their will and better judgment in order
to
ensure their child will receive educational services."
EdWatch's Dr. Karen Effrem has
<http://edaction.org/2005/050205-HR1790b.htm>presented testimony to
Congress on this issue and has led the charge to put this protection
into
law. One example of the need to prohibit coercion to medicate is
demonstrated in the article --
<http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/05/medicating_aliah.html>Medicating
Aliah.
ALIAH GLEASON IS A BIG, lively girl with a round face, a quick wit,
and a
sharp tongue. She's 13 and in eighth grade at Dessau Middle School in
Pflugerville, Texas, an Austin suburb, but could pass for several
years
older. She is the second of four daughters of Calvin and Anaka
Gleason, an
African American couple who run a struggling business taking people on
casino bus trips...Aliah was a B and C student who "got in trouble for
running my mouth."
First diagnosed by school personnel as having "oppositional
disorder", Aliah was later screened for mental illness and taken to
the Austin State Hospital, a state mental facility, against her
parents
wishes. She was denied family contact for five months and forcibly
medicated with 12 different powerful and toxic psychotropic
medications.
"What, if anything, was wrong with Aliah remains cloudy." The entire
story
is on-line. <http://ritalindeath.com/homepage.htm>Children have died
from
the toxic effects of psychotropic medications on which their parents
were
forced by the schools to put them.
EdWatch is especially focused on the CMSA, because state and
federal policies are rapidly
<http://www.healthychild.ucla.edu/Publications/Documents/IMH%20executive%20summary%2012.pdf>establishing
comprehensive state mental health systems that would require universal
mental health screening of all children. These are funded by Congress
and
administered by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) and by the
<http://www.nccic.org/statedata/dirs/plangrant.html>Administration for
Children & Families (ACF). The result of massive mental health
screening
will inevitably be massive drugging. The pharmaceutical lobby also
drives
universal screening policies.
<http://edaction.org/2005/051205-mhs.htm>The
Parental Consent Act of 2005 to prohibit federal money for universal
screening programs still awaits Congressional action.
In addition, this month's Ninth Circuit Appeals Court's now
infamous
<http://www.pacificjustice.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?ID=PR051103a>Palmdale
<http://www.pacificjustice.org/resources/news/focusdetails.cfm?ID=PR051103a>decision
against parental authority, besides establishing the school as arbiter
of
sex education and supporting a school's right to ask nosy questions
that
were part of a mental health study, was actually upholding the
schools'
right to "protect the mental health of children." Legislation like the
CMSA
is absolutely vital to protect and reassert parental rights to direct
the
education and health care of their children.
Rep. Hinojosa, D-TX, said, "the decision to medicate a child
to
treat mental health problems ... belongs solely to the parents."
Chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee,
Rep.
Boehner, R-OH, pointed out that in Congressional hearings, he has
learned
of "the number of complaints from parents, grandparents and others
where
their children were going to be denied admission to school or denied
services unless their child was put on medication." He further said:
"Last year when <http://edaction.org/2005/070505-mhsa.htm>we
reauthorized
IDEA, the special ed law, we put identical language in that law to
protect
the parents of special needs children. What this does is covers the
rest of
the children. I think it is a great step in the right direction, and I
urge
my colleagues to support it."
Rep. Murphy, R-PA, stated that he is "concerned about some
schools
coercing parents to medicate their children without medical
justification--exactly what this legislation aims to prevent. When I
saw
child patients as a psychologist," Mr. Murphy said, "I was once
strongly
pressured by a school administrator to recommend medication for
students.
That sort of pressure is unethical, not to mention potentially leading
to
harm for children." In other words, we know that coercion to drug
students
is a reality in our nation.
In the last Congress the CMSA passed the House 425 to 1 Yet
in
2004 it died in the Senate for lack of committee action, thanks to the
active blockade by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Kennedy admitted
those
efforts in a
<http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/07/02/kennedy_ties_up_drug_bill>July
2, 2004 Boston Globe story: "Kennedy's office said that it is
important to
separate the roles of schools and doctors but that any legislation
limiting
schools' ability to push for treatment of children with mental-health
issues should wait until further study of the benefits and detriments
of
psychiatric drugs." That story also noted that Kennedy had received
$171,601 in campaign contributions from health professionals and
$97,050
from the pharmaceutical and health-product industry.
Since that statement by Kennedy's office, a
<http://ahrp.org/infomail/05/11/02a.php>flurry of revelations have
been
published. They document pharmaceutical industry cover-ups of
unflattering
clinical trial data and scientific data that show lack of safety and
effectiveness of any of the psychiatric drugs in children. Given that
information, opposition to the CMSA by the Senate would now be absurd.
<http://markkennedy.house.gov/cgi-data/press/files/523.shtml>Congressman
Mark Kennedy, R-MN, stated, "As a father of four, I understand how
important it is to protect parental rights. Parents are the ones who
should
be deciding what is best for their children's health and education."
Yet,
twelve House members actually
<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll590.xml>voted no this week -- 11
Democrats and one Republican. It's hard to imagine what their excuse
might be!
Will this urgent protection for our children and our rights
as
parents die again in the 109th Congress? Will Senators step forward to
sponsor this common-sense, necessary protection for our children and
see to
it that the CMSA receives an up or down vote in committee and on the
Senate
floor? Or will the pharmaceutical lobby once again have their way as
they
did in the last Congress?
EDUCATION FOR A FREE NATION
105 Peavey Rd, Suite 116, Chaska, MN 55318
952-361-4931 - <http://www.edwatch.org/>www.edwatch.org -