CLEARWATER, Fla., Nov. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health watchdog co-founded by the Church of Scientology in 1969 and dedicated to the eradication of abuses committed under the guise of mental health, released an analysis of its 2016 campaign to prevent unjust involuntary examinations of children under the Baker Act. According to the 2015 Annual Report of Baker Act Data prepared for the Agency for Health Care Administration there were 193,410 involuntary psychiatric examinations initiated last year, 32,882 were initiated on minors. In Florida a child may be removed from school grounds and sent for involuntary examination without parental consent or knowledge.
In spearheading a campaign to put an end to this violation of parental rights, CCHR Florida has reached 140,000 families in Tampa Bay. CCHR’s campaign educates citizens on the existing law and provides parents with a form they can fill out and file with their children’s school. This form uses existing state law to help protect parental rights. CCHR has distributed almost 20,000 forms to concerned parents in Florida. Families interested in learning more about how to protect their children, or to obtain a copy of the form, are encouraged to visit the CCHR center at 109 N. Fort Harrison or visit the CCHR website, http://www.cchrflorida.org/florida-non-consent-forms/ to download the form online and sign a petition to stop the involuntary examination of children without parental knowledge or consent.
“Our Abuse Case Hotline receives numerous calls from parents whose children were sent for involuntarily examination without their permission or knowledge,” said Diane Stein, President of CCHR Florida. “It is time to change the law and restore parental rights in Florida.”
About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR’s mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections.
It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who brought the terror of psychiatric imprisonment to the notice of the world. In March 1969, he said, “Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the ‘free world’ tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of ‘mental health.’” For more information, visit www.cchrflorida.org
Media Contact: Diane Stein President, CCHR Florida 727-442-8820 diane@cchrflorida.org www.cchrflorida.org
