Update
4/9/2025
Dear Friends, “It’s a sad day for mental health in Oregon” according to David Oaks, co-founder of MindFreedom International, after we learned that the Oregon House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to pass House Bill 2467 to the Ways and Means Committee. We hope the bill will die there, but that is not likely.
A more likely scenario is that we have to repeat our efforts to fight this bill either in front of the Joint Ways and Means Committee or in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and perhaps after that by contacting every single legislator, if it is referred to the floor for a final vote.
For more information about HB 2467 and why we are opposed, scroll down to original alert dated 3/31/2025
At the public hearing on April 4, twenty psychiatric survivors and allies registered as witnesses to testify against the bill but only six opponents were allowed to speak. Read this ARTICLE written by a reporter who attended the hearing on April 4th.
Of the fourteen who were not allowed to testify in opposition, several individuals had traveled nearly 100 miles to the state capitol, one in a motorized wheelchair with an attendant. One electroshock shock survivor who was traumatized by their past, forced treatment, was so afraid of retaliation that they spoke in anonymity through their pastor. Others, including a mother of a young man who committed suicide while under civil commitment, waited patiently in a virtual ‘queue’ only to be told that the hearing was closed. In contrast, sixteen of the witnesses who registered to testify in favor of the bill were allowed to speak at length at the start of the hearing, including a parent whose wife was killed by their adult child, who he claimed was unable to access forced psychiatric treatment.
Furthermore, opponents of the bill were interrupted by a loud buzzer after two minutes, in sharp contrast to the the bill’s supporters who were not interrupted by a loud buzzer even though proponents took on average, two to three times longer (4-6 minutes each) than the bill’s opponents to tell the committee why it is necessary to erode the rights of people perceived to be mentally ill.
You can view a recording of the entire hearing HERE.
A written log showing the amount of time given to each witness is HERE
The Chairperson, Jason Kropf’s disgraceful handling of this hearing made it clear that Democracy is hard to come by when it comes to human rights in mental health.
The disproportionate amount of time allotted to the authors and supporters of the bill might fool many Oregonians into thinking that stakeholders of Oregon’s mental health system are overwhelmingly in favor of expanding civil commitment in Oregon but we know from experience that the stakeholders who matter the most, those with lived experience of civil commitment, are routinely ignored and silenced by those with more power and influence. There is much work to be done. We cannot give up.
While the supporters of HB 2467 have momentum, we will not be silenced. The bill has fiscal impact, (civil commitment is expensive) therefore the House Ways and Means Committee will probably schedule another public hearing, in which case, we need to show up to tell the committee with the purse strings how wasteful and ineffective civil commitment is in relation to person-centered, trauma informed preventative alternatives such as peer support.
Stay alert for future instructions and if you would like, register for our upcoming legislative learning lab this Friday, April 18 at 1 pm pacific where we will discuss the bill and where to go from here.
Register HERE
3/31/2025
Dear Friend, I’m reaching out to warn about serious alarm and a call to action in regards to a bill being proposed in the Oregon Legislature. If passed, 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!
The deadline to submit formal letter in opposition to the House Judiciary Committee is Thursday, April 3rd. To register to testify, click HERE
Read sample testimonies that have already been submitted HERE and HERE
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 by loosening the definitions of ‘medical expertise.’
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 and a document produced by NAMI Oregon stating why they conceived this bill 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 basis for taking away someone’s rights would never be allowed in a criminal proceeding. 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 characterize 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 may accept expertise from a wider array of clinical ‘experts’ making it more likely that parents, neighbors, friends can shop around for the expertise they need to commit an individual.
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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 HB 2467
To oppose these bills:
- Plan in advance, what you want to say; lived experience of civil commitment is a plus.
- If you live in Oregon, look up your lawmaker HERE.As the bill advances, you can contact your representative directly after April 3rd by calling or sending an email.
- Brush up on your knowledge of how the legislature passes laws HERE or drop in on MFI’s recurring ‘Legislative Learning Labs’ every Friday by registering in advance HERE
- Familiarize yourself examples from others who have already submitted testimony opposing HB 2467 HERE and HERE
- Register on Oregon Legislature Information System (OLIS), and click on ‘Escribe’ at the bottom left margin to sign up to receive updates on HB 2467
Legislative Learning Labs
To help amplify the voices of people with lived experience, we are hosting a series of drop-in-virtual, legislative labs. Join other psychiatric survivors and learn how to become an effective advocate for systemic change.
Together, every Friday, starting on March 21, participants who register (see below) will learn how to submit effective, written testimony by registering on OLIS. Participants will also learn how to submit testimony in person at the capitol or virtually during a live hearing.
Nobody deserves torture.