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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/11/11/140125.shtml Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.comThursday, Nov. 11, 2004 Under new law being considered, the federal government would requirethat every child in America undergo psychological screening and receiverecommended treatment, including drug therapies. Next week the Senate re-convenes to consider an omnibus appropriationsbill that includes funding for grants to implement mandatory universalmental health screening for almost 60 million children, pregnant women,and adults through schools and pre-schools. But officials of the respected Association of American Physicians &Surgeons (AAPS) decry what they see as \"a dangerous scheme that willheap even more coercive pressure on parents to medicate children withpotentially dangerous side effects.\" One of the most \"dangerous side effects\" from anti-depressantscommonly prescribed to children is suicide, regarding which AAPS added,\"Further, even the government\s own task force has concluded thatmental health screening does little to prevent suicide.\" The bill would fund initiatives of the \"New Freedom Commission onMental Health,\" including a program designed to subject every schoolage child in the country to psychological testing and recommendationsfor treatment. The House has already voted to appropriate $20 millionfor the plan, and the Senate will be considering whether to bump it upto $44 million. Last September, AAPS lifetime member Rep. Ron Paul, M.D., R-Tex., triedto stop the plan by offering an amendment to the Labor, HHS, andEducation Appropriations Act for FY 2005. The amendment received 95\"yes\" votes, but it failed to pass. Paul tells NewsMax: \"At issue is the fundamental right of parents todecide what medical treatment is appropriate for their children. Thenotion of federal bureaucrats ordering potentially millions ofyoungsters to take psychotropic drugs like Ritalin strikes an emotionalchord with American parents, who are sick of relinquishing more andmore parental control to government. \"Once created, federal programs are nearly impossible to eliminate.Anyone who understands bureaucracies knows they assume more and morepower incrementally. A few scattered state programs over time will bereplaced by a federal program implemented in a few select cities. Oncethe limited federal program is accepted, it will be expandednationwide. Once in place throughout the country, the screening programwill become mandatory. \"Soviet communists attempted to paint all opposition to the state asmental illness. It now seems our own federal government wants to createa therapeutic nanny state, beginning with schoolchildren. It\s nothard to imagine a time 20 or 30 years from now when governmentpsychiatrists stigmatize children whose religious, social, or politicalvalues do not comport with those of the politically correct, secularstate. \"American parents must do everything they can to remain responsiblefor their children\s well-being. If we allow government to becomeintimately involved with our children\s minds and bodies, we willhave lost the final vestiges of parental authority. Strong families arethe last line of defense against an overreaching bureaucratic state.\" \"Congressman Paul and several of his colleagues will never giveup,\" adds an AAPS spokesperson. \"He and his colleagues have drafteda letter to Chairman Ralph Regula, chairman of the House Subcommitteeon Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations, askingfor his help.\" The letter states in part: \"We respectfully request that the following language be included inthe final committee report on the Labor, Health and Human Services, andEducation Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005, or any reportaccompanying an omnibus bill containing the Labor, Health and HumanServices, and Education appropriations for fiscal year 2005: \None of the funds made available for State incentive grants fortransformation should be used for any programs of mandatory oruniversal mental-health screening that performs mental-health screeningon anyone under 18 years of age without the express, written permissionof the parents or legal guardians of each individual involved.\\" By way of background: in April 2002, President George W. Bush createdthe New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Its objective was toenhance mental health services to those in need. Among other things, the commission concluded that there is a need tosearch for mental disorders - especially in children - and the bestway to do this was with mandatory mental health screening for everyone,starting with preschoolers. According to the Commission\s 2003 report: \"Quality screening andearly intervention should occur in readily accessible, low-stigmasettings, such as primary health care facilities and schools.\" The report goes on to say: \"...the extent, severity, and far-reachingconsequences make it imperative that our Nation adopt a comprehensive,systemic approach to improving the mental health status of children.\" However, critics of the plan suggest that the random testing ofmillions of people makes little sense to anyone but the drug companiesthat will stand to profit from the potential customers. The New Freedom Commission\s proposed treatment programs are based onthe Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). TMAP, which was firstused in Texas in 1996 and has since expanded to other states, is a setof very specific medication recommendations - most of them new,expensive, psychotropic drugs. Despite the criticisms, the White House has remained solid behind thetesting initiative, noting that the commission found that schools arein a \"key position\" to influence the phenomena of young childrenbeing \"expelled from preschools and childcare facilities for severelydisruptive behaviors and emotional disorders.\" But detractors are just as adamant that \"problem\" children inschools are readily identifiable, making the universal testing anunnecessary tool that does nothing but infringe on a parent\s rightto make decisions regarding their child\s welfare.Submitted to www.articleburner.com for distribution by Gary Konigsbergof www.totalitarian-pseudoscience.org