Amendment to Address Mental Health, Suicide Issues with Law Enforcement Passed

Washington, D.C. -March 6, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- The House of Representatives unanimously passed an amendment to H.R. 1140, the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act. The amendment would address widely reported mental health and violence issues by Federal Air Marshals by ensuring the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) works with the Federal Air Marshal Service to provide solutions.

Congressman Kim’s speech in support of this amendment can be found by clicking here.

“Our law enforcement officers who work every day to keep thousands of airline passengers and crew safe are in a state of emergency, and it’s up to us to find solutions,” said Congressman Kim. “This amendment will give our Federal Air Marshals the help they need at this critical time. The cost of inaction is too high. It’s time for us to work together to save lives and honor the work these men and women do every day.”

The Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act would strengthen the security operations of the TSA by providing TSA officers additional workplace rights and protections. The bill has been endorsed by the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) and the American Federation of Government of Employees (AFGE).

Suicide Prevention Advocates to Gather in Lansing

Lansing, MI - March 2, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and in Michigan. On Thursday, March 5, advocates from the Michigan Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the largest suicide prevention organization in the United States, will meet with lawmakers to urge their support of HB 5482, which would require the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) to be printed on all middle and high school student identification cards and encourage middle and high schools to clearly post suicide prevention and mental health informational materials within the school building and on their website. Advocates will also urge lawmakers to further strengthen existing school suicide prevention laws by requiring related training for teachers, education for students, and adoption of school policies and procedures.

"As a survivor of suicide loss, I advocate for policy change because thousands of people in our state are affected by this health crisis each year. I advocate so that we all may become smarter about mental health. It is imperative that we fight for legislation that is both preventative and in support of those who struggle. We have this hope for change because suicide is preventable with effective policies and legislation in place. Together with our elected officials, we will save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide," said Lisa Matway, AFSP Michigan Chapter Board Member.

The AFSP Michigan Capitol Day is a special day for all who have a connection with or a personal story around the topic of suicide. Attendees will meet with their legislators to share their stories about why they participate in this advocacy effort, giving a human face to this important public health problem and helping lawmakers understand that investments in mental health and suicide prevention can save lives.

AFSP Michigan Chapter advocates are part of a larger national movement of AFSP volunteer advocates who will visit state capitols across the United States in 2020 to bring best practices in suicide prevention to legislators and their staff. To learn more about AFSP's advocacy efforts, visit here: https://afsp.org/our-work/advocacy/.

On average, 132 Americans died by suicide each day in 2018, and upwards of 90% of those individuals had a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death. AFSP volunteers will urge state lawmakers to be the voice for the thousands of residents across the state affected by mental health conditions and suicide each year.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a Public Policy Office in Washington, D.C. AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with programs and events nationwide.

Shooting, Suicide, Pre-Existing Conditions, Noise, Veterans

Today's News from the Lawmakers

Congressman Serrano on Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

Sinema Calls on AZ Attorney General to Protect Pre-Existing Conditions

Highline Thanks Rep. Adam Smith for Rescuing Noise Mitigation Funding

'Veteran's symbols of service replaced after medals lost in Superstorm Sandy'

REPS. STEWART AND DELANEY INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO MODERNIZE SUICIDE PREVENTION ANALYTICS

Members Introduce Bipartisan Legislation on the Dangers of Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide

Washington, D.C. - October 3, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), along with Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD), Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA), Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), Rep. James Langevin (D-RI), Rep. Ralph Abraham, M.D. (R-LA), Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA), and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) introduced H. Con. Res. 80, expressing the sense of Congress that legalizing physician-assisted suicide puts the most vulnerable of our society at risk of deadly harm and undermines the integrity of America’s healthcare system. They issued the following joint statement:

“Protecting the vulnerable and providing quality care for all patients are cornerstones of any good healthcare system. Included in that is providing comfort and care for those facing the heart-wrenching challenges of dealing with a potentially terminal illness. In some cases, this commitment to fighting for the best care – even in the face of the most deadly diseases – can result in new and innovative cures, offering the chance of recovery for both the patient and for others suffering in the future. In other cases, it is simply a question of offering end-of-life comfort and support.

Physician-assisted suicide, however, does the opposite. It undermines a key safeguard that protects our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and people experiencing psychiatric diagnoses. Americans deserve better.

We will continue to defend every human being’s inherent dignity, and work to ensure patients facing the end of their lives have access to the best quality and most comprehensive medical care possible, including palliative, in-home, or hospice care, tailored to their individual needs. When governments support, encourage, or facilitate suicide – whether assisted by physicians or others – we devalue our fellow citizens, our fellow human beings. That should not be who we are."

Full text of the resolution is available here.

Nonpartisan patients’ rights and disability rights advocacy organizations across the country have spoken out in strong support of this bipartisan resolution, including:

Patients Rights Action Fund: “Many do not realize that people battling terminal illness, people with disabilities and others are inadvertently targeted by the legalization of assisted suicide. I am grateful to Congressmen Correa, Vargas, Wenstrup and all of the other cosponsors for introducing this Sense of Congress resolution,” said J.J. Hanson, President and a terminal brain cancer patient. “This bill brings attention to this important issue and takes a big step toward protecting me and so many others from a death-too-soon.”

National Council on Independent Living: “Our society places a high value on physical appearance and ability, and stigmatizes significant disability. It's no surprise that those of us who grew up able-bodied and then became disabled might initially see disability as a huge loss of one’s former dreams and physical abilities,” said Kelly Buckland, Executive Director. “When someone is first hit with this, they may feel they’d be better off dead. As one struggles to get basic needs met, some people feel worn down. If assisted suicide had been legal in the past, even if it were supposedly only for those with “terminal” conditions, I might not be here today. I’m grateful that assisted suicide was not legal back then, and I'm committed to keeping it that way. This is an important reason why the National Council on Independent Living opposes assisted suicide laws. NCIL is a leader in the disability rights movement, our political struggle for equal rights. And, among other things, equal rights include equal suicide prevention.”

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF): “Where assisted suicide is legal, some people’s lives will be ended without their consent, through mistakes and abuse. No safeguards have ever been enacted or even proposed that can prevent this outcome, which can never be undone,” said Marilyn Golden, Senior Policy Analyst. “The so-called safeguards are very weak, and the lack of oversight hides these dangers from public view. Moreover, assisted suicide laws are a prescription for elder abuse and abuse of people with disabilities. Supporters of assisted suicide say such laws won’t affect disabled people—but they will, whether or not they realize it. But there is a legal alternative: anyone dying in discomfort may legally receive palliative sedation. Under these circumstances, assisted suicide is not real choice, but a phony form of freedom.”

ADAPT: “Disabled people and seniors who need assistance with everyday tasks like dressing and bathing want the choice to get those services at home and to have control over how they’re delivered. We do not want to be forced into a nursing facility, nor forced to live in poverty to qualify. Unfortunately, that choice is not a reality for most of us. In states that have legalized assisted suicide, Oregon data shows, over a third of those who request assistance to die do so because of “feelings of being a burden” and over 90% cite “loss of autonomy” as a factor,” said Stephanie Woodward, Director of Advocacy. “If the only alternative to death is poverty and segregation in nursing facilities, assisted suicide is not a “choice.” Society is failing to ensure access to consumer controlled long-term services. The last thing we need in this time of draconian budget cuts in Medicaid is the legalization of assisted suicide laws, because the untimely deaths of disabled Americans can easily be seen as a cost saving answer.

Not Dead Yet: "As a national, secular, social justice organization, Not Dead Yet strongly supports this bipartisan effort to speak truth to the many myths about legalized assisted suicide," said Diane Coleman, President/CEO. "As Americans with disabilities, we are on the front lines of the nation's health care system that often devalues old, ill, and disabled people. So we are grateful for this Sense of Congress that explains the dangers of mistake, coercion, and abuse under a public policy of assisted suicide."

Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Fund: "Empowering doctors to assist patients in killing themselves has led to an inevitable erosion of trust in the motives of doctors, health care institutions, and insurers. This has been detrimental to patients, degraded the quality of medical care, and compromised the integrity of medical profession wherever assisted suicide has been legalized,” Dr. William F. Toffler, National Director. “The solution to suffering is not to end the life of the sufferer; rather society's focus at the end of life should be to alleviate suffering by improving access to hospice and palliative care whenever it is needed."

AMENDMENT TO COMBAT VETERAN SUICIDE INTRODUCED

Washington, D.C. - July 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) introduced an amendment to H.R. 3219, the Department of Defense Appropriations bill, to combat veteran suicide. As the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) David Shulkin, M.D. recently noted, an average of fourteen out of twenty veterans committing suicide every day do not receive services from the VA. Congressman Murphy's amendment would allow VA funds to help more veterans access evidence-based care.

"It is tragically clear that we need to find new, better ways outside of the traditional system to reach and treat our veterans; the current system does not work for many and no one system can work for all," said Murphy, a Navy psychologist who currently treats veterans suffering from PTSD/Traumatic Brain Injury at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bethesda.

"Allowing public-private partnership pilot programs to deliver innovative, evidence-based, accountable, forward-looking models of care to those who have served is crucial to improving veterans mental health care and turning the tide on veteran suicide."

Specifically, Murphy's amendment calls for greater ability for treatments to address the veteran suicide crisis by connecting veterans with community and non-profit mental health networks in order to provide expedited access to evidence-based mental health care services. Murphy’s amendment to the appropriations bill also gives VA Secretary Shulkin the authority to create an expedited credentialing process for veteran mental health networks to ensure they are delivering evidenced-based therapies with same-day access to care while demonstrating effective clinical patient outcomes.

Read the full text of the amendment here.

Terry Sharpe: The Walking Marine

Terry Sharpe is planning his 2017 Walk to raise awareness of the current Veteran suicide rate, which stands at 22 per day — the equivalent of one Veteran committing suicide every 65 minutes. Terry at age 66, will walk from Summerfield, NC to Washington, DC to bring attention to this terrible plight. That is a trip of 300 miles, some very hard miles, but Terry wants to bring attention to the Veteran’s Issues. Terry will be joined on his walk by Micheal Boncek who is also an avid walker devoted to drawing attention to Veteran issues.

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Watchdog Says Psychotropic Drug Link to Military and Veteran Suicides Warrants Federal Probe

Washington, D.C. - July 26, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Despite highly touted efforts to curb the suicide rate among active-duty service members and veterans, suicides remain high and the mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) says the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs need to fully investigate the role of prescription psychotropic drugs in these suicides.

CCHR says an investigation of this link should not be limited to those committing suicide by drug overdose but also determine whether those killing themselves by gunshot, hanging or by other methods were taking or withdrawing from psychotropic drugs at the time. It should be a focal part of the Veterans Affairs commitment of more than $186 million in 2018 to prevent suicide, CCHR adds.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon reported that 265 active-duty service members killed themselves in 2015, continuing a trend of unusually high suicide rates that have plagued the U.S. military for at least seven years, according to USA Today. The number of suicides among troops was 145 in 2001 and began a steady increase until more than doubling to 321 in 2012.[1]

Suicide—not combat—is the leading killer of U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East to fight Islamic State militants, the Pentagon statistics showed.[2]

But according to CCHR and experts working with it, there are serious concerns about the relationship between military/veteran suicides and the increase of psychotropic drug prescriptions. According to Dr. Bart Billings, a retired Colonel and Medical Service Corps Officer in the U.S. Army, a surge of prescriptions since 2005 "coincides with the gradual increase, to this day, of suicides in the military. I feel there's a direct relationship," Billings told CNS News.[3]

In 2014, CCHR presented evidence of this to the U.S. Senate's Veteran Affairs Committee calling, then, for an inquiry into the potential violence- and suicide-inducing effects of prescribed psychiatric drugs.

That submission reported:

More than 110,000 Army personnel were given antidepressants, narcotics, sedatives, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety drugs while on duty in one year.[4]

Between 2005 and 2011 the military increased its prescriptions of psychoactive drugs (antipsychotics, sedatives, stimulants and mood stabilizers) by almost 700 percent, according to The New York Times.[5]
92.8 percent of the Service Members who committed suicide were male, with 39.6 percent aged between 17 and 24.
Antidepressants prescribed Service Members and veterans carry a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "black-box" warning of "suicidality" for those younger than 25.[6]

The age range of 41 percent of deployed American soldiers was 18-24. Those prescribed antidepressants are at serious risk of suicide, given the black box warning.
Further, an average of 20 veterans a day committed suicide in 2014.[7]

The situation has not changed, with it being reported in March this year that the Defense Suicide Prevention Office says that most who die by suicide in the military are younger than 30. About 68 percent die by the use of firearms, and almost 25 percent by hanging.[8]

In October 2016, The Pharmaceutical Journal reported that even healthy adults who are taking certain antidepressants have a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and violent behavior, according to the results of a systematic review. "While it is now generally accepted that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide and violence in children and adolescents (although many psychiatrists still deny this), most people believe that these drugs are not dangerous for adults. This is a potentially lethal misconception," warned the researchers, based at the Nordic Cochrane Centre and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.[9]

Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, the team said: "We found that antidepressants double the risk of suicidality and violence, and it is particularly interesting that the volunteers in the studies we reviewed were healthy adults with no signs of a mental disorder." The researchers say their results suggest that it is likely that antidepressants increase the number of suicides in people of all ages.[10]

On May 25, 2017, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO-6) introduced H.R.2652, theVeteran Overmedication Prevention Act of 2017 into Congress.[11] Thiscalls for a thorough and independent review of all suicides, violent deaths, and accidental deaths during a five-year period among veterans who received treatment furnished by the Department of Veteran Affairs during the five years leading up to their deaths. The review would be done by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine under an agreement with the VA.[12]

CCHR says the legislation is a step in the right direction but points to the Department of Veterans Affairs saying it will increase spending on suicide prevention efforts by 7.5 percent to $186.1 million in 2018. And although a VA spokeswoman Gina Jackson calls this its "highest clinical priority,"[13] CCHR says that spending on and use of psychotropic drugs that may be driving veterans to suicide must be part of that priority.

Add to this, Friedhelm Sandbrink, M.D., the VA's Acting National Program Director for Pain Management, reported that up to 75 percent of older veterans experience chronic pain. Such pain may be treated with opioids which carry a risk for overuse or misuse. Complicating matters is additional psychotropic drugs being prescribed with opioids.[14] Cocktails of opioids and benzodiazepines, for example, can be lethal. On August 31, 2016, the FDA announced that it was requiring changes to drug labeling, including patient information, to warn of the serious risks associated with the combined use of certain opioids and benzodiazepines. Risks include extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and death. "It is nothing short of a public health crisis when you see a substantial increase of avoidable overdose and death related to two widely used drug classes being taken together," said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D.[15]

CCHR International has presented annual Human Rights Awards to individuals and families fighting for better treatment and care for military members and veterans—free of the influence of potentially harmful psychotropic drugs and cocktails of drugs. An example of the Award Winners is:

The parents of U.S. Marine Cpl Andrew R. White, 23, who died suddenly after being prescribed a "lethal cocktail of antidepressants, antipsychotics and analgesics," his father Stan White said. Mr. White and his wife, Shirley, have worked tirelessly to warn about the dangers of such prescribing. Retired California neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman Jr. supported them saying he is convinced that military doctors are overprescribing antipsychotic medications in combinations that can cause cardiac arrest, often resulting in death.[16] "The treatment of traumatized vets with psychiatric drugs is an enemy we never saw coming," Mr. White said in accepting the Human Rights Award.

All that Pat Mena's youngest son, Anthony (Tony), wanted to do when he graduated High School was to defend his country by joining the Air Force. He was deployed twice to Iraq and managed to dodge bullets, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs. But what he couldn't dodge was the cocktail of psychiatric drugs he was prescribed upon his return. Like so many others returning from combat, Mena suffered from insomnia, restlessness and nightmares. He also complained of severe back pain. Between January of 2008 and his death in July 2009, Mena was prescribed no less than 35 prescription drugs, including numerous antidepressants, pain killers, tranquilizers and muscle relaxers.[17] Mrs. Mena wrote of Anthony's experience in the book You'll Be Fine, Darling: Struggling with PTSD after the Trauma of War.[18] In her acceptance of CCHR's Award, she stated: "Tony would want me to say this to everyone. 'When there is something wrong, you speak up.' He would be grateful for a group like CCHR for speaking up and also being a voice for so many. Please keep telling people to question their doctors. Keep in mind that thousands of people have died from drug intoxication. On a beautiful summer morning, Tony lost the opportunity to ever see another sun rise again. Keep supporting CCHR so that as a united voice, you can ensure this never happens to others and their loved ones."

The Navy S.E.A.L. Foundation speaks of the S.E.A.L.'s rigorous physical training, mental discipline and innate force that ensure his place amongst "the pinnacle of elite warriors." Former S.E.A.L, Mikal Vega, twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor and a 22-year combat veteran, survived numerous dangerous combat operations and deployments only to be nearly killed by the cocktail of painkillers and psychiatric drugs prescribed him by military doctors. "Veterans are killing themselves at a rate of 22 a day—one every 65 minutes. They say it's because of the stresses of war, but 85 percent of military suicides never even saw combat. One in six American service members is on at least one psychiatric drug—antidepressants or powerful antipsychotics," Vega stated.[19] Speaking of CCHR's Human Rights Award and the need to inform others about adverse effects of psychotropic drugs, Vega said that this award "will serve as a reminder of the lives lost that have spurred us to action, and of our unification under the umbrella of this common cause of saving lives through the dissemination of truth."

Dr. Bart Billings Ph.D. is also the founder and director of the International Military and Civilian Combat Stress Conference. He was one of the first military professionals to disclose the link between psychotropic drug use and military suicides and submitted testimony to the House Veterans Affairs Committee on the link between psychiatric drugs and veteran suicide in 2010.[20] "Mental health cannot be achieved when one is given mind-altering drugs that directly interfere with their cognitive functioning, resulting in them being mentally incapable and, also in many situations, interfering with them meeting their basic human needs to survive," according Dr. Billings.[21] Dr. Billings book, Invisible Scars: How to Treat Combat Stress and PTSD without Medication, chronicles the VA & the Military's decision to use brain/mind altering medications for residual effects of combat stress, why they do it, the effects on veterans/soldiers.[22]

CCHR encourages anyone whose family member is in the military, or who is a veteran, to consult a medical doctor if there are concerns about psychotropic prescription practices and also report any abuse to CCHR.As a nonprofit, CCHR relies on memberships and donations to carry out its mission and actions to educate others about psychotropic drug use. It produced a public benefit documentary for the Armed Forces, veterans and families, The Hidden Enemy.

Pro-Life, Death Penalty, Healthcare Bill, 10 Commandments, Voter Fraud, Super Volcano, Suicide, Gay Adoption

Ohio Right to Life's Dismemberment Abortion Ban clears Ohio Senate
Ohio Right to Life
June 28, 2017
Ohio Right to Life's Dismemberment Abortion Ban (S.B. 145) was overwhelmingly approved by the Ohio Senate, 24-9. The legislation, which is sponsored by Senators Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Steve Wilson (R-Maineville), is being heralded by Ohio Right to Life as the next step in the national strategy to end abortion. The passage of the bill coincides with the 50th anniversary of Ohio Right to Life's founding. In more recent history, Ohio Right to Life has successfully advocated for the enactment of 18 pro-life laws. Since 2010, abortions have dropped 25 percent in Ohio, falling to a 39-year record-low in 2015.
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Florida Supreme Court hears death penalty-prosecutor dispute
Associated Press
June 28, 2017
The case involves whether the Republican governor violated the state constitution by taking 24 murder cases out of the hands of Orlando-area State Attorney Aramis Ayala, who has said capital punishment is costly and drags on for years
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Republican lawmakers pressure GOP leaders to drop tax cuts in healthcare bill
Washington Examiner
June 28, 2017
The lawmakers include Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who says he opposes the cuts in their current form because they come at the expense of low-income individuals, who would be provided less federal money to buy health insurance than under Obamacare.
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Destruction of Arkansas' Ten Commandments monument places spotlight on separation of church and state
LA Times
June 28, 2017
Authorities in Oklahoma on Wednesday afternoon identified Reed as the man arrested in 2014 for ramming his car into a similar Ten Commandments monument outside the state Capitol in Oklahoma City.
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Another Democrat Tosses in Prison for Election Fraud
Constitution
June 28, 2016
Spieles admitted to filing the registering the dead folks in August 2016 while making $350-a-week working for a Democratic-affiliated group called Harrisonburg Votes. Apparently he was having problems meeting his quota.
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Scientists Fear "Supervolcano" Eruption As Earthquake Swarm Near Yellowstone Soars To 800
ZeroHedge
June 28, 2017
More than 800 earthquakes have now been recorded at the Yellowstone Caldera, a long-dormant supervolcano located in Yellowstone National Park, over the last two weeks - an ominous sign that a potentially catastrophic eruption could be brewing. However, despite earthquakes occurring at a frequency unseen during any period in the past five years, the US Geological Survey says the risk level remains in the “green,” unchanged from its normal levels, according to Newsweek.
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2 California families claim '13 Reasons Why' triggered teens' suicides
Yahoo News
June 28, 2017
Both teenagers died by suicide in April. Their families say Bella and Priscilla both watched “13 Reasons Why,” the controversial Netflix show about suicide, just days before taking their own lives.
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Justice Gorsuch Wastes No Time Stirring Up Trouble
Bloomberg View
June 27, 2017
It’s customary for new Supreme Court justices to ease into the job. Not so Justice Neil Gorsuch, who has flung himself into his truncated first term like a whirlwind. Now that the dust has settled, it’s clear that Gorsuch wants to establish himself as the new leader of the court’s conservative wing -- fast. No opinion is a better indicator than his dissent from the court’s summary reversal in the Arkansas gay adoption case, Pavan v. Smith.
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