From the Boston Globe:
A bill banning schools from coercing parents into putting their children on psychotropic drugs, passed with near-universal support in the House, is being tied up in a Senate committee by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who contends it requires more study.
Supporters of the bill, which sailed through the House 425 to 1, said it will help prevent an epidemic of children on drugs like Ritalin and Prozac, and that Kennedy is being influenced by his longstanding ties to health and pharmaceutical associations, which contend the bill will discourage the diagnosis of mental illnesses that could be easily treated.
The Child Medication Safety Act has sat in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions all year. Proponents say Senate leaders never told them why the bill had not come up for a vote, but this week Kennedy, who is the committee's ranking member, confirmed to the Globe that he is seeking to delay its consideration.
"This is a complex question that demands a serious study," Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement. ''Until we know the extent of the problem, any further action is unwarranted."
...
Kennedy's office said that it is important to separate the roles of schools and doctors but that any legislation limiting schools' ability to push for treatment of children with mental-health issues should wait until further study of the benefits and detriments of psychiatric drugs.
Libby Nealis, director of public policy for the National Association of School Psychologists, said that her organization has been fighting the law and is confident that it will not pass.
Nealis called the bill a ''knee-jerk reaction to anecdotal stories" and said it would deter schools from discussing crucial mental health information with parents.
Matt's Chat
Unwarrented!? More study...!? WHAT? It passed the House of Representatives 425 to 1 (Davis D-CA voted against). The 1 is the person who needs to study. This bill is about re-asserting the PARENTS right to make decisions about the care of their children.And to the aptly named Libby, I say anecdotal stories are usually stories for a reason. If your kind would properly diagnose these problems instead of buying in to the liberal re-education plan financed by Big Drugs, you would realize that the PARENTS must have the right to make the decision whether or not to medicate their children. The schools do not actually have that right. But they are certainly acting as if they do.
Mark's Remarks
You see folks, Ted Kennedy believes kids should be medicated so they can grow up to be drunken murderers just like Ted Kennedy....
The problem with children is not being answered by medicating them, it is by loving them enough to discipline them. Granted, there are some instances where medication does help, but study after study has shown that there is an overmedication of our children. You see, Ted likes zombies, they are easier to pick up on at the beach, and easier to dump their bodies in a bay when finished. Have another drink @$$#0|E.
