Life and Death and Who Is Important

There are two striking cases with dramatically different responses from the U.S. government. On one hand we have the case of Terri Schiavo, on the other the deaths in Red Lake Minnesota. In one case, there is political gain assumed to be made in creating legislation specifically written to "address" the Schiavo dilemma, in the other ... silence. There is a question of priorities and sensitivities involved here. The legislative activity in the Schiavo case is linked to the issues of euthanasia, and patients' end of life decisions. On the other, we have a very poor community who being poor are on the Conservative chopping block in a number of ways. In one case George Bush cuts short his vacation to rush back to Washington to sign legislation. In the other, not even a public word of sympathy.

There is more than irony at play here. There are political interests and agendas, and efforts to protect them. For the people of Red Lake, Minnesotta there is grief and poverty. They will pay the cost of the "war on terrorism" and the spiraling deficit as social programs are sacrificed for the rich, the corporate, and the war machine. The Conservatives have already demonstrated how they feel about the tribes in the bilking scandal which took six tribes to the cleaners while acting directly against those tribes. Yes, Delay is implicated via "his" lobbyists.

There may be other interests being protected as well - say the pharmaceutical companies - who are big friends of Bush. Jeff Weise had a number of severe personal trauma's in his life. But he, like other children who struck out at his classmates, was on Prozac. Eric Harris of Columbine was on Luvox, which is a related anti-dpressant. Kip Kinkel, of the Thurston High School shootings had been taking both Prozac and Ritalin.

While the UK banned the use of anti-depressants for children in 2003, the US has been much slower to act. That slowness has occured even in the face of research, and drug-makers hiding of research data, and it leaked that the FDA Told Its Analyst to Censor Data on Antidepressants. Instead, anti-drepressant use among children is climbing, and the negative effects may extend to adults. Further, the Bush proposal on the mental health screening of children has a provision that could result in the forced medicating of our children.

All of this is grotesque in light of the tragedy that has struck the community of Red Lake. As usual, it looks like politics takes precedence over compassion and support. On the other hand, perhaps the silence of Bush and the Congress on this matter is less of a hypocrisy than offering condolences to a community that one wants to disappear. But it is a sad and highly personal commentary all the same.

Sources
3/24/05 AP, Guard Praised After Minn. School Shooting

School Shootings Linked to Psychotropic Drugs Such as Prozac, Ritalin, Luvox, and Paxil

12/10/03 Boseley, Guardian, Drugs for depressed children banned

1/29/04 Vedantam, Wa. Post, Antidepressant Makers Withhold Data on Children

4/02/04 Reuters, Antidepressant use way up in U.S. kids, report says

8/23/04 Meier, NYT, A DRUG ON TRIAL: Justice and Science; Boy's Murder Case Entangled In Fight Over Antidepressants

9/24/04 Vedantam, Wa. Post, FDA Told Its Analyst to Censor Data on Antidepressants

2/18/05 Carey, NY Times, Antidepressant Safety Debate May Include Adult Patients

Posted by rowan at March 24, 2005 10:43 AM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |