Have you heard of House Resolution 20 (S 324 in the Senate) called the Melanie Blocker Stokes Mom's Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act? It's all about treating postpartum depression as a mental illness. I blogged about it at The Catholic Guys (and Mary Ann). The bill is one more huge invasion of the family that promises to put more money into the hands of ideologues with a stake in turning pregnancy and motherhood into illnesses to be treated.
You can examine the bill for yourself and check out its progress and status. This act, if passed and funded, will ensure that new moms get visits from government lackeys invading the privacy of the family and labeling those who express their anxieties and concerns as mentally ill. And who will qualify for the grants? Chances are it will be a counselor from the local Planned Parenthood. This bill masquerades in the garb of compassion, but it's just one more assault on the American family.
When new mothers need advice and assistance their best bets for help are their own moms and grammas -- not Uncle Sam. He's the funny uncle parents warn kids about.
Motherhood is not a mental illness. Postpartum depression is - and a severe illness at that. Planned Parenthood isn't going to coming knocking at your door, the government doesn't want to go all Big Brother on the family, nor does it want to go around with "mentally ill" stickers to place willy-nilly on people's heads.
ReplyDeleteThe Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act is about research and making sure that new moms and their families are able to distinguish between the typical Baby Blues of adjusting hormones and the severe illness that is postpartum depression. It's a bill about creating awareness to prevent tragedies. If you're of a mind to vote for tragedy, then please keep writing posts like this.
This bill is NOT just about research. It authorizes home-based programs which means another big nanny state intervention no matter how you spin it.
ReplyDeletePostpartum depression afflicts about 10% of women. These women have doctors who generally see them six weeks after birth. Doctors, hospital staff, and their own families are the primary source of assistance, not the government.
Intervention into every aspect of our personal lives was certainly not what the Founding Fathers intended. It is actually an unconstitutional use of our tax dollars.
For those interested in more data on postpartum depressio see the Mayo Clinic website.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postpartum-depression/DS00546