This comes direct from the blogosphere's foremost authority on postpartum depression, Katherine Stone from Postpartum Progress. As you may know Katherine guest blogs on BlogHer about postpartum depression and has spearheaded our efforts in the regard, including leading the charge on the Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act that BlogHer co-sponsored back in October. At that time the response was so immediate and passionate that the Senate had bumped up their schedule to work on the legislation, but since then a misinformation campaign has sprung up and is currently being louder and more insistent.
We need to reengage and reenergize. According to Katherine:
It's time to talk about the Melanie Blocker Stokes (MBS) MOTHERS Act again. I know, I know. We've heard this all before, you're thinking. I already called my Senator, you're thinking. I already wrote about this on my blog, you're thinking. Sheesh!, you may even be thinking. Well, apparently everything you and I have done so far in support of this bill hasn't been enough. As you may know, there are some people who are completely convinced that the MBS MOTHERS Act is a conspiratorial plot by the government to drug pregnant and postpartum women, and it must be STOPPED AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You and I know that's not true. So we've kind of ignored the negative campaign -- been slightly pissed and sometimes even truly annoyed but gone on with our day because it's silly and we have lots of more important things to worry about than some misguided folks. But the U.S. Senate can't ignore it when lots and lots and lots of people speak out. That's how they work, right? Polls. When they hear from lots of people on a certain issue, they tend to go in that direction. Right now our Senators are hearing from a whole host of people who think it's a really bad idea to pass this bill -- a bill that provides funding for increased research into the cause and treatments of postpartum mood disorders, provides better training for healthcare providers and provides for an awareness campaign so that more women will know about these illnesses and realize that they can get help. Those people, bless their hearts, are very vocal and have every right to be vocal about what they think. Conversely, those who believe in the MBS MOTHERS Act are not being anywhere near vocal enough. Our Senators are NOT HEARING from enough of those of us who support it. If this trend continues, this bill will not pass. What happened to us, and to hundreds of thousands like us, and to our friends and sisters and mothers and girlfriends will keep happening. Women will continue to think they've gone crazy, never to return to their old selves. They will continue to live in fear of speaking up and telling someone about it. They will continue to be afraid to lose their children. They will continue to suffer, hurting both their health and the health of their children, because they won't get treatment. Some might even kill themselves, or become so ill they harm their children. That is unacceptable to me. Is it acceptable to you? I started this blog because I was damn well not going to let anybody go through the isolation and terror and ineffective treatment from an untrained doctor that I received. Don't you feel the same? Postpartum Progress readers, and anyone who cares about postpartum mood disorders, I humbly ask you to complete two very easy assignments: 1. Click this link and sign this petition to support passage of the MBS MOTHERS Act. It is as easy as pie. Thanks to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance for getting the petition going. All you have to do is fill out your name and address and click send, and it will be sent all the proper places. The petition is also supported by Postpartum Support International. 2. Forward the petition link to everyone you know and tell them to sign their name to it as well. We need thousands of people to do this. Not just a few hundred. Seriously, thousands. Get clicking.I know that lately I've also asked you to donate (and you still totally shoud) but can you also please click and blog?
I just did, won't you join me?
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