H.R.1170 - Child Medication in the Schools

EdAction
Maple River Education Coalition PAC
105 Peavey Rd, St 116
Chaska, MN 55318
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August 28, 2003

The Child Medication Safety Act (HR 1170/S 1390)

PASSED THE U.S. HOUSE 425 - 1
The Child Medication Safety Act (HR 1170), which would prevent the coercion of parents to put their children on powerful psychiatric medications that are controlled substances, passed the US House on May 21st by a whopping vote of 425 - 1. That is a terrific vote!

That bill, as passed by the House, has now been introduced in the Senate as S 1390 by Senator John Ensign of Nevada. There are currently 4 other co-sponsors: Allard (CO), Alexander (TN), Hagel (NE), Smith (OR).

EDUCATED, NOT MEDICATED
This bill is very important because it allows parents to have their children educated, not medicated. It will prevent schools from forcing parents to use medication to keep their children in school, instead of getting the proper academic or other help for behavior difficulties that these children need. It also prevents the use of powerful drugs to enforce the acceptance of the psychosocial, non-academic standards of the federal curriculum on those who disagree by disguising resistance as academic under-performance.

A hearing was held on the coercion issue and this bill in the US House on May 6th. EdWatch board member and pediatrician, Dr. Karen Effrem, provided written testimony that was incorporated into the hearing transcript. She established with citations from the medical literature that these medications are overused, ineffective, have dangerous side effects, and most importantly that the "disorders" that they treat are vague social
constructs -- that there are many other reasons for behavior and learning
disorders that do not require medication. (See the full hearing transcript)

ACTION ITEM:
Below is the introduction to Dr. Effrem's testimony. (See the complete document.) Please call your two US Senators and ask them to co-sponsor or at least
support S 1390, the Child Medication Safety Act (see
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
for phone numbers). Use the main points listed below from the introduction to Dr. Effrem's testimony (see below), and offer to email the appropriate staff person the link to the entire testimony for details.

Thank you!!

INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY:
Many thanks to Chairman Castle for holding this hearing, to Mr. Burns for introducing this vital piece of legislation, and to the Subcommittee for this opportunity to respond to these very important proceedings.

I am a mother of three wonderful children, a board certified pediatrician, and a taxpayer who has been involved in children's health and education public policy issues for many years. I strongly agree with the testimony of Dr.Carey and Representative Bryson, and I could not more strongly disagree with the testimony of Dr.Clawson. Some of the very documents and researchers cited by Dr. Clawson will uphold that position.

I will make and support the following points in response to the testimony presented at the hearing:

1)      Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is over-diagnosed.

2) Stimulant medications, as well as other psychotropic medications are over prescribed.

3) Parents are being coerced to force their children to take stimulant medications and other psychotropic medication.

4) The diagnostic criteria for ADD/ADHD and for all of the other mental illnesses are vague political and social constructs as admitted by those who define the criteria, and there is not near as much agreement about those criteria as purported by Dr. Clawson.

5)   These medications are not at all effective in the long term.

6)   The psychotropic medications, both on and off the controlled substances list, are far from benign; their side effects are rarely adequately explained to parents; and there are no studies defining their effects on the developing nervous systems of growing children, especially those under the age of five years.

7)   No psychiatric illness is caused by naturally occurring deficiencies of any        psychiatric drug, but there are many reasons that children may have symptoms of mental illness that are overlooked by both schools and physicians that can be corrected without psychiatric drugs.

8)   Although this bill is a tremendous and incredibly important means to protect our children, it is only a first step. Left as is, this legislation may have the tragic unintended consequence of creating an incentive for schools to coerce parents to put their children on the other approximately 36 psychotropic medications that are not on the controlled substances list.