HR20-New Mother's Mandated Mental Health Test-JUST PASSED HOUSE!

HR20 - MMHT

A sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother's Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can't take them home since a multiple choice questionnaire wasn't answered correctly. Just imagine being told that the only way you can take your child home is if you or your spouse goes into treatment or on anti-depressants which we know causes psychosis, delusions, and even homicidal thoughts.

It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, this bill is on a fast track--No public debate, no public disclosure of the broad impact on our society and that is why we need you to act now!

The Mother's Act violates our Constitutional right to privacy and your right to liberty and it is just outright dangerous. That is why we need you to help stop this. We urgently need you to call and email each Senator on the HELP Committee and tell them you STRONGLY OPPOSE the MOTHER'S ACT and that you are OUTRAGED that there was NO public debate or disclosure on the impact this would have on our society as a whole.

Send a letter by going here: salsa.democracyina......

To say I'm stunned by this information is putting it lightly.
NO public debate?
NO disclosure???

And what about what will they do with the children who's parent's are deemed unfit?
Raise them by the State?

EDIT: Ok, let me see if I can make this a clear to those who refuse, or can't see my point.

So, they test this mother and that she's a *risk* is registered and on file.
But - the mother is allowed to take her child home with promises to take *parenting classes* and *allow social services to stop by every day*.

The mother kills the newborn.

Who is going to pay?

The HOSPITAL - you got it!
And the defense lawyer for that *poor mother* will own the hospital before the circus is over.

So what’s going to happen to the next little newborn who's mother *might* be a risk?
It’s not going home now is it.

What will be the norm next?
*Thank goodness for those tests! All the babies saved! Just think, we used to just let any old woman take her child home! Now look how many children are being raised by the State or in Government approved homes - children that would have died."

peace

[edit on 22-4-2009 by silo13]

Wow- I'm stunned. And what about the fathers? Why does only the mother have to answer a government issued questionnaire? Sexist and ridiculous.

Aside from it being utterly sexist to single out the mother; who 'decides' what form the test will take, and why should the hospital 'keep' the baby? What are they now, our parent?

Are we now being told the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT determines a person's 'worthiness' to be a parent?

And our STATE representatives already passed it in the House? BASED ON WHAT?

I know the government is continuously engaged in trying to increase it's size and scope (so it too can become 'too big to fail') but this is not even remotely the kind of issue I want these celebrity politicians 'decreeing' on behalf of the American people.

reply to post by silo13


This bill DID NOT just pass!! It was pased on March 30, which means it is gaining momentum in the senate......

This bill has been passed in the House. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the Senate. Keep in mind that debate may be taking place on a companion bill in the Senate, rather than on this particular bill. [Last Updated: Apr 18, 2009 3:36PM]

www.govtrack.us...

So I just read the act and this is what I found in regards to screening:

SCREENING AND REFERRAL- A State that receives a grant or contract under subsection (a)(1) shall ensure that new mothers, during visits to a physician, certified nurse midwife, certified midwife, nurse, or licensed healthcare professional who is licensed or certified by the State, within the first year after the birth of their child, are offered screenings for postpartum conditions by using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), or other appropriate tests. If the results of such screening provide warning signs for postpartum conditions, the new mother shall be referred to an appropriate mental healthcare provider.

www.govtrack.us...

This bill was started by women who have suffered postpartum depression, for women-and focuses more on the EDUCATION before a woman leaves the hospital-with the screening being done at the earliest -the 6 week postpartum checkup and continuing towards the next year. In fact, sometimes postpartum depression shows up months and months later.

Anyone whos ever had a baby might know...if anyone tries to give you any kind of psychological testing as you leave that hospital-hehe you're so all over the place you'd probably fail!

Heres a link to the largest postpartum blog who seems to be advocating this bill:

postpartumprogress.typepad.com...

Nothing sinister here. In fact, most hospitals voluntarily go over postpartum with you when you leave anyway.

I think its more about recognizing the severity and existence of it than making women take "tests" that impose on their liberty. In fact, if you're breastfeeding (which everyone should be doing anyway) nobody is going to force you to take medication. There are many other ways doctors are willing to use to help. If they try to force meds on you-change doctors!!!!

I have no problem with this. The amount of unfit parents out there is apalling. The question, though, is what are you going to do with the children whose parents are found unfit? Put them in an already broken state system?

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic
I have no problem with this. The amount of unfit parents out there is apalling. The question, though, is what are you going to do with the children whose parents are found unfit? Put them in an already broken state system?

The government has some nifty MKULTRA programs for these kids! Parent-less orphans with no family to look out for their interests, who have to follow their 'carers' orders... and best of all... can disappear without a trace into the system! *Shudders with delight*

reply to post by Cloudsinthesky

This bill DID NOT just pass!! It was passed on March 30, which means it is gaining momentum in the senate......

OK! Geesh. Look, don't shoot the messenger. I do NOT re-write headlines. That is the exact headline from the article.

That being said, thank you for pointing out we're already far behind the 8 ball here in doing something about this - if that is - anything can be done.

peace

reply to post by silo13


I wasn't shooting the messanger, just making a point that this bill has momentum and more than likely pass......

reply to post by awake_awoke

Nothing sinister here.

How can you even think to say something like *nothing sinister here.*

I don't care if it was Mother Theresa who started this bill - this is WRONG on every single level.

If I have to point out the many reasons why it's a fatal stab to the heart of the American Family - well, never mind. I wont feed sheep.

With your kind of thinking it's amazing the human race even survived!

peace

[edit on 22-4-2009 by silo13]

Hi Silo13, could you fix the link? It seems broken. Can you imagine the day when a mother has her baby taken away because she answered something the government wouldn't like, like saying she visits conspiracy sites?

There should be a mandated mental health test for marriage, but not for giving birth. That violates the right to life guaranteed by almost every significant system of law. In addition, it's a sort of censorship: people can be branded as mentally unfit simply by disagreeing with the government. I read in an article that like 50% of all people have some sort of mental health issue, so where would the line be drawn?

Legally, most children are wards of the state anyway. This measure would simply be making that fact more obvious. Legal eagles probably wouldn't have as much of a problem with it, due to a certain type of learned helplessness.

LINK to INFO BELOW

Please call the following Senators on the HELP Committee and tell them that you want the Mother's Act to die in committee.
Lisa Murkowski, R: 202-224-6665, AK
John McCain, R: 202-224-2235, AZ
Christopher Dodd, D: 202-224-2823, CT
Johnny Isakson, R: 202-224-3643, GA
Tom Harkin, D: 202-224-3254, IA
Pat Roberts, R: 202-224-4774, KS
Edward Kennedy D: 202-224-4543, MA
Barbara Mikulski D: 202-224-4654, MD
Richard Burr, R: 202-224-3154, NC
Kay Hagan, D: 202-224-6342, NC
Judd Gregg, R: 202-224-3324, NH
Jeff Bingaman, D: 202-224-5521, NM
Sherrod Brown, D 202-224-2315, OH
Tom Coburn, R 202-224-5754, OK
Jeff Merkley, D 202-224-3753, OR
Bob Casey, D 202-224-6324, PA
Jack Reed, D 202-224-4642, RI
Lamar Alexander R 202-224-4944, TN
Orrin Hatch R 202-224-5251, UT
Bernard Sanders, I: 202-224-5141, VT
Patty Murray, D, 202-224-2621, WA
Michael Enzi, R, 202-224-3424, WY

Please call...
Please write...


peace


[edit on 22-4-2009 by silo13]

Found a link to the direct mass mailer that should quickly send this bill to the briny depths.

Just say no

salsa.democracyinaction.org...







[edit on 22-4-2009 by star in a jar]

I think new mothers should be offered testing for post partum depression after they give birth. What a shame all doctors do not routinely offer it, and it has to be legislated. We can blame the high profile cases like Andrea Yates for this one.

reply to post by awake_awoke


thank you for being the voice of reason here.

These threads are just immediate drama generators.

Read the first line folks, it is for states that recieve specific types of governemtn funding. If the states choose not to receve the funding, then it is a non issue.

offered screenings for postpartum conditions by using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), or other appropriate tests.

Offered means that it could be voluntarily taken. Which means the mother has a right to decline.

Like the PP said, this is during follow up visits, not so you can't leave the hospital.

If the results of such screening provide warning signs for postpartum conditions, the new mother shall be referred to an appropriate mental healthcare provider.

There is nothing here that says the children will taken away. It will just be your midwife telling you to go to talk to a shrink.

It is a good plan. It gives a person a chance to ask for help when they maybe don't realize what is wrong.

Before you start writing your Senators and embarassing yourselves, don't you think you should actually read the bill? It is NOT for testing of new mothers and says absolutely nothing about that. It IS for providing assistance to mothers who want to be in the program.

Do not assume that everything you read is true. Look for yourselves!

H.R. 20

Apparently you can't link directly to a bill anymore, so go to the Library of Congress Search Page and type in H.R. 20.

And, by the way, save this link in your browser so you can actually read the bills from now on.



[edit on 22/4/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]

reply to post by nixie_nox

It always begins with baby steps, (no pun intended) like this bill.

Slowly but surely, our rights are being taken away. Drop after drop, until the bucket is full. Not a trickle or a torrent; but slow, innocuous drops so we won't even notice it happening until it's far too late.

Loss of freedoms is like an infection: it starts small then spreads.

www.cbo.gov...

H.R. 20 would encourage the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue ongoing activities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) related to research and dissemination of information concerning postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. The bill also would direct the Secretary to provide grants to public or nonprofit entities to establish and operate programs that provide health care and support services to individuals with postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis

It's for diagnosis and management, not to take kids away. Ughh. I did some research just now, took me five minutes. I was thinking "Wow who would spread this misinformation?"

Took me right to the Hannity forums. Was the first thing to pop up when I typed in "HR20 Mothers"

Besides if you don't like the idea, then don't have your baby in a hospital. Go to midwives working at a birthing center. Honestly. Doctors just treat babies like numbers anyway.

This is a big deal over nothing. As per usual.


[edit on 4/22/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
Before you start writing your Senators and embarassing yourselves, don't you think you should actually read the bill? It is NOT for testing of new mothers and says absolutely nothing about that. It IS for providing assistance to mothers who want to be in the program.

Do not assume that everything you read is true. Look for yourselves!

H.R. 20

Apparently you can't link directly to a bill anymore, so go to the Library of Congress Search Page and type in H.R. 20.

And, by the way, save this link in your browser so you can actually read the bills from now on.

[edit on 22/4/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]

reply to post by ravenshadow13

Exactly Raven... people PLEASE read things BEFORE you post. Go to the SOURCE.