The Mothers Act Disease Mongering Campaign - Part II

Monday, July 27, 2009 by: Evelyn Pringle, health freedom writer

(NaturalNews) This is part two of an investigative series on The Mothers Act by Evelyn Pringle. Read part one here: http://www.naturalnews.com/026634_d...

The Mothers Act legislation specifically defines the term "postpartum conditions" as "postpartum depression" or "postpartum psychosis." Use of the Act as an 8-year disease mongering campaign to further promote the new cottage industry of "reproductive psychiatry," or "reproductive mental health," comes from websites often run by people who will financially benefit from passage of the Act.

In 1992, the late journalist Lynn Payer wrote a book titled, "Disease Mongering," and defined disease mongering as, "trying to convince essentially well people that they are sick, or slightly sick people that they are very ill."

Tactics identified in the book currently used in the Mothers Act campaign include: (1) Framing the issues in a particular way, (2) Taking a normal function and implying that there's something wrong with it and it should be treated, (3) Defining as large a proportion of the population as possible as suffering from the 'disease', (4) Selective use of statistics to exaggerate the benefits of treatment, and (5) Getting the right spin doctors.

"Since disease is such a fluid and political concept, the providers can essentially create their own demand by broadening the definitions of diseases in such a way as to include the greatest number of people, and by spinning out new diseases," Payer explained in the book.

Although the mandatory screening language was removed from the Mothers Act last year, due to strong opposition, the words and actions by the bill's supporters demonstrate that the screening dragnet was always the main component of this disease mongering campaign. The language in the previous bill stated in part: "To ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services."

The main sponsor of the Act in the House was Illinois Democratic Congressman, Bobby Rush. On March 30, 2009, the Postpartum Support International website posted the headline: "Congressman Rush passes The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in the U.S. House of Representatives... now it's on to the senate!!"

In a speech on the House floor that day, Rush made the following ridiculous disease mongering statement: "Madame Speaker, today, 60 to 80 percent of new mothers experience symptoms of postpartum depression while the more serious condition, postpartum psychosis, affects up to 20 percent of women who have recently given birth."

He then took it a step further and told members of Congress: "Experts in the field of women's health like Susan Stone, Chair of the President's Advisory Council of Postpartum Support International, says that these statistics do not include mothers whose babies are stillborn, who miscarry, or who are vulnerable to these devastating disorders which raises those at risk into the millions."

"Every 50 seconds a new mother will begin struggling with the effects of mental illness," he added.

"After eight long years," Rush said, "today marks an important step forward in the journey for Congress to fully recognize postpartum depression as a national women's health priority."


Personal comment:

This is only a small portionofthis research. Go here to read some very frightening facts about just who is promoting and fundingthis obsene attack on new mothers