Stop the “Mothers Act!”
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The Mothers Act is a bill that would require all pregnant women to be “screened” for depression and then placed on antidepressant drugs. The bill is being reintroduced by Senator Harry Reid. He is attempting to include it in a legislative package called the “Coburn Omnibus Bill.”
Antidepressants are linked to violent thoughts and suicidal behavior in expectant mothers and new moms. Instead of treating the root cause of maternal depression (nutritional deficiencies) the medical industry would rather put expectant mothers on dangerous drugs that may have devastating impacts the health of their newborns.
Amy Philo is a woman who was forced onto antidepressant drugs and then began to hallucinate about murdering her newborn. She went to her local hospital and they doubled her dose and had her arrested and held against her will. Later she realized the drugs were what was causing her violent thoughts and she was able to stop taking the drugs. Her violent hallucinations disappeared within days.
I found this form letter online and would ask any readers who feel strongly about this to consider printing and signing the following letter and then faxing or mailing it to your Senator:
Letter of opposition to the Mothers Act
DON’T LET THE 110th CONGRESS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INCREASING ANTIDEPRESSANT-RELATED BIRTH DEFECTS AND INFANT DEATHS.
DO NOT PASS THE MOTHERS ACT AS PART OF AN OMNIBUS PACKAGE.
The MOTHERS Act is a highly controversial bill, considering the growing public awareness that antidepressants have serious and even deadly side effects. This bill, if passed, will assuredly increase the number of pregnant women and new mothers being put on antidepressant drugs. There are already too many pregnant women being put on antidepressants evidenced by the FDA’s adverse reaction reports (MedWatch) listed below. This bill will assuredly increase the number of pregnant women and new mothers being prescribed antidepressants documented by the U.S. FDA to cause suicidal ideation, mania, worsening depression and birth defects. FDA’s MedWatch System (Adverse Drug Reactions) Already Has Overwhelming Evidence of Spontaneous Abortions, Premature Babies and Birth Defects from SSRI Antidepressants:
Doctors, other health care providers, pharmacists, lawyers and consumers filed the following adverse drug reaction reports with the FDA’s MedWatch system during 2004-2007 concerning pregnant women taking antidepressants (the most common and recommended treatment for women diagnosed with postpartum depression). In all the reports below, antidepressants were cited as the primary suspected drug to have caused the adverse reaction in pregnant women:
145 spontaneous abortions
150 premature babies
208 babies born with heart disease
218 babies born with defectsThe FDA states that only 1-10% of side effects are even reported to their MedWatch database. Using a median range of 5% being reported, the actual number of pregnant women experiencing adverse reactions to antidepressant drugs is estimated as follows:
2,900 spontaneous abortions
3,000 premature births
4,160 babies born with heart disease
4,360 babies born with birth defectsThe “Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act,” also known as “The MOTHERS Act” was named after Melanie Stokes, a new mother who was subjected to a cocktail of psychiatric drugs and electroshock after being diagnosed with post-partum depression. It was only after she had been administered drugs documented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to cause suicidal ideation that she committed suicide. There is too much controversy over antidepressants to pass any legislation that could increase the administration of these drugs to pregnant women and new mothers. Do not allow the pharmaceutical interests to put new mothers and their unborn children at risk. Do not pass the MOTHERS Act.
Signed
___________________________
Printed Name:
___________________________
Address & Phone Number
___________________________
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Seeker










this is atrocious! thanks for highlighting it.
21 Sep 2008 at 5:00 am
As someone who worked in the Senate (nonpartisan library staff), I had to check this out. The omnibus bill number is S.3297. If you want to check out the text yourself, go to thomas.loc.gov and search by bill number (or by mothers act).
It looks like the legislation just authorizes a study of postpartum depression. It also mentions something about a study of measuring the effects on mothers of “pregnancy resolution,” including having the baby, having a miscarriage or stillbirth, giving the child up for adoption, or electing to have an abortion. There is some grant language there, too, all focusing on postpartum depression.
I’m guessing that the study that includes abortion is part of the political problem here. I see nothing about forcing women to take antidepressants during pregnancy.
21 Sep 2008 at 4:18 pm
WTF (sorry) are these lawmakers thinking again? Are they being deluged with pharmaceutical lobbyists as usual?
Just curious.
22 Sep 2008 at 2:28 am
Mom says, it’s a downright shame! Our Congress and Senate have become control freaks. They think they have to have the government in everything! I say out with them all! Thanks for sharing that! I am going to sign the paper and stop it in its tracks!
Your FL furiends,
24 Sep 2008 at 12:27 am
Please. No more government interference in our lives.
Especially by Harry “Land Deal” Reid.
A woman is smart enough to go to the doctor on her on free will if she needs to do so.
I wonder what drug lobbyist represents this antidepressant drug?
24 Sep 2008 at 5:07 pm
1. Subscribe.
06 Nov 2008 at 4:30 am