Dear Friend, I’m reaching out to warn about serious alarm and a call to action in regards to a bill being proposed in both chambers of the Oregon Legislature. If passed, Senate Bill 171 and House Bill 2467 will fundamentally lower the standard of civil commitment in Oregon, exposing ever more people to the harm of forced psychiatry. We urgently need your help to stop this bill by writing to your legislators. It hurts people, and we defeat these bills!
Nightmare Bill for Individuals In Crisis
The proposed bill seeks to amend existing laws to make it even easier for judges to civilly commit individuals based solely on pressure from families, neighbors, friends, and business owners.
But that’s not all. This new bill wants to give judges supernatural powers to look into a crystal ball and ‘predict’ if a loved one will be violent within the next thirty days and should therefore be civilly committed on the basis of that prediction.
A summary of how this bill expands civil commitment can be read HERE
Do you know anyone who can read thirty days into the future?
Of course, people can’t predict thirty days into the future. That is why criminal judges do not have the power to put individuals in jail based on a speculation that they ‘might’ commit a crime in the future. Such an absurd thing basis for taking away someone’s rights would never be allowed in a criminal court. This amendment to existing civil commitment law should be tossed in the garbage.
Only a small percentage of ‘mentally ill’ people commit violent crimes. Solutions to deal with the very small percentage of individuals who commit violent crimes, who happen to meet DSM criteria should not provide the basis for creating new laws that will apply to the vast majority, of non-criminal, non-violent individuals who happen to meet DSM criteria.
This bill purports to be about ‘compassion’ and ‘care.’ We know that this is a lie.
Anyone who has been subjected to inhumane and harmful ‘treatment’ under civil commitment, such as forced drugging, forced shock, institutionalization, restraints, or solitary confinement, knows this bill hoodwinks the public—by trying to mischaracterize forced treatment as care. Forced psychiatry is not about caring for individuals, it’s about controlling individuals.
Moreover, it’s about controlling individuals based on their decisions about ‘treatment’ during a temporary crisis, not whether or not they are actually violent.
Why We Are Opposing
Some of MFI’s specific concerns include:
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The enormous cost: 32 million to civilly commit 100 people for 180 days.
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Expanding civil commitment is ineffective; it creates a viscous cycle of ‘treat’ and ‘street’.
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It erodes trust.
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It is absurdly vague.
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Judges no longer need medical expertise, only pressure from family members, neighbors, or friends, to commit individuals.
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It confers judges supernatural powers to predict the behavior of individuals thirty days into the future.
We Need People Power to Defeat SB 171 and HB 2467
To oppose these bills:
- Plan in advance, what you want to say; lived experience of civil commitment is a plus.
- Look up your lawmaker HERE
- Brush up on your knowledge of how the legislature passes laws HERE
- Familiarize yourself an example of testimony of others HERE and HERE
- Register on Oregon Legislature Information System (OLIS) to submit testimony.
- Register to attend one or more Virtual Legislative Learning Labs hosted by MFI (see below)
Legislative Learning Labs
To help amplify the voices of people with lived experience, we are hosting a series of drop-in-virtual, legislative labs, where we will assist participants to register on OLIS. Together, every Friday, starting on March 22, participants who register for and attend one ore more of the labs below, can obtain assistance with their written testimony and register on OLIS. Participants will also receive the updates on the progress of the bill in real time, and identify key opportunities to make a difference, and build solidarity with others.