Here are the facts about the Mothers Act by CCHR Int

This is our official position not only on the current bill but on the previous bill that did not fully pass due to valid problems in the bill language and the dedication of key groups exposing these flaws including language stating all new mothers be screened for postpartum depression and a screening tool called EPDS screening which was found to triple the number of women diagnosed with PPD, according to a study published in Obstecrics & Gynecology. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health stated that EPDS screening was unethical and should not be used. Click here for previous bill information.

Here are the major flaws within the current Mothers Act bill:

• The bill omits language clearly stating there will be an evaluation of the large amount of data available on the known risks of antidepressant and antipsychotic medications currently being prescribed to pregnant women and nursing mothers (including birth defects, heart defects, spontaneous abortions, and infant deaths). See May 9, 2009 Vogue article, "Pregnant Pause: With a flurry of recent reports challenging the safety of antidepressant drugs for unborn babies, doctors and concerned mothers-to-be are rethinking the guidelines" by Alexis Jetter at http://www.box.net/shared/deulxo16fp

• The bill defines 'postpartum condition' as only 'postpartum depression (PPD) or postpartum psychosis.' The danger is that per these DSM-extracted terms to label women with mental disorders, this is only psychological, not physiological conditions which will be checked for, ruling out discovery of any real physical causes, such as hormonal imbalances or vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and neglecting the treatments thereof. This relates to the issue of "screening tools" in development cited in the bill. Are these merely psychological questionnaires, and who is developing them? Are they pharmaceutically funded?

• The bill cites various "entities" that will be eligible for grants and for participating in research and/or development of screening methods and/or treatments and delivery. Who or what are these "entities?" Are they pharmaceutically funded? Do they have conflicts of interest? There are ongoing investigations of various "non-profit" organizations who heavily promote or conduct screening. For example, Screening for Mental Health, Inc., and its sub-organization Signs of Suicide, who heavily promote and conduct mental health screening, received $4,985,925 from pharmaceutical companies prior to 2008. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) receives 56% of its funding from pharmaceutical companies. Ten leading psychiatric researchers (many from prominent universities) have been exposed in the last year for failing to disclose millions of dollars in pharmaceutical payments — yet this bill contains no provisions for full disclosure of conflicts of interest for any "entity" receiving federal taxpayer funded grants.

• Given that the Senate Finance Committee recently exposed the financial conflicts of interest of the top ten psychiatric researchers in the U.S., it is no small issue that The MOTHERS Act provides no research guidelines for public disclosure. See Wall Street Journal article on Emory psychiatrist considered "leading expert" on use of antidepressants in pregnant women who was being funded tens of thousands of dollars by Pharma while doing federal research about the use of antidepressant drugs on pregnant women; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124460466072501139.html and http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/second-emory-doc-fesses-conflicts/2009-06-10

• Under The MOTHERS Act's current language, research will be conducted without peer review — no checks and balances, no one to validate the integrity of the research which then will be used to determine a woman's mental health status.

• Simultaneously, without allowing any checks and balances whatsoever on the research, it promotes a national "public education" campaign to include Public Service Announcements and television and radio advertisements, essentially giving Pharma an opportunity for free, federally-funded advertising.

ARTICLES EXPOSING THE PSYCH/PHARMA AGENDA BEHIND THE MOTHERS ACT

Sex, Psych Drugs, Side Effects and the MOTHERS Act
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/blog/sex-and-psych-drugs-young-couples-beware.html

Stress Testing the Mothers Act
http://www.naturalpath.com/stress-testing-mothers-act

Mothers Act Disease Mongoring
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/blog/mothers-act-disease-mongering.html

Stop the Mothers Act
http://www.naturalnews.com/024254.html

Mothers Act Fuels Multi Billion Dollar Industry
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/printer_4638.shtml