Take action to stop the spread of forced drugging! Oppose Texas HB2212.
House Bill 2212 is a law that will dramatically expand the population eligible for “Assisted” Outpatient Treatment, giving many Texans the opportunity to experience forced psychiatric drugging in their homes. The bill was introduced by Texas State Representative Elliot Naisthat (D), who is also a Social Work professor.
By allowing court-ordered outpatient forced drugging, House Bill 2212 takes away the basic human right to bodily integrity. This law, if allowed to pass, will have a chilling effect on help-seeking behavior and strike fear and terror into people who are already dealing with significant traumas and challenges in their lives. The penalty for becoming mentally distressed should not be to lose the safety and sanctity of your home, or the right to own your own body.
Link to the full text of HB 2212: ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/83R/billtext/html/house_bills/HB02200_HB02299/HB02212I.htm
The last activity on this bill was March 27, when the Texas State Public Health Committee heard testimony but left the bill’s status as “pending.”
Which means there’s still time to MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD and tell Texas legislators why forced outpatient commitment is a HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION!
***TAKE ACTION NOW!***
Help stop the spread of forced drugging by emailing or calling Texas legislators!
Tell them that bodily integrity is a human right!
Tell them that all human beings should be allowed to experience even extreme thoughts and emotions in the safety of their home without fear of forced psychiatric drugging.
SAMPLE E-MAIL MESSAGE (your own words are best):
***
I write to urge you NOT to support House Bill 2212 (relating to court-ordered outpatient commitment as a mental health treatment). Forced psychiatric drugging of law-abiding citizens in their own homes is a HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION.
All human beings should have the right to bodily integrity and to decide for themselves what chemicals they ingest and what medical treatments they pursue. People needing help with mental or emotional distress will NOT seek it if they know they are to be PENALIZED by being forcibly injected with psychiatric drugs. Forced psychiatric drugging is a traumatizing procedure – it is NOT therapeutic, and research has shown that it does not improve outcomes but it DOES severely curtail essential liberties.
Please take a stand for human rights! Vote NO for House Bill 2212.
Yours truly,
***
Copy and paste these addresses of key Texas legislators into the “Recipients” line of your email:
lois.kolkhorst@house.state.tx.us, chris.steinbach@house.state.tx.us, preston.streufert@house.state.tx.us,corbin.marak@house.state.tx.us, elliott.naishtat@house.state.tx.us, dorothy.browne@house.state.tx.us,district147.coleman@house.state.tx.us, christopher.walker@house.state.tx.us, katy.reagan@house.state.tx.us,Nicole.Collier@house.state.tx.us, genivive.cato@house.state.tx.us, jim.boynton@house.state.tx.us, irma.reyes@house.state.tx.us, jacob.limon@house.state.tx.us, Philip.Cortez@house.state.tx.us,thelma.deleon@house.state.tx.us, veronica.vasquez@house.state.tx.us, joaquin.gonzalez-smith@house.state.tx.us,andres.ramos@house.state.tx.us, sarah.davis@house.state.tx.us, hunter.hughes@house.state.tx.us, charles.protho@house.state.tx.us,lucia.mueller@house.state.tx.us, susan.king@house.state.tx.us, bryan.law@house.state.tx.us, Shana.Berenzweig@house.state.tx.us, Reid.Alexander@house.state.tx.us, Robin.Wertheim@house.state.tx.us,jodie.laubenberg@house.state.tx.us, suzanne.bowers@house.state.tx.us, chris.covo@house.state.tx.us,Bill.Zedler@house.state.tx.us, deanna.zimmerman@house.state.tx.us, bryan.schufelt@house.state.tx.us,matthew.posey@house.state.tx.us
(See bottom of page for a more detailed list of legislators and their staffers on the Texas State Public Health Committee)
OR, call them on the phone and let them know why you are opposed to court-ordered outpatient forced psychiatric drugging.
Here are the names and phone numbers of the Texas legislators who are on Texas State Public Health Committee:
– Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, Chair – 512-463-0600
– Rep. Elliot Naisthat, Vice-chair – 512-463-0668 (He’s the author of the bill)
– Rep. Garnet Coleman – 512-463-0524
– Rep. Nicole Collier – 512-463-0716
– Rep. Philip Cortez – 512-463-0269
– Rep. Sarah Davis – 512-463-0389
– Rep. R.D. Bobby Guerra – 512-463-0578
– Rep. Susan King – 512-463-0718
– Rep. Jodie Laubenberg – 512-463-0186
– Rep. Bill Zedler – 512-463-0374 -
KEY TALKING POINTS (your own words are best)
• Forced psychiatric drugging is traumatizing and NOT therapeutic
• Key research has shown that forced outpatient commitment does not reduce hospital readmission rates, nor does it improve clinical or social outcomes
• People who may need help with mental/emotional distress will not seek it because they fear forced psychiatric drugging
*****
More detailed contact information for Texas State Public Health Committee Legislators and Their Staffers
Texas State Public Health Committee:
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, Chair – 512-463-0600
lois.kolkhorst@house.state.tx.us
Staffers:
chris.steinbach@house.state.tx.us
preston.streufert@house.state.tx.us
corbin.marak@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Elliot Naisthat, Vice-chair – 512-463-0668 He’s the author of the bill.
elliott.naishtat@house.state.tx.us
Staffer:
dorothy.browne@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Garnet Coleman – 512-463-0524
district147.coleman@house.state.tx.us
Staffers:
christopher.walker@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Nicole Collier – 512-463-0716
Nicole.Collier@house.state.tx.us
Staffers:
genivive.cato@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Philip Cortez – 512-463-0269 Philip.Cortez@house.state.tx.us
Staffers:
thelma.deleon@house.state.tx.us
veronica.vasquez@house.state.tx.us
joaquin.gonzalez-smith@house.state.tx.us
andres.ramos@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Sarah Davis – 512-463-0389
Staffers:
hunter.hughes@house.state.tx.us
charles.protho@house.state.tx.us
lucia.mueller@house.state.tx.us
Rep. R.D. Bobby Guerra – 512-463-0578
Appears to be a new representative, detailed email information unavailable.
Rep. Susan King – 512-463-0718
Staffers:
Shana.Berenzweig@house.state.tx.us
Reid.Alexander@house.state.tx.us
Robin.Wertheim@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Jodie Laubenberg – 512-463-0186
jodie.laubenberg@house.state.tx.us
Staffers:
suzanne.bowers@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Bill Zedler – 512-463-0374
Staffers:
deanna.zimmerman@house.state.tx.us
bryan.schufelt@house.state.tx.us
matthew.posey@house.state.tx.us
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Lauren Tenney, psychiatric survivor activist from New York State
First involuntarily institutionalized, at 15, Lauren Tenney is a survivor of psychiatry. She has been involved with the user and survivor movement since 1992. Her goal is to help stop forced psychiatric procedures, detainment, and confinement, human rights violations, psychiatric abuse and torture. Of particular concern are the elimination of forced electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) on people of all ages, but particularly children and senior citizens, forced drugging, restraints, seclusion, behavioral interventions, and coercion of any kind. Lauren, a Mad-Activist/ Artist/ Author/ Academic/ Adjunct Professor is coordinating The Opal Project, an outcome of participatory action research she coordinated for field research in the PhD program in Environmental Psychology at the Graduate Center, CUNY. Her dissertation topic is: “The Institutionalized “Community.” She became involved with WE THE PEOPLE when the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights and MindFreedom International needed someone on the ground in Brooklyn, New York to coordinate a response where Esmin Green was murdered-by-neglect. She now lives in Albany, NY with her service dog-in-training and cat. For more info: www.TheOpalProject.org and www.etrash.tv
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