Final Showdown

October 3, 2003

The final showdown is nearing. This will take you 10 minutes to take part in ensuring the passing of first federal anti-psych law in history (see details below). 1) Please type out a simple statement that you support Senate Bill S1390 and fax it to your 2 Senators from your state. You can find your two Senators by going to http://www.congress.org and typing in your zip code. 2) Also fax: Senator Judd Gregg, Chairman, Senate H.E.L.P. Committee Fax: 202-224-6510 &

Senator Edward Kennedy, Ranking Member Senate H.E.L.P. Committee Fax: 202-224-5128 3) Pass this email to all of your friends and ask them to do the same.

The Child Medication Safety Act (S1390) is currently being fought by no less than 53 separate organizations! Such groups include the American Association of Psychologists, The Association of School Nurses, American Pediatric Association, and of course groups such as the American Psychiatric Association, National Institute of Mental Health, etc. ad nauseum.Many of these groups are actively lobbying the US Senate to kill S1390. This needs to be countered by a new surge of faxes and calls to your two US Senators as well as to key US Senators - per the information below. This bill, is the first federal piece of legislation ever proposed of its kind and with your help it can and will pass into law. So please take a moment to send the faxes or make the calls as the safety and sanity of our children is at stake - as well as our future generations. Thanks a million.

Love,

Doc

HELP PROTECT PARENT S AND CHILDREN S RIGHTS! TELL YOUR SENATORS TO PASS THE CHILD MEDICATION SAFETY ACT OF 2003 ISSUE: Senator John Ensign (R-NV) introduced the Child Medication Safety Act of 2003 (S. 1390) in the Senate on July 11th. He said the legislation is designed to end the practice of forcing or coercing the [psychotropic] medication of children as a condition of attending school He also said that thousands of parents across the country are being forced to choose between medicating their children and removing them from school. The decision to place a child on medication as a method to treat behavioral problems or learning disabilities should be made by parents and parents only, and undue influence or coercion by school officials has no place in such an important decision. The Child Medication Safety Act requires each state to establish policies that prohibit public elementary and secondary school personnel from requiring a child to take psychiatric medication such as Ritalin, Adderall, Dexadrine, or Prozac as a condition of attending school. Senator Ensign and other supporters of the bill say the drugs being required by some school districts have serious side effects. No parent should have to place his or her child on a drug that could cause increased blood pressure, weight loss, fatigue, mood swings, or other side effects as a condition for providing that child an education, Ensign said. It is time for federal action to put an end to this harmful practice. BACKGROUND: Representative Max Burns (R-GA) originally introduced the bill in March of this year in the House of Representatives. On Wednesday, May 21, 2003, the House of Representatives passed the bill by the overwhelming vote of 425-1, sending it to the Senate. Since July 10th, when Senator Ensign introduced the bill in the Senate, four other Senators have co-sponsored the bill. As written and if signed into law, school personnel would be legally prohibited from requiring that a child take any drug under the Controlled Substances Act (including the above drugs) as a condition of attending school or receiving school services. Parents and children would welcome and encourage you to write your Senators to get them to co-sponsor this bill in the Senate and to pass it this year (this September, in fact). ACTION NEEDED: You can find YOUR two Senators by going to http://www.congress.org and typing in your Zip code, and get their contact information. You can also view the bill by going to http://thomas.loc.gov and typing in the bill number, S. 1390. These are the key points that parents and teachers have raised regarding the legislation: 1. Parents should not have to choose between medicating their child with psychiatric drugs or keeping them out of school. The legislation is also needed to protect parents who across the nation are being threatened with charges of medical or educational neglect if they choose not to drug their child as a requisite for their receiving an education. This is a national problem, not isolated incidents. 2. The bill will help rehabilitate the dialogue between parents and teachers that has been harmed by teachers essentially being forced to act as mental health clinicians and diagnosing children in the classroom. Parents need their rights safeguarded so they can make informed decisions on the health and educational needs of their children. That is one of the primary reasons why passing the Child Medication Safety Act is so important. 3. The drugs being prescribed to children do not improve a child s academic outcomes, and they can be potentially dangerous so no parent should be placed in a situation of being forced to put their child on these drugs. Teachers also shouldn t be placed in a position where they feel they are expected to insist a parent place their son or daughter on a drug. If there are any personal stories that you are aware of where parents were forced to have their child take psychiatric/psychotropic drugs, or teachers were being intimidated into insisting parents do this, please let your Senators know. It could even be a neighbor s child, a relative s, a local teacher, etc. FAX the letter as a priority, then call each of their offices to follow up to make sure they got it. Additionally, you can email your letter to their offices, but faxing is the priority. ALSO IMPORTANT: At the bottom of your letters, add a cc: with the names below and FAX a copy of each of the letters to: Senator Judd Gregg, Chairman Senate H.E.L.P. Committee 835 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Fax: 202-224-6510 Senator Edward Kennedy, Ranking Member Senate H.E.L.P. Committee 644 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Fax: 202-224-5128

Ian "Doc" Shillington N.D.505-772-5889Dr.IanShillington