No Need to Fear
s it just me, or does it really seem to others like there is a huge upswing in the level of paranoia and fear in our country? And I’m not talking about just people in general. I’m talking about Christians!
The other day on Twitter, someone decided to unfollow me (and actually blocked me) because I challenged them on the need to address concerns with integrity and truthfulness. They seemed, unfortunately, to be more content to play into the fear and paranoia that comes from misrepresenting the facts about pending legislation.
Here’s what concerns me: Christians should be the ones demonstrating peace, no matter what the circumstances are. And Christians should be the ones leading the way to finding out truth. Even our own holy book says, “Come let us reason together”, yet we throw reason out and instead argue on hyperbole and exaggeration.
The newest controversy surrounds a bill in Congress (H.R. 20) right now that is referred to as the “Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act”. The way this act is described in the emails that are racing around the country, the bill (if it became law) would mandate a test of competency be given to all mothers when they give birth. If the mother is deemed to be “incompetent”, they will not be allowed to take their baby home from the hospital.
Sound insane? I thought so, too. Yet, according to this post, that’s exactly what the bill is alleged to say. And my guess is that many are just taking that information and running with it.
But did you know that you can actually read the text of the bills that are being debated in Congress?
OK, I’ve spent some time reading the bill (if you all don’t know, you can go to http://www.opencongress.org and look up any bill, see its status, read its text, etc. Here’s a link to the bill in question.) I’ve also examined the information on the dailypaul.com link that I mentioned above (which, by the way, is a website INSPIRED by Ron Paul, but is NOT Ron Paul — if that matters to anyone. I found it a bit misleading).
I have a couple of thoughts, but first a couple of disclaimers. 
Dislaimer #1: I’m extremely conservative, and am very opposed to government intrusion. My political views are probably close to that of the Libertarians. I voted for Ron Paul (as a write-in) in the last presidential election.
Disclaimer #2: My comments are not meant to defend this legislation (which I oppose), but rather to provide some different insight into WHY we should oppose it.
Disclaimer #3: These are just my non-expert opinions, and I’m very open to differing views or different reasoning as mine here. My desire, however, is to focus on FACTS and not allow ourselves to a) get caught up in hype, or b) simply take someone else’s word for what we think about something.
With those disclaimers in place, allow me to offer my insight here:
1. Having read the entirety of this bill (fortunately, it is not a lengthy one like the stimulus package was!!), I do not see any indication that the claims on dailypaul.com are correct that there is a test given that will cause them not to allow you to take your child home with you if you fail. The exact quote on dailypaul.com says, “The Mother’s Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital.” This is simply nowhere to be found in the bill!
2. The focus of the bill is research regarding postpartum depression. Now, I don’t have any strong feelings one way or the other about PPD (as to its legitimacy, or not) because I simply don’t have enough information, and certainly no experience (!) in this area. However, in an effort to look at the facts of the bill and not 3rd party statements like dailypaul.com, it must be acknowledged that this bill is geared toward research and resource, not “determin[ing] if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home….”
3. Does this mean that new mothers might have to be “educated” at the hospital about PPD? It does appear to be quite possible. But does it have anything to do with not allowing mothers to take their children home after birth? Again, I find absolutely no basis for this claim.
Now, having said that, if you’re still reading, I would like to share why I DO oppose this bill, and give my reasons for concern:
1. Section 101.a.4 concerns me greatly. It states that the research appropriated by this bill would include “[c]linical research for the development and evaluation of new treatments.” The reason this bothers me is that there have been uncovered some situations in our nation’s past (and present) where studies are performed on subjects WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND CONSENT. So, this area does pose some grave concern. I would see the possibility here for new mothers to be given medication in the hospital as part of this research about which the new mother neither knows or understands, nor to which she gives consent.
2. Section 330G-1.b.2 has similar concerning language: “Delivering or enhancing inpatient care management services that ensure the well-being of the mother and family and the future development of the infant.” My concerns raised in #1 above apply here, too.
3. Section 330G-1.b.4.B.ii also states that there should be an effort “ensuring that training programs regarding such education are carried out at the health facility.” This does sound to me like it would be possible for a mother to have to stay at the health facility during whatever training might take place before being able to return home with their new infant. That concerns me, as well.
So, having said all that, I think there are several reasons to oppose this legislation, or at least to express concern about it. However, I am concerned that there seems to be a trend in our conservative circles to misrepresent the actual facts and promote a culture of fear.
For those of you who are believers in Christ, as am I, we have nothing to fear! There is nothing our government can do that 1) is outside the hands of our Father, or 2) that can do anything to us of eternal consequence. Let us not fear!
I would encourage each of you to actively pursue information about these topics when you hear these alarming alerts sounded. But in the process, make sure that you don’t get caught up in the fear and hype surrounding certain topics. There is a good chance that the alarms being sounded by many are misdirected and misguided.
Is there reason for concern in this bill? Yes, I believe I have made that clear in my analysis above. But I do not believe that the fear that is circulating and perpetuated by sites such as dailypaul.com is rooted in reality. It simply makes us appear “ignorant” to anyone with a different viewpoint because we look like we don’t know what we’re talking about. Let us fight these battles with integrity, truthfulness, and — above all — love, in the spirit of Christ!
Until next time,
steve
April 24th, 2009 07:22
Steve, I love this and couldn’t agree more. I am so weary of the fear-mongering.
April 24th, 2009 09:19
I had heard nothing about this legislation, but agree wholeheartedly with your post, Steve. Thanks for doing the “homework” on this for us.
When we oppose bad things for faulty reasons, we weaken our opposition to bad things over legitimate reasons.
April 24th, 2009 11:58
It’s good to be able to read from you again!
April 24th, 2009 19:07
Steve, I would have thought that concerns about the efficacy of any research undertaken is addressed by the use of informed consent. You can look at any mainstream medical journal and they are chockers with articles based on clinical trials. It is nothing new. I am an Australian so unaware of the conditions in the US however I would have thought that the context of studies performed on subjects “WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND CONSENT” were subsequently found to be illegal or unacceptable?
Also, our health system in many ways mirrors the US and the trend in acute care settings, for some time, is to get patients out of hospitals as fast as possible. I think your system works on prospective funding based on DRGs (i could be wrong here) where a facility is remunerated on the basis of a predetermined time period. Much of the cost for any “outliers” is funded by the institution itself rather than the health fund / federal health body. So there is a solid financial reason to restrict the behaviour you document. Bed block is a real problem in most hospitals so I just cannot see healthy, normal women held in hospital against their will.
But I take your point about the level of “dis”ease and paranoia around the issue. I would like to add that in my experience it isn’t just Christians per se who get caught up in this trend … perhaps politics is another area where views are polarized and fractious.
April 24th, 2009 20:01
Barb, glad to see you here. Glad this resonated with you!
Cameron, you wrote, When we oppose bad things for faulty reasons, we weaken our opposition to bad things over legitimate reasons. This is so well said! Thanks for your input.
ded, always glad to hear from you, brother. Miss you SO much! It’s good to have you reading here, and I’m glad your computer is doing well, too
Ian, I must admit that if we want to talk about the finer points of healthcare, I’m in way over my head here!
Having said that, I’m trying to find links to the types of cases that I mentioned wherein studies were performed on unsuspecting subjects.
As to the illegality of such, of course, it’s illegal. However, the US Federal Govt deems itself above the law and does not always follow its own requirements.
I do understand that the paranoia isn’t limited to Christians. My point, however, was simply that it should not be so for Christians.
April 24th, 2009 20:06
Ian, here is one link (from 1999) that talks about an FDA-created loophole that allows testing in “emergency medicine” research without consent.
April 25th, 2009 20:51
Steve,
Thank you for the link, what a mess. At least there appears to have been a debate, in the public domain, about some of the issues, which is encouraging.
I guess my further comment is that whenever we group behaviour under a particular label then individuality gets lost and it is easy to move into the realm of power, manipulation and coercion.
Should Christians eschew fear and misinformation? I’m not sure anymore that I can speak with any authority about group behaviour so I will pass on that one. Should I, as a person of faith, investigate the facts and base my response on truth, reason, compassion and humility? Most certainly, but each time it is a pesronal decision to do so. And I think this is what you are intimating in your entry above.
I believe that most powerful position I can take is in the area of personal decision making. I have little or no control over what others think. Much of the information flow within traditional Christendom is more in line with marketing and the harnessing of power through numbers. I just don’t believe that model is sustainable any more.
I just believe it is futile and counter-productive to mandate behaviour on the basis of a particular label.
April 26th, 2009 20:05
Good to see another post from you, Steve! I’ve missed you. On to the topic: There is way too much of this stuff, and some of it seems to have ulterior motives. A friend forwarded a hyped-up message about the swine flu to my wife; turned out if you read through the whole thing, the real purpose of the “newsletter” was to whip up fear to sell their health products. There are even suspicions that some of the groups fighting for “moral issues” aren’t that eager to really win the battles, because their fundraising would dry up–not necessarily all such groups, but enough to be a problem (and my source on this has been involved in trying to mediate some of these things!). I’m afraid there is a lack of integrity in the modern church just as in the rest of society.
April 27th, 2009 20:51
Ian, you wrote: I just believe it is futile and counter-productive to mandate behaviour on the basis of a particular label.
I sincerely hope you don’t think this was the desired goal of my post. I do believe, however, that we can encourage one another toward love and good deeds, as the writer of Hebrews says. That was all I was hoping to accomplish here.
Phil, thanks for coming back to read! I think I would have to agree with your last sentence: I’m afraid there is a lack of integrity in the modern church just as in the rest of society. All too true, and sadly so, my brother.
April 28th, 2009 05:48
Steve,
My last response was a general comment based on my own experience trying to engage folks via internet discussions. My apologies if it appeared accusatory, it certainly wasn’t my intention.
This sort of response happens to me often so perhaps it is best I go back to print media and face-to-face discussions.
April 28th, 2009 16:16
I agree with this Steve:
“there seems to be a trend in our conservative circles to misrepresent the actual facts and promote a culture of fear”
I post about some of this at times.. like the fear abuzz about the freedom of choice act.. this stuff drives me crazy.
April 29th, 2009 13:39
Very well said, Steve. I said almost the exact same thing in my analysis of HR875…which was “being rushed through” in mid-March according to many…yet still sits in committee to this day.
Far too few people understand the process through which bills must go. An even fewer number actually read the bills before they post or blog about them based only on something that someone else said.
Amy
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