Not linked on Ron Paul’s Congressional Website.
SPEECH OF
HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Friday, November 6, 2009
2009 Ron Paul 95:1
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I voted against H.
Res. 700, designating the week of November
9 as National School Psychology Week to
draw attention to the threat to liberty posed by
proposals that school physiologists perform
mandatory mental evaluations of all school
children without parental consent.
2009 Ron Paul 95:2
The New Freedom Commission on Mental
Health has recommended that the federal and
state governments work toward the implementation
of a comprehensive system of mental-
health screening for all Americans. The commission
recommends that universal or mandatory
mental-health screening first be implemented
in public schools as a prelude to expanding
it to the general public. However, neither
the commission’s report nor any related
mental-health screening proposal requires parental
consent before a child is subjected to
mental-health screening. Federally funded universal
or mandatory mental-health screening
in schools without parental consent could lead
to labeling more children as “ADD” or “hyperactive”
and thus force more children to take
psychotropic drugs, such as Ritalin, against
their parents’ wishes.
2009 Ron Paul 95:3
Too many children are suffering from being
prescribed psychotropic drugs for nothing
more than children’s typical rambunctious behavior.
According to Medco Health Solutions,
more than 2.2 million children are receiving
more than one psychotropic drug at one time.
In fact, according to Medico Trends, in 2003,
total spending on psychiatric drugs for children
exceeded spending on antibiotics or asthma
medication.
2009 Ron Paul 95:4
Many children have suffered harmful side
effects from using psychotropic drugs. Some
of the possible side effects include mania, violence,
dependence, and weight gain. Yet, parents
are already being threatened with child
abuse charges if they resist efforts to drug
their children. Imagine how much easier it will
be to drug children against their parents’ wishes
if a federally funded mental-health screener
makes the recommendation.
2009 Ron Paul 95:5
Universal or mandatory mental-health
screening could also provide a justification for
stigmatizing children from families that support
traditional values. Even the authors of mental-
health diagnosis manuals admit that mental-
health diagnoses are subjective and based on
social constructions. Therefore, it is all too
easy for a psychiatrist to label a person’s disagreement
with the psychiatrist’s political beliefs
a mental disorder. For example, a federally
funded school violence prevention program
lists “intolerance” as a mental problem
that may lead to school violence. Because “intolerance”
is often a code word for believing in
traditional values, children who share their
parents’ values could be labeled as having
mental problems and a risk of causing violence.
If the mandatory mental-health screening
program applies to adults, everyone who
believes in traditional values could have his or
her beliefs stigmatized as a sign of a mental
disorder. Taxpayer dollars should not support
programs that may label those who adhere to
traditional values as having a “mental disorder.”
2009 Ron Paul 95:6
In order to protect our nation’s children from
mandatory mental health screening, I have introduced
introduce the Parental Consent Act
(H.R. 2218). This bill forbids Federal funds
from being used for any universal or mandatory
mental-health screening of students without
the express, written, voluntary, informed
consent of their parents or legal guardians.
This bill protects the fundamental right of parents
to direct and control the upbringing and
education of their children. I hope all my colleagues
will cosponser H.R. 2218.
