CCHR Calls for Ban on the Use of Electroshock on Children in Florida
We are asking Florida Legislators to join other states in this country that have already enacted laws prohibiting the use of ECT in children at various ages, from under the age of 12 to under the age of 16.
Clearwater, United States – July 3, 2018 /PressCable/ —
In a report on the recent annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New York, the increased use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on autistic children has been promoted in the Psychiatry Advisor by Editor Laura Stiles.[1]
In contrast, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is calling for a ban on the use of ECT on children and has distributed model legislation prohibiting the administration of ECT on children altogether due to its harmful effects and unproven science.
According to the FDA, harmful effects of ECT can include cardiovascular complications, cognition and memory impairment, dental/oral trauma such as dental fractures, dislocations, and lacerations, physical trauma, seizures, skin burns, or death.
As part of a campaign to educate families and lawmakers on this issue, the international headquarters for CCHR filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with every state and in doing so learned that in one state alone that electroshock is being used on children as young as 0-5 years old. This alarming fact prompted CCHR to start a petition to stop the proposed expanded use of the electroshock device on children.
“We are asking Florida Legislators to join other states in this country that have already enacted laws prohibiting the use of ECT in children at various ages, from under the age of 12 to under the age of 16,” said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida. “This new push by the APA to shock autistic children looks like a ploy to use autism to justify the use of this brutal treatment on those with no defense.”
Citing the fact that the World Health Organization advised in 2005 that, “There are no indications for the use of ECT on minors, and hence this should be prohibited through legislation”, the Florida Chapter of CCHR has launched a parallel petition demanding the ban of ECT while asking lawmakers to introduce legislation in the next session that will protect Florida’s children.[2]
To sign the petition to prohibit the use of electroshock on children in Florida click here.
About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR’s mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who brought the terror of psychiatric imprisonment to the notice of the world. In March 1969, he said, “Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the ‘free world’ tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of ‘mental health.’” For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.org
Sources:
[1] Electroconvulsive Therapy Effective in Children With Autism
[2] Model Legislation Prohibiting Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on Children https://www.cchrint.org/ect-model-law/
Contact Info:
Name: Diane Stein
Email: publicaffairs@cchrflorida.org
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida
Address: 109 North Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater, Florida 33755, United States
Phone: +1-727-442-8820
For more information, please visit http://www.cchrflorida.org/
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 370708
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