Media Release: Congressional Staff Briefing Re: Mental Health Screening for Children
Mon, 7 Feb 2005
ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)
Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability
www.ahrp.org
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Monday, February 7, 2005
Congressional Staff Briefing : Mental Health Screening for Children
In the last Congress, thanks to the dedicated efforts of thousands of parents and concerned citizens and many groups representing concerned parents and citizens, federal funding for the grants to implement the New Freedom Commission’s recommendations for screening of all school children for mental disorders, followed by treatment interventions using ineffective and dangerous drugs was cut by more than half, from $44 million to $20 million.
Unfortunately, the language offered by physician and Congressman Ron Paul to protect the fundamental right of parental consent for children’s mental health screening was dropped by the US Senate. Dr. Paul is courageously continuing the fight to protect parental right to consent by introducing stand-alone legislation, HR 181, The Parental Consent Act of 2005.
A congressional briefing sponsored by the Liberty Committee to raise awareness of this mental health screening issue will be held next week at the U.S. Capitol. Alliance for Human Research Protection board member, Karen Effrem, M.D., a pediatrician and leading national opponent of mental health screening programs, will show Members of Congress and their staff the dangers of recommendations by the New Freedom Commission for universal mental health screening and for treatment with drugs recently admitted by the FDA to be dangerous and ineffective in children.
Dr. Effrem will also present information in support of HR 181 that also stops the current funding for the New Freedom Commission recommendations for screening. Other speakers include psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Tarantolo of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology and Sue Blevins, a nurse and executive director of the Institute for Health Freedom.
Details for the briefing are as follows:
Tuesday February 8th
12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Cannon House Office Building, Room 311
Washington, DC
RSVP to Kent Snyder of The Liberty Committee
703-276-2094
Members of the US House and Senate are invited to attend. The briefing is also open to the media.
Dr. Karen Effrem is a pediatrician who serves on the boards of four national organizations: The Alliance for Human Research Protection, EdWatch, the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, and the National Physicians Center. Dr. Effrem’s undergraduate degree is from Purdue University in pharmacy, her medical degree is from Johns Hopkins University, and her pediatric training is from the University of Minnesota. She has provided testimony for Congress, as well as in-depth analysis of numerous pieces of major federal education, health, and early childhood legislation for congressional staff and many organizations.
For more information, contact: Vera Hassner Sharav
212-595-8974
