Please contact these federal and state officials. They need to know that their constituent, Elizabeth Ellis, has received more than a dozen involuntary electroshocks, and is slated to receive more.
“Your Constituent Received Forced Electroshock, and May Receive More!”
Please contact these elected officials who represent Elizabeth Ellis in Washington, D.C. and in the Minnesota State Capitol.
Sample message (your own words are best):
“Does your office know that some Americans are still given involuntary electroshock over their expressed wishes? Do you support this practice, paid for by the taxpayers? What are you doing to stop it? Please investigate the involuntary outpatient electroshocks of Minnesota resident Elizabeth K. Ellis, 67, as reported by MindFreedom International at https://mindfreedom.org. More are planned. Support Elizabeth in finding humane alternatives to more forced ECT! Please reply.”
Federal elected officials:
US Sen. Al Franken web form:
http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=email_al
D.C. office: (202) 224-5641 and St. Paul office: (651) 221-1016.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar:
http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm
Note: Sen. Klobuchar’s office claims she can’t get involved in ‘judicial’ matters like Elizabeth’s. But this Senator has a voice, and should speak out that the policy of taxpayer-funded forced electroshock is just plain wrong!
U.S. Rep Collin Peterson:
http://www.collinpeterson.house.gov/contact.html
Note: If you use the Peterson web form, you need a zipcode in his district. You can address your comment ‘c/o Elizabeth Ellis’ and use her home address:
606 20th AVE S
Moorhead, MN 56560
State elected officials for District 09A:
Representative Morrie Lanning (R)
E-mail: rep.morrie.lanning@house.mn
Rep. Lanning is in the leadership position of Speaker Pro Tempore, and is on the Health & Human Services Finance Committee. He studied psychology in college, and has a Master’s Degree in guidance and counseling. Ms. Ellis has a master’s degree in counseling.
Phone: 651-296-5515 or 800-657-3742
Postal address:
Representative Morrie Lanning
379 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
Legislative Assistant: Johnna O’Neill 651-296-4230
State Senator Keith Langseth (DFL)
You may use this web form to send Sen. Langseth a message.
phone: 651-296-3205
Postal address:
State Senator Keith Langseth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
State Office Building, Room 139
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206
Additional actions:
Commissioner:
Elizabeth would like us all to contact the person in charge of Minnesota’s mental health position. That commissioner position is vacant. Please also contact the individual one step-up in the hierarchy: The newly-appointed Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Lucinda Jesson, at phone number: (651) 431-2907
Governor:
And finally…
Please contact Gov. Mark Dayton. We understand the Minnesota Ombudsman office has written a letter of concern about Elizabeth to the Governor’s office, so it would be worth reminding this office they should take action:
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton:
To phone both Gov. Dayton and Lt. Governor Solon:
http://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
Unfortunately, Gov. Dayton’s office has been unresponsive to contacts from MindFreedom International.
Gov. Dayton does have a history of refusing to speak about details of mental health care:
His own.
In a ten minute interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, published 27 Dec. 2009 when he was running for office, Gov. Dayton revealed to a reporter – who called him an “enigmatic millionaire” – that he had a fairly recent history of treatment for alcoholism and serious depression. But the Governor refused to discuss any more details.
Said David Oaks, Director of MindFreedom:
“The Governor’s aide Katie Troyer at first seemed to actually care about Elizabeth, when we spoke on 28 January. But Ms. Troyer has refused to return any communication since then, for more than a month. We can only guess why.
“The Governor has a right to be silent about his mental health care. But he has a moral obligation to speak out about taxpayer-funded forced electroshock in his state.
“Perhaps this is similar to a closeted gay politician who refuses to discuss homosexual rights. When it was disclosed in 1972 that Thomas Eagleton had electroshock, it ruined his political career. Is fear of discrimination because of his own personal history silencing Gov. Dayton about Elizabeth’s plight? Has he himself had electroshock?”
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