President Bush Signs Landmark Legislation Prohibiting Forced Psychiatric Drugging of Schoolchildren

Citizens Commission on Human Rights (Scientology front) ^ | December 6, 2004

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Celebrities, Parents, Legislators and Civil Rights Groups Win Victory for Children's Rights with Passage of the "Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment"

Los Angeles - Celebrities Lisa Marie Presley, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman and Juliette Lewis joined the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health watchdog established by the Church of Scientology, in applauding Congress for passing precedent-setting legislation that bans school personnel forcing parents to drug their children for classroom or behavioral problems. In order to receive federal funds under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), the "Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment," was signed into law by President Bush today and requires schools to implement policies that prohibit schoolchildren being forced onto psychiatric drugs as a requisite for their education.

Hundreds of parents across America have been pressured to put their school-aged children onto cocaine-like stimulants or antidepressants for which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just ordered a "black box label" warning of the drugs' high risk of causing suicide among children and adolescents. Ms. Kelly Preston, who met with members of Congress in June last year to enlist support of the amendment, said, "Every mother has an inherent right to protect her child from harm. However, many mothers have been denied that right because psychiatrists have inundated unwitting teachers with the false opinion that educational and behavioral problems are symptoms of 'mental disorders' that require mind-altering drugs. This law gives hope for a new era in education, one where teachers are free to work with parents to find academic solutions instead of unworkable and harmful psychiatric treatments that benefit no one but the psychiatric industry."

Many groups supported the amendment, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL), Parents for a Label and Drug Free Education, as well as numerous state and federal legislators.

Bruce Wiseman, the U.S. President of CCHR says, "Psychiatrists did not want to let go of their stronghold of American schools and launched massive counter efforts to kill this legislation. However, people are waking up to the fact that psychiatric 'mental disorders' have absolutely no scientific/medical validity and that psychiatrists falsely portray them as a disease or physical condition to convince teachers and parents that these are medical issues, which is a complete fraud. Psychiatric 'disorders' are simply checklists of behaviors‹symptoms presumed to be related‹and voted by members of the American Psychiatric Association to be included in their insurance billing bible, the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This has been used to justify the administration of dangerous drugs to more than 8 million children. Parents and teachers were never informed about documented side effects of many of these drugs, including suicide, violence, mania and psychosis."

CCHR says the next step in educational reform is to remove psychiatric and psychological testing and screening from schools which are the feeder lines to psychiatrists who have made turning schools into mental health clinics a business. Millions of students are now dependent upon psychiatric drugs or are taking them illegally. CCHR, joined by scores of parents and civil rights groups, say the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's recommendations for mandatory mental health screening in school is a frightening representation of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which Huxley describes a controlled "utopian" civilization achieved with the "technique of suggestion‹through infant conditioning and, later, with the aid of drugs." While the "Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment" will help prevent some of psychiatry's propensity to drug all normal childhood behavior, many charge that the spurious sounding "Freedom Commission on Mental Health" and its recommendations will open another door to dangerous conditioning leading to massive increases in psychotropic drugging of a new generation.

Dr. Julian Whitaker, director of California's Whitaker Wellness Center warns that the motive behind mandatory mental health screening of children is obvious: "That means drugging them!" For psychiatry, this means, "52 million potential customers." He offers this advice to parents: "First of all, refuse to sign those consent forms when they come home from your child's school‹if they can't test them, they can't drug them."

CCHR will monitor the implementation of this law so that any parent who may still experience coercion to drug their child can contact CCHR to report this and for assistance.

[Wneighbor]

Thanks. I had always wondered if that were the same thing. Sounds a lot alike, must be different then.

[UseYourHead]

Ah, the wonders of Public (Gov't) Education!

Pen them up all day and don't let them play outside lest they COMPETE and damage tender ego and brittle self-esteem. Then when they are overcome with the energy of youth, punish them by KEEPING them inside instead of letting them run outside for recess and put them on brain frying drugs. Send them home wound to the max to sit in front television and video games, spinning their minds completely out of control whilst wasting their physical bodies down to impotent diabetic wards of the State.

Excellent plan executed by intelligent Blue-State geniuses. </sarcasm type='gagging'>

[Question_Assumptions]

You might find this interesting...

[Database]

Aren't the scientologists the ones who'll let their folks die rather than permit medical intervention?

You are thinking of Christian Science. This is Scientology.

[Dalite]

I hope that 2 points of interest come out of this discussion.

1. Schools were getting kickbacks for every Attention Deficit student they could create and get medicated.

and

2. Drugs such as covered in this subject would act to prevent the student from being able to serve in the Armed Forces when (if) they grow up.

If these subjects surface, look to the era where ADD became popular, who controls the teachers and which party would further their agenda of dependence and anti-war.

Hint: the same administration was dismantling the military hand over fist at the same time ADD became stylish (and a potential profit center).

[MaxMax]

"Aren't the scientologists the ones who'll let their folks die rather than permit medical intervention?'

Yes they are, which is why they most likely supported it.

Someone call Tom Cruise.

[Constantine XIII]

Eh, broken clock...right time of day.

[RockinRight]

Wasn't there talk a few weeks ago of Bush doing the exact opposite (allowing forced drugging of students in schools?)

Glad to hear it didn't happen, nonetheless!

Way to go, Dubya!

[RockinRight]

Hopefully the next law will require schools to implement policies that prohibit schoolchildren being forced to learn/hear Liberal ideas as a requisite for their education.

Ha! Won't happen!

[MaxMax]

There are cases on both sides.

[Doohickey]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

[GovernmentShrinker]

This is one of the ways the "Church" of Scientology recruits new members. Parents come in with problem kids, and the "Church" directs them to alternative programs (its own, though often not openly identified as such) that don't involve medication. Unfortunately, they do involve having the whole family brainwashed by Scientology, and turning over lots of money to Scientology. Scientology doesn't want the psychiatric/pharmaceutical establishment making money on these kids, because they want to take all the money themselves!

[Ladysmith]

Operation Clambake

[My2Cents]

There's been some discussion of federally mandated mental health evaluations of kids...a horrible idea. But I've never seen anything official from the White House suggesting Bush supports this policy. (I hope he doesn't.)

[Prime Choice]

While the news is welcome, I wonder why this reform was a special project of the Church of Scientology...

Your concern is well-founded. The Crutch of $cientology never does anything for free. There's something rotten here...

[Wneighbor]

Funny how well good old Proverbs works for raising kids huh? No need for recruiting and brainwashing. Just do it God's way.

[kallisti]

ahhh, soo desu ne. thanks, that makes sense. i knew it wasn't altruism.

[julymoon]

I am so glad that this legislation has passed. When my son was young (2nd grade), he attended public school. As a punishment for getting ansy during a long class session, he and others (happened to be all boys) were kept inside for recess---robbing them of the necessary time to work off their steam! It was always the same band of boys that were punished in this way. At one point, the principal suggested to some of us parents that medication might be necessary! I couldn't believe my ears. One parent actually caved, but we wouldn't. My son got older, learned to settle down naturally (particularly after a healthy stint of homeschooling for 2 years), and now he's a star student in his private middle school (great grades, high test scores. Too often parents, particularly those of spirited boys, are cornered into submission. As the slogan goes: It's important to just say no to drugs!

[Allan]

A Canadian onlooker asks:

Why is such legislation necessary?

Is not forced drugging of schoolchildren by teachers outlawed by the Bill of Rights?

/sarcasm off

[Eva]

I have some concerns about the fact that this law seems to have emanated from California, not because California is so prone to forcing kids on to drugs, but just the opposite. In Orange County special ed students who are on medication are seen by the county mental health dept, and evaluated by a psychiatrist. They believe that the family practioners are not qualified to hand out psychotropic drugs. The head psychiatrist interviews not only the child but the whole family before deciding whether drugs are the proper remedy. Then the child is seen by a psychologist and monitored weekly to see if the drugs help and offer counselling in study habits and social relationships. It's a very complete program. They even visit the school periodically to observe the child in the classroom (and the teacher at the same time).