Action Alert on Mental Health Screening

Urgent EdAction Alert -- February 2, 2005

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Time Sensitive: Action Alert on mental health screening

Please use the following information to contact your two U.S. Senators and your member of Congress today. It is very important that you urge them to attend the Capitol Briefing next Tuesday, February 8th at noon. RSVP's are needed by the end of the day tomorrow.

To find your U.S. Senators and contact information, click here.
To find your U.S. House member and contact information, click here.

Our update of December 13, 2004, stated:

"Despite media coverage by Dr. Laura, G. Gordon Liddy, World Net Daily, News Max, many talk radio interviews across the country, and thousands of calls and emails to Congress, grants to fund the New Freedom Commission (NFC)  recommendations, which include universal mental health screening and treatment with ineffective and dangerous medications, were not stopped.  $20 million was appropriated for state grants to implement the NFC recommendations. Physician and  Congressman Pauls excellent language that required parental consent for screening before these programs were funded was not included. Dr. Paul wrote a letter signed by more than twenty Members urging the parental consent language. House leadership, including Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader DeLay, and Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Regula accepted the Paul language. All of these House Members and those that voted for the original amendment in September deserve our thanks. (See our update.) Sadly, that language protecting the basic right of parental consent was dropped in the Senate."
The scheduled congressional staff briefing listed below will provide a high priority opportunity to communicate directly with  members of Congress and their staff regarding these urgent issues and current legislation. Dr. Effrem will spend three days in Washington, DC next week on our behalf, meeting with many individuals and groups. She will alert them to the dangers of universal mental health screening in our schools and drug treatments recently admitted by the FDA to be dangerous and ineffective in children.

Don't miss this opportunity for your elected members of Congress to be briefed on this issue! If they cannot come, urge their staff to attend. Let them know how important it is to you that they understand this issue!

The following press release was distributed to the media today.

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
 
 
Congressional Staff Briefing Scheduled on Mental Health Screening
 
 
A congressional briefing sponsored by the Liberty Committee to raise awareness of the mental health screening issue will be held next week at the U.S. Capitol. Karen Effrem, M.D., a pediatrician and leading national critic of mental health screening programs, will show Members of Congress and their staff the dangers of  recommendations by the New Freedom Commission for universal mental health screening and for treatment with drugs recently admitted by the FDA to be dangerous and ineffective in children. Dr. Effrem will also present information in support of HR 181, The Parental Consent Act of 2005, sponsored by Congressman Ron Paul, that protects the fundamental parental right of consent and stops the current funding for the New Freedom Commission recommendations. Other speakers include psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Tarantolo of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology and Sue Blevins, a nurse and executive director of the Institute for Health Freedom.
 
Details for the briefing are as follows:
 
Tuesday February 8th
12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Cannon House Office Building, Room 311
Washington, DC
 
Lunch will be provided.
RSVP to Kent Snyder of the Liberty Committee at 703-276-2096 by Thursday February 3rd at 5 PM.
 
Members of the US House and Senate are invited to attend. The briefing is also open to the public and to the media.
 
Dr. Karen Effrem is a pediatrician who serves on the boards of four national organizations: EdWatch, the Alliance for Human Research Protection, the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, and the National Physicians Center. Dr. Effrem's undergraduate degree is from Purdue University in pharmacy, her medical degree is from Johns Hopkins University, and her pediatric training is from the University of Minnesota. She has provided testimony for Congress, as well as in-depth analysis of numerous pieces of major federal education, health, and early childhood legislation for congressional staff and many organizations.
 
For more information, contact:  Michael Ostrolenk at 301 717 0599 or Email at mostrolenk@comcast.net.
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===============================================
EdAction is entirely user-supported. The continuation of our work is dependent upon individual contributors. EdAction is a political action committee. Contributions are not tax deductible. We promote the work of EdWatch. If you want to ensure that our work continues, contact us here. If you want to subscribe or unsubscribe to this EdAction e-mail service, mail to: edaction@lakes.com. Put "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the SUBJECT of the message.