Mental Health Watchdog Reaches 330,000 in Campaign to Protect Parental Rights

Children are being evaluated for mental illness without parental consent under the guise of risk assessment.

Clearwater, United States - August 4, 2020 /PressCable/ —

Recognized across the state for their work in helping parents whose children have been taken to a psychiatric facility for involuntary examination under Florida’s mental health law, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has launched a social media campaign designed to educate parents on many more of their rights.

During 2017/2018 more than 36,000 involuntary psychiatric examinations, called a Baker Act, were initiated on children in Florida with many of these children under the age of 10 and some of these children as young as 6 years old. [1]

The Florida chapter of CCHR, a mental health watchdog organization, has been shining a spot light on Baker Act abuse since 2015 when the organization began in earnest to raise awareness the lack of protection of children and the undermining of parental rights when a child is Baker Acted. This naturally led to a campaign on parental rights with a focus on invasive mental health programs and screenings.

“Children are being evaluated for mental illness without parental consent under the guise of risk assessment,” stated Diane Stein, president of CCHR Florida. “These children can then end up being labeled and given dangerous psychiatric drugs and a parent should be involved in such a process right from the start, not after as assessment has already been made and they were not given an opportunity to first decide what is best for their child.”

In order to provide summaries of some of the legal concepts, rights, and facts relating to certain important student and parental rights, CCHR Florida has made a free eBook available to anyone wanting to know more about these rights. Using social media to inform over 330,000 people on parental rights in Florida, CCHR has now begun mailing copies of these booklets to school districts, law enforcement and other groups across the state resulting in requests for hundreds of more booklets for use with School Resource Officers.

“We are making this booklet and these rights available to everyone free of charge,” said Diane Stein. “While parental rights are viewed as fundamental many families wonder what these rights are and where they can be found and this booklet answers these questions.”

As stated by the United States Supreme Court, “The history and culture of Western civilization reflect a strong tradition of parental concern for the nurture and upbringing of their children. This primary role of the parents in the upbringing of their children is now established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition.” [2]

CCHR encourages parents who wish to know more about their rights to visit their website at Parental Rights where they can download a free copy of the eBooklet.

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. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, first brought psychiatric imprisonment to wide public notice: “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,’” he wrote in March 1969. For more information please visit www.cchrflorida.org.

Sources:

[1] Baker Act Reporting Center https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/baker-act/documents/ba_usf_annual_report_2017_2018.pdf

[2] Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406, U.S. 205, 232 (1972)

Contact Info:
Name: Diane Stein
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida
Address: 109 North Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater, Florida 33755, United States
Phone: +1-727-442-8820
Website: http://www.cchrflorida.org/

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 88971316