CALL TO ACTION:
The supporters of The MOTHERS Act have been engaging for the past few years in an aggressive attempt to pass an incredibly broad federal law which will transform the U.S. market for “antidepressant” or “antipsychotic” drugs from a voluntary pool of patients who are encouraged by commercials to seek help from their doctors, to a government-sponsored screening program to select patients who are deemed to need “antidepressant” or “antipsychotic” drugs from among the female childbearing-age population. These promoters of the bill have had vast resources and ample time to obtain support and backing from the legislators they have influenced. The bill has passed the U.S. House, and needs approval from the Senate, final agreement from the House if any changes are made, and a signature from President Bush. This could happen in a matter of days or weeks.
The timing of the impending vote on this bill in the U.S. Senate is highly ironic in light of the tremendous amount of negative news we have seen on antidepressants and antipsychotics over the past several months. It is especially shocking to see it being promoted at a time when our society is being terrified by frequent shootings and murder-suicides which have been preceded by the perpetrator’s use and sometimes improper discontinuation of antidepressant drugs, and in the wake of several notable celebrities’ deaths which were the result of prescription drug toxicity. The evidence against these drugs is frightening, and the reality is that, if The MOTHERS Act is passed, those who are the most innocent and vulnerable and in need of protection FROM these drugs will instead be put ON these drugs, and placed in serious danger from all of the negative drug effects - including spontaneous abortion, a tenfold increased risk of psychosis for postpartum women, birth defects, suicide, and homicide (YES, THIS IS A LISTED ANTIDEPRESSANT SIDE EFFECT).
The bill creates funding for development of new drugs at taxpayers’ expense. Doctors will be under greater pressure to prescribe drugs to pregnant and postpartum women due to federal law which would ensure the promotion of earlier “detection” and “treatment.” Despite the fact that the law admits that the causes of depression or psychosis can vary between many life situations and social realities, and perhaps some unknown biological factors, and the manufacturers’ own research (kept hidden for years but recently revealed) shows that antidepressants have no more benefit than a sugar pill, the bill endorses drugs and hospitalization as essential and necessary treatment options. Many women who seek treatment or reach out for help under this proposed legislation would be under the watchful eyes of the government rather than simply under the care and guidance of their doctors or counselors. The potential for creating violence, death, and destroying families through the administration of drugs combined with possible involvement of police, CPS, and the courts, as well as the invasions of privacy and individual freedoms that this bill would ensure, must not be accepted.
Since we first issued our press release opposing S. 1375, The MOTHERS Act on February 11, thousands of people have been made aware of this bill, which at one time flew way under the public radar. Many people have come forward for the first time with sad stories of personal harm caused by the drugs, while a few others have, unfortunately, gone on to continue their support for a bill that threatens to bring about a dire and dangerous situation, sacrificing life, family, children, motherhood, freedom, and our future.
Some people pushing for the bill have taken notice of our efforts, and in response simply told the public and the media that The MOTHERS Act is mainly about “education.” That sounds so innocuous and harmless that it’s nearly impossible for most people to disagree with the bill if they have not read its contents. But even if that were the true purpose, or if the Senate were to rewrite the bill and remove most of the negative wording, leaving ONLY education as its goal, let us consider this idea for a moment - what is the impact of an education or awareness campaign promoting certain psychiatric labels?
In a 1996 study cited by Dr. Grace Jackson in her book, Rethinking Psychiatric Drugs, researchers discovered that an awareness campaign in the UK called “Defeat Depression” resulted in a significant increase in prescriptions for antidepressants, a change in physician practices of increased willingness to prescribe, and a large increase in agreement from the public that antidepressant drugs are effective and should be given to patients. Furthermore, to summarize from a follow-up study in 2001, researchers concluded that since there were still so many people who favored alternative treatments such as yoga, meditation and natural remedies over antidepressants, “further efforts to improve public knowledge about pharmacotherapy of mental disorders [were] needed.”
Would passing The MOTHERS Act in effect counter the ideas of those who have wised up to the drug companies, by creating a sense of legitimacy through governmental drug endorsements? By promoting earlier detection and treatment of postpartum depression or psychosis, or depression in pregnancy, it makes sense that we would see the numbers of prescriptions for antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs significantly increase in pregnant and postpartum women. This would be a boon to the drug industry, which has had to deal with the potential for decreasing sales since the FDA issued black box warnings on SSRIs for doubling the risk of suicide in 2004, and black box warnings on “antipsychotic” drugs for doubling suicides just a few weeks ago. Eli Lilly received a “Not Approvable” letter for their new injectable Zyprexa application several days ago. Also, a recent analysis of all studies submitted to the FDA prior to approval of many antidepressant drugs showed that the drugs overall were no more effective than placebo, but that most of the studies in which antidepressants did worse than placebo were never made public, or the results were misreported.
With the truth stacked against the drugs and against this bill, we have no option other than to campaign vigorously against the passage of The MOTHERS Act. There are many steps you can take right now to help ensure its defeat and safeguard our women, unborn babies, and the innocent bystanders whose paths sometimes cross people who commit crimes during altered states while under the influence of prescription drugs.
Next, contact the U.S. Senate and demand that they consider the truth and stop this bill dead in its tracks. For phone and fax numbers for the Senate please go to http://uniteforlife.org/senatecontactlist.htm
Please share this information with everyone you possibly can and urge them to act now.
Please also read the addendum to this press release, especially the excerpts which follow the links, and feel free to forward this entire information packet.
Sincerely,
Amy Philo
Founder, http://www.uniteforlife.org/
Co-Founder, http://www.chaada.org/
Survivor of Zoloft-induced homicidality, suicidality, and psychosis during the postpartum period
Camille Milke
Founder, http://www.copesfoundation.com/ ,
New Mexico State Director of the ICFDA (http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html )
Mother of a victim of psychiatric drug-induced suicide and grandmother to a now motherless child
Dr. Ann Blake Tracy
Executive Director of the ICFDA
(http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html )
Author of Prozac: Pancaea or Pandora? Our Serotonin Nightmare
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Addendum
Blog and YouTube channel for Julie, whose son, Manie, was born with a life-threatening Paxil heart defect (Julie has 5 kids, 4 of whom are healthy, but she took Paxil during her pregnancy with Manie, her 4th child)
http://www.bigpharmavictim.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/jledgi
Moms in NJ (which has a similar law to the proposed MOTHERS Act) were treated like criminals for seeking help for PPD http://www.uniteforlife.org/ppdcriminals.htm
Our original press release with an addendum, which includes references to medical studies on dangers, including pregnancy dangers and suicide / homicide dangers, toxicity dangers, and articles on PPD alternatives, actual safely treatable causes, and prevention:
http://www.uniteforlife.org/MOTHERpress.htm
A lack of sufficient data to support the alleged safety of breastfeeding while using psychiatric drugs http://www.uniteforlife.org/breastfeeding.html
A decline in suicides since the FDA Black Box Warning http://www.uniteforlife.org/decline%20in%20sucicides.html
Lowest level of suicides in 30 years as prescriptions for antidepressants drop by half (England, Wales) http://www.uniteforlife.org/englandwales.htm
A Swedish study revealing that psychiatric drug use preceded about 80% of all adult suicides
http://ahrp.blogspot.com/2008/03/antidepressants-linked-to-52-of.html
Antipsychotic drugs get slapped with black box warning for doubling suicides http://www.uniteforlife.org/socalledmoodstabilizersdoublesuicide.htm
Adrenal exhaustion as a cause of PPD (including information about thyroid conditions and the fact that antidepressants exacerbate adrenal problems): http://www.uniteforlife.org/adrenalppd.htm
Media coverage of the NEJM analysis revealing the data suppression and ineffectiveness of antidepressants http://www.uniteforlife.org/suppresseddata.htm
Flyer to use for massive advertising against the bill and to solicit petition signatures http://www.uniteforlife.org/flyermom.htm
An outreach letter that can be used for emails asking for support and endorsements of our efforts against this bill http://www.uniteforlife.org/requestforhelp.htm
Amy Philo’s YouTube Videos including her personal story of Zoloft-induced psychosis and homicidal and suicidal urges during the postpartum period:
Contacts:
Amy Philo amy@uniteforlife.org
214-705-0169 home, 817-793-8028 cell
http://www.chaada.org/ , http://www.uniteforlife.org/
Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Executive Director of the ICFDA
http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html
atracyphd1@aol.com , 801-209-1800 direct, 801-335-4727 fax
Camille Milke at sarinasvoice@aol.com
505-269-2286 direct or 505-213-0999 fax
http://www.copesfoundation.com/ , http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html
