| Psycho Feds Target Children |
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Psycho Feds Target Children By Rep. Ron Paul, MD Every parent in America should be made aware of a presidentialinitiative called the "New Freedom Commission on Mental Health." Thiscommission issued a report last year calling for the mandatory mental healthscreening of American schoolchildren, meaning millions of kids will beforced to undergo psychiatric screening whether their parents consent ornot. At issue is the fundamental right of parents to decide what medicaltreatment is appropriate for their children. Forced mental health screening simply has no place in a free or decentsociety. The government does not own you or your kids, and it has nolegitimate authority to interfere in your family's intimate health matters.Psychiatric diagnoses are inherently subjective, and the drugs regularlyprescribed produce serious side effects, especially in children's developingbrains. The bottom line is that mental health issues are a matter forparents, children, and their doctors, not government. Unfortunately, however, the mental health screening initiative receivedfunding from House and Senate appropriators in the 2005 federal budget. Thisfunding allows states to create or expand mental health screening programswith your tax dollars. More importantly, the commission recommends a broaderfederal program in the near future. Last fall I introduced an amendment to eliminate any funding for theproposal in a year-end spending bill. Although the amendment failed, theresponse to my office was overwhelming and highly supportive. The notion offederal bureaucrats ordering potentially millions of youngsters to takepsychotropic drugs like Ritalin strikes an emotional chord with Americanparents, who are sick of relinquishing more and more parental control togovernment. Accordingly, the first bill I introduced this year forbids federalfunds from being used for any mental-health screening of students withoutthe express, written, voluntary, informed consent of their parents. The billis known as "The Parental Consent Act of 2005," or HR 181. This legislationstrikes a vital blow for parents who oppose government interference withtheir parental authority, and strengthens the fundamental right of parentsto direct and control the upbringing and education of their children. It is important to understand that powerful interests, namely federalbureaucrats and pharmaceutical lobbies, are behind the push for mentalhealth screening in schools. There is no end to the bureaucratic appetite torun our lives, and the pharmaceutical industry is eager to sell psychotropicdrugs to millions of new customers in American schools. Only tremendouspublic opposition will suffice to overcome the lobbying and bureaucraticpower behind the president's New Freedom Commission. Your help is needed. Please tell everyone you know about HR 181, andask them to call their representatives and senators in Washington to voicestrong opposition to forced mental health screening. Demand that theDepartment of Health and Human Services receive no tax dollars in thisyear's appropriation bill for screening programs, and that states receive nofederal dollars for programs of their own. Refer to my congressional websitefor articles from September 2004 about mental health screening, and soberingstatistics about anti-depressant drugs and kids in the text of HR 181. Mostof all, talk with your friends, family, and colleagues about the underlyingissue of whether the state owns your kids. Remind them that freedom can bemaintained only when state power is limited, especially when it comes tofundamental freedoms over our bodies and minds. Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas. |
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