NEWS: Bush Signs Legislation Prohibiting Forced Medication of Children

President Bush has signed into law landmark legislation which bans schools from requiring parents to drug children for classroom or behavioral problems. Educational authorities can no longer require a child to obtain a prescription for a Controlled Substances as a condition of attending school, receiving an evaluation or receiving services.



Presumably this won't affect parents rights to administer medications as they (and their doctors) see fit, but surely it's a good thing that schools can no longer require them to.

It's worth noting that the organization that lobbied for this law - the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) - is a mental health watchdog established by the controversial Church of Scientology. Regardless of anyone's personal opinion of that organization, it's difficult to fault the result!

I was unable to find any actual new stories on this - aside from CCHR's own website - although it is mentioned in passing on the Learning Disabilities Assosciation website (see link)

Related News Links:
www.ldanatl.org

Hmm, the is one of the best pieces of legislation i have seen in a long while, I really hope they do the same thing in Canada. Allthough forcing kids to medicate doesn't seem to be a huge problem up here, it should be made illigal, unless the circumstances require medication(ie the Child has a seroius mental dysfunction not just ADHD or OCD)

Awesome! As a member of the Church of Scientology for over a decade, I could not be happier with this legislation! Despite what anyone feels about Scientology, CCHR is a pretty impressive organization which really does get results. Great story Azeari.

Originally posted by Azeari of the Radiant Eye
President Bush has signed into law landmark legislation which bans schools from requiring parents to drug children for classroom or behavioral problems.

In order to receive federal funds under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), ...

it's difficult to fault the result!

Great find Azeari...

I've long been concerned about the dangers of labelling kids - but knowing this administration's record, I'm looking for the faults and the flip side of the coin.

...So I'm wondering if what this legislation does is remove funding to pay for these meds, and put the burden on poor parents who can't afford help. ...Also, I watch medical reports and know the physical causes of many kids problems like ADD and AHDH etc are now being identified, and medical cures found. ...Seems to me this legislation might do more to help insurance corporations and Medicaid avoid being forced to cover breakthrough drugs and treatments...


.

The Bush Administration actually did something I wholeheartedly agree with.
I'm stunned.

WTG

Will this legislation will be able to protect other children from the behavior of some children that without medication can not perform and become disruptive in the classroom?

I agree that children should not be sedated just because some school can not deal with to "over active children"

But children on medications like crack babies can be very disruptive in classrooms and also very aggressive toward others including teachers.

I have witness before children that are schizophrenic,and is not a very nice picture when they are not under medication, this children will take off the classroom running and screaming.

Beside that I think is a good legislation.

Wow, schools could and were doing that? That is amazing.

I have never heard of schools doing that in the UK, but that does not mean they do not. Does anybody here know of this happening in the UK?

I would be very interested to know.

Well, I just can't believe schools had that power, but good job Bush.

Wow. Dubya actually did something right for a change.

This is great. Its about time someone stopped schools and institutions from being drug pushers.

WHAT?????

Bush signed legislation that makes sense? I'm going to faint.....

Now, mr. Bush, dont go ruining it by signing another one prohibiting something you DO need and want...please..

I'm with Bush on this one! Did i say that?

This is good legislation and I wish that it was more far-reaching to include those children who are in state's custody, if it does not already. One of the most unfair situations is to take children from their families and place them with strangers and sedate them so that they cannot work through the confusion and anxiety associated with these events.

Hmm. This doesn't pass the smell test. Forced medication of children in
the US has been a given for decades. The critics of the programs have
been correct that the drugs were killing the children, destroying their minds,
leading to killing like at Columbine, suicides, children that hate and
grow into adults with no other interest than to destroy the government
that ruined their lives..

And now a President signs legislation prohibiting forced drugging of
children?

I wouldn't be too hasty thinking Bush actually did something a sane
person would do. I would want to know more of the facts.

There may be other legislation either on the books or to be passed that
negate the forced drugging at schools, to replace it with forced drugging
through other organizations.

I think that's great. Medicine for things like the imaginary, "ADD" and, "ADHD" shouldn't be able to exist, and I'm happy for it. People are born the way they are, and you can't change that.

Good job Dubya! I am surprised, something I agree with has been passed by Bush. Bush just has another thousand things to do, scratch one.

Let me throw a wet blanket on this party-

Other than some celebs and a Church with an agenda what does this do for the other kids in schools? You know, the 98%.

Now, some kid has a learning problem and the school has accept him/her. Have any of you in the current blanket party ever been to a 4th grade class where there is one or more little monsters?

Try it some time as a substitute teacher. Now imagine that/those same little monsters with no medication. The existing requirements were meant to help the 98%. This legislation removes one more tool from schools. No discipline now no medication- what next?

Regardless what I think of Bush, I think it's a good law - I repeat - good law-, could have been dreamed up by a liberal actually , I just hope they don't replace forced medicatiion with forced baptism to cure ADHD



[edit on 4-12-2004 by Countermeasures]

Schools would still have recourse, but mandating medication is a dangerous thing and too easily resorted to. ADHD is not so common as the number of kids taking medication would indicate. It would be far better to reinstitute corporal punishment than to keep kids drugged for their entire childhoods because it is easier than actual behavior management.

If Bush ever sees this I hope he knows it means a lot for me to say "Good Work"... that is something that should be addressed, I'm glad he took the option for schools to do that away, now its just the parents.
I think the world is quite mixed up, children have no rights and are unable to voice world altering changes. They haven't been tainted with a biased opinion.
Protecting our children... lol, they'd most likely be better at protecting us.

Originally posted by Kriz_4
I have never heard of schools doing that in the UK, but that does not mean they do not. Does anybody here know of this happening in the UK?

I'm an American living in the UK...not sure about the answer to your question, but as a school Special Needs governor I've never heard of it.

I submitted the original post, but the more I think about it the more it seems strange that the Bush administration would have passed such a law. Clearly they did, but it does make you wonder what else is going on that we don't know about.

CCHR is a Scientology pressure group�
Apologetics Index

Jacobson essay

Over 40,000 sources on Google alone relating to CCHR. Why would CCHR push so hard against psychiatry?

Children or not, psychiatry has been an enemy of Scientology for decades. De-programming was in the news years back and Scientology fought tooth and nail. Over 6,000 listed on Google.

Do schools now accept troublesome youth or just refuse to educate them?
So, this just begs the question- why?

Why haven't major news sources picked this up? With this win more anti-psychiatry moves will surely follow. Why is Bush enacting legislation contrary to the pharmaceutical companies- one of his major support groups?

Having dealt with culted young people off and on for a few years I have witnessed how sad it is for the person and the helplessness the family suffers through when the reality of a lose of the ability to choose freely has been muted.

I remain unconvinced and suspicious.

I believe this child medication bill is nothing more than a red herring.

This bill is not anti-psychiatry. It pro-child and puts the matter of medication right where it belongs, between the parents and the MDs.

[edit on 04/12/4 by GradyPhilpott]