THE
MELANIE BLOCKER-STOKES POSTPARTUM RESEARCH AND CARE ACT
Please join the fight to show support for the immediate passage of federal Bill, H.R.1940,
The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Research and Care Act - now before the 109th Congress. (It can be read when linking
to
the Melanies Battle web site listed below.
The web site has been visited by thousands of people from America and from around the world - many who visit had
never heard about how devastating postpartum psychosis can be. Many leave with a greater understanding of how important it
is to do research and provide better postpartum care.
The
hospitals that failed to properly treat Melanie Blocker-Stokes - are still today providing nothing in the way of preventative
care - society should be asking why not?
SOCIETAL
MIS-UNDERSTANDING RE: PPD/PPP
MOTHERS
- past, present and today - TRY SO HARD TO DO THEIR PART - but, its THE DOCTORS WHO FAIL THEM AND PLACE
THEM AT INCREASED RISK FOR PPD AND PSYCHOSIS because of the lack of proper diagnosis and treatment protocol.
IF
DOCTORS DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO - WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? DO WE CONTINUE TO DO OUR BEST TO FEND FOR OURSELVES?
HOW
CAN WOMEN GET THE GOLDEN-STANDARD OF PERINATAL MEDICAL CARE THAT THEY RIGHTFULLY DESERVE? HOW CAN WE CHANGE THE STATUS
QUO? AS MEDICAL CONSUMERS, WHAT CAN WE DO?
JOIN
THE GRASS ROOTS MOTHERS' AND FAMILIES' MOVEMENT NOW! and PASS "Bill, H.R. 1940" "Mel's Research & Care Act"
A sample letter, sent to Rep. Rush is below - it was originally sent on May 17, 2005 and was my second
letter to those responsible for re-introducing and passing this important Bill. Won't you send an email and letter soon
- today?
Without passage of this Bill, you may see your relatives and friends fighting to get adequate postpartum medical
care for decades to come - let's be sure this does not happen. Contact your representatives now!
Carol Blocker does not want to see any other woman go through what her daughter did - not being given
adequate attention and medical care when in a psychotic state. Unfortunately, there have been several mothers since Melanie
whose medical care was lacking - ultimately placing them at increased risk to the darker side of motherhood. The one
common thread among these women is that they lived in and around Chicago, Illinois - where medical care then and today is
still inappropriate or not available at all.
How can this be? It boils down to a general
lack of education and lack of education creates a lack of specialists in the field of postpartum.
Postpartum specialists are few and far between as a result. Education is where society needs to start!
And, medical consumers must demand that doctors are re-educated to be "on board" with "R.E.A.P. Research, Education, Awareness,
to bring about Prevention" (Copyright 3/05 D.A. GRAY)
Raise
your voice today - to forge prevention for tomorrow!
Write,
call and email your federal representatives and demand passage of Bill, H.R. 1940, "The Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum
Research and Care Act".
The
next family to fall victim may be yours. No woman or family is immuned!
HOW
DO WE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS OF THE CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND AS ORPHANS?
The children of those mothers, who were in so much pain that they felt suicide was their only way out - will
one day want answers.
Will society be ready to answer questions such as:
Why did my mommy leave me?
Was mommy mad at me?
Did I do something wrong to make Mommy go away?
And, the big one that all of society needs to address NOW
"Will I have to leave my childen one day too?"
************************************
These questions will be asked of us: Will we be ready to answer them?
What can we do today to make sure those questions won't matter in another year? Or
Are we going to continue on the same slippery path - like that of "Vicious Cycles" or are we going to break
the mold set in stone long ago - to bring about a near-future POSTPARTUM MODEL OF PREVENTATIVE CARE? A model that almost
guarantees adequate medical care for all women of child-bearing years?
Let's make sure that Mels' Bill gets passed by the end of 2006 - no later!
====================================
SAMPLE LETTER TO RUSH BELOW
U.S.
Representative Bobby L. Rush
Washington Office:
2416 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Dear
Rep. Rush:
I
am writing once again to encourage your committee to support and help pass H.R. 1940, "Melanie Blocke-Stokes Postpartum
Depression Research and Care Act" that you initiated many years ago. Too many lives have been affected by this Bill not being passed before now; future
families cannot wait any longer.
Twenty-seven years ago I gave birth to a daughter. We
did not bond until her sophomore year in college! As a result of my not having
adequate medical care for PPD and Psychosis it affected not only my daughter and I – it affected the entire family unit
and beyond. Neither doctor, nor medicine brought me from the depths of despair
– it was truly a miracle that I made it. I do not want other women subjected to the same fate, family hardship and unnecessary
pain. Please pass this Bill in this 109th Congress!
I became acquainted with Carol Blocker almost two years ago and have been helping her monitor
the web site developed in Melanies’ name. Recently an International S.O.S. was posted to Mel’s guest book. Our “Network Express” was able to help one mother from Central America through internet connections
and an offer of help by one Dr. from Peru. We are
a very dedicated group of advocates and our group continues to grow in number and our voices will not rest until Bill, H.R.
1940 becomes the law of the land.
Please, do whatever is necessary to bring HR 1940 into law so that the research can further prove biological
connections to PPD and Psychosis. Those of us who have experienced it already know that it is more than stress and being a
new mother – its time that all of society knows this to be true as well.
“Always A Mother”
D.A. Gray
Cc: Carol Blocker
Enc. Recent Published Article with Peruvian Psychiatric
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