Mom’s Soap Box

“Vote No on S 324: Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom’s Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act.

This sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother’s Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can’t take them home since a multiple-choice questionnaire wasn’t answered correctly. Just imagine being told that the only way you can take your child home is if you or your spouse goes into treatment or on anti-depressants, which we know causes psychosis, delusions, and even homicidal thoughts. It just doesn’t make sense. Unfortunately, this bill is on a fast track - No public disclosure of the broad impact on our society and that is why we need you to act now!

The Mother’s Act violates our Constitutional right to privacy and your right to liberty and it is just outright dangerous.”

This sounded scary, so I decided to do some research:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-324 (full text of Mother’s Act)

The only thing I could find was this in ‘SEC. 330G-1. SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS WITH A POSTPARTUM CONDITION AND THEIR FAMILIES.

‘(b) Certain Activities- To the extent practicable and appropriate, the Secretary shall ensure that projects funded under subsection (a) provide education and services with respect to the diagnosis and management of postpartum conditions. The Secretary may allow such projects to include the following:

‘(2) Delivering or enhancing inpatient care management services that ensure the well-being of the mother and family and the future development of the infant.

You could interpret “services that ensure the well-being of the mother and family” to mean mothers must be tested/medicated before taking their baby home. Even I think that’s a bit of a paranoid interpretation, but it is a valid fear. Our government has been known to make unpleasant interpretations of too-vague laws. One can be forgiven for thinking they might make one with this Act.

That being said:

Don’t take my word for it, go and read the bill for yourself, then decide. Then call your Senator and let them know what you think.

S 324: Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom’s Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act