I would like to point out to my readers who are liberals that this legislative fight is one of the reasons I am a republican. If you will carefully read the final portion of the article from World Net Daily you will see that the vote in Congress came down to near perfect split between democrats and republicans. With republicans siding for freedom and choice and the democrats led by Harry Reid siding for compulsion and force.
I have been in contact with two women who experienced post partum psychosis after the births of their first babes, just like I did. Both were told that if they chose to have a second child they would be forced to take anti psychotic medications for at least two years upon the births of those children. I wonder if their doctors have ever read the research that proves those who take anti psychotic meds long term have a higher incidence of recurring mental illness than those who stop taking the meds?
Here is the final quote from the article:
A very close call?
Sen. Robert Menéndez, a supporter of NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood, is the leading sponsor of the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mother’s Act. The senator represents New Jersey, where many of the world’s pharmaceutical companies are located.
Menéndez sponsored the Mother’s Act on May 11, 2007, but it was stuck in committee until Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced an $11 billion omnibus package called Advancing America’s Priorities Act, or S. 3297. He brought the Mother’s Act back to life July 22 by burying it in the omnibus and asking that the Senate pass the measure without debate.
In addition to the Mother’s Act, the omnibus package contained 36 unrelated bills and created 77 new federal programs. It featured a variety of provisions including: health care, environmental conservation, homeland security, foreign relations and other legislation.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who delivers babies when he’s not in Congress, successfully put a hold on bills in the omnibus due to excessive spending. Reid’s motion for cloture to bypass Senate debate on S. 3297 failed to get the required 60 votes yesterday – 52 Democrats for and 40 Republicans against, with 8 not voting – but opponents warn the battle against the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mother’s Act has just begun. Some say it will only be a matter of time before lawmakers cave and consent to government-imposed mental screening and antidepressant drugs for new mothers.
“They’re just going to keep trying, so we need to raise awareness of the bill and the problems with it and educate Congress about how extremely controversial it is,” Philo said.
“Melanie Stokes would be extremely dishonored by this bill because if it hadn’t been for all of the drugs and electroshock she was given, she wouldn’t be dead today. Her child would have a mother.”
And here is another quote from the article:
Fighting the Mother’s Act
Amy Philo and baby
Philo is now one of the leading opponents of the Mother’s Act. She she says it is the government’s way of pandering to drug companies and forcing dangerous medication on new moms.
“It is pretty obvious to me that this bill is to get more women to take drugs,” she said. “The groups that are pushing this also frequently talk about how the drugs are safe for mothers who are pregnant or breastfeeding. They just totally downplay it.”
Antidepressants contain FDA warnings for everything from doubling suicide rates to birth defects and spontaneous abortions. The FDA has also received reports of the drugs causing mania, psychosis, hallucinations, homicidal ideation and rendering birth control pills ineffective. Yet, despite such warnings, antidepressants are still prescribed for pregnant women and would be authorized under this legislation.
“They want to screen every woman that they can find,” Philo said. “It’s really frightening. They even mention case management and transportation services in the bill. It sounds like they will send out social workers to your house to ask you questions. It’s really frightening to think that they could use their subjective tests and determine that you are an unfit parent.”
Jenny Hatch
