From Harper’s Weekly Review:<\/p>\n
A U.S. court of appeals rejected an effort by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban devices that administer electrical shocks to people with developmental disabilities, a tool that has been used to electrocute people for actions like flapping their hands, standing up, and screaming in pain while being shocked.<\/em><\/p>\n Whenever I see something like this, I work hard not to believe this is as horrible as it reads.<\/p>\n Here’s the FDA on this ban.<\/a><\/p>\n Here’s a Reuters article on the DC Circuit Court decision.<\/a><\/p>\n Here are the paragraphs which stop me in my tracks:<\/p>\n In a 2-1 opinion<\/a>, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that the ban was a regulation of the practice of medicine, which is beyond the FDA’s authority. The ruling was a victory for the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center and a group of parents and guardians of its students, which had challenged the regulation.<\/em><\/p>\n The school<\/strong>, which is represented by Michael Flammia of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, said in a statement that it was pleased with the ruling, which would allow it to continue using the shock treatment. <\/strong><\/em>[My bolding] “With the treatment, these residents can continue to participate in enriching experiences, enjoy visits with their families and, most importantly, live in safety and freedom from self-injurious and aggressive behaviors,” it said.<\/em><\/p>\n Parents of these disabled students joined the school in slamming down the FDA ban.<\/p>\n The school is “pleased.” I guess the parents of these disabled students are “pleased,” too.<\/p>\n Someone should have come up with a better word than “pleased.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From Harper’s Weekly Review: A U.S. court of appeals rejected an effort by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban devices that administer electrical shocks to people with developmental disabilities, a tool that has been used to electrocute people … Continue reading
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