The 2015 Missouri state legislative session (98th General Assembly, First Regular Session) starts January 7 and runs until May 15. The Pre Filing of bills started December 1, 2014.<\/p>\n
Follow the Missouri legislature at www.moga.mo.gov<\/a> (Missouri General Assembly) and find out how to contact your own Missouri state representatives here<\/a>.<\/p>\n We wanted to tell you about proposed legislation that we think deserves your support. Please contact your Missouri state legislators regarding this bill; they do listen. In order of importance: personal contact, phone call, handwritten letter (blue ink), typed letter (blue ink signature), fax, email. Any contact is better than no contact.<\/p>\n It is a civic duty (responsibility of a citizen) to contribute to your government in this manner.<\/p>\n (If you do not live and vote in Missouri, then suggest to your own state representatives to introduce anti-psychiatric legislation in your state. You can find some model legislation here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n HB = House Bill<\/p>\n Please contact your state legislators in support of HB 217<\/a> introduced by Representative Kenneth Wilson, Republican from District 12 (Clay and Platte counties north of Kansas City).<\/p>\n The bill specifies that a parent may not be charged with medical neglect (and have their child taken away from them) if they are following the advice of a licensed medical or mental health professional, even if that conflicts with another licensed medical or mental health professional. This is known as “Isaiah’s law,” prompted by the case of Isaiah Rider<\/a>, a Kansas City area teen who had been legally kidnapped by a Chicago hospital.<\/p>\n Paraphrasing the major point of the bill:<\/p>\n No one shall file a report of abuse or neglect based solely on a parent’s or legal guardian’s decision to follow the recommended treatment of a licensed medical or mental health provider. A parent or legal guardian has the right to follow the advice and treatment plan of a licensed medical or mental health provider over a contrary opinion or recommended treatment plan of another licensed medical or mental health provider if the decision does not involve immediate life-threatening conditions. Even in the case of life-threatening conditions, the decision of the parent or legal guardian to follow the advice or treatment plan of a licensed medical or mental health provider shall not be overridden unless there is clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.<\/em><\/p>\n We think this is an important human rights protection, since we observe multiple cases where the state takes away children from parents who refuse to give psychiatric drugs to their children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Take Action – Missouri Legislative News The 2015 Missouri state legislative session (98th General Assembly, First Regular Session) starts January 7 and runs until May 15. The Pre Filing of bills started December 1, 2014. Follow the Missouri legislature at … Continue reading