Detroit mother's heroism sends message to all parents: Say "no" to child drugging

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 by: Monica G. Young
Tags: Maryanne Godboldo, psychiatric drugs, health news

(NaturalNews) The story of the Detroit mother, Maryanne Godboldo, undergoing a police siege on her home after refusing to give her daughter a psychotropic drug has set off a national outcry. Many facts not only vindicate her defiance but point the finger squarely at the correct villains: the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industries.

As a recap, on March 24 a Children's Protective Services (CPS) case worker petitioned to remove Maryanne Godboldo's 13-year-old daughter from her care and place her in state custody. Only two weeks on the assignment (scarcely knowing the girl), the case worker claimed the mother was medically neglecting her child by taking her off Risperdal - a highly toxic antipsychotic drug.

A police SWAT team, accompanied by the case worker, was promptly dispatched to the home - complete with assault weapons, an armored carrier and helicopter. Despite police breaking down her door, the mother refused to give up her daughter and allegedly fired a warning shot. After a 12-hour standoff, the woman surrendered.

This mother - a teacher, dancer and respected figure in Detroit's art circles - was then jailed and arraigned on multiple felony charges. Maryanne was since released from jail but faces criminal charges. The child was essentially kidnapped by the police and CPS and placed in a juvenile psychiatric facility.

State officials since confirmed there was no need for her to take the drug and a judge has announced a plan to get the teen out of the facility and into her aunt's home.

The mother says her daughter's troubles began in September 2009 with a bad reaction to immunizations. Upon seeking help for the girl at a Detroit Children's Center, a psychiatrist prescribed the antipsychotic drug Risperdal - without any diagnosis and despite no history of mental problems.

Maryanne at first complied, but after months of worsening symptoms and severe side effects she consulted with a holistic doctor who advised weaning her daughter off the drug. The child's aunt confirms, "There were absolutely no mental issues with her until she had the immunizations and even more with the Risperdal. It's been hell ever since." The girl's father, Mubuarak Hakim, reports, "Maryanne's decision to wean her from that was making a difference, making her better, helping her to be a happy kid again."

Court documents show Maryanne was within her legal rights in halting the drug. On June 3, 2010 she signed an informed consent on behalf of her child, stating, "It has been explained to me that I have the right to withdraw this consent at any time and can stop taking the medication at any time." The document was also signed by the psychiatrist who prescribed the drug - reportedly the same one who later complained to child welfare workers when she stopped administering the drug.

It's no wonder a mom would go to such lengths to protect her child from psychotropic drugs. Reported Risperdal "side" effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, sore throat, agitation, aggression, anxiety, chest pain, nasal inflammation, dizziness, drowsiness, insomnia, dry skin, difficulty urinating, heavy menstruation, tremor, weight gain, lethargic feelings, joint pain, respiratory infection, tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movements of face and limbs), liver failure, stroke, blood clots, hemorrhaging and suicidal thoughts.

Follow the money

It is not uncommon for Children's Protective Services - an agency ostensibly dedicated to protecting children - to coerce parents to give their kids dangerous psychiatric drugs, often three or four drugs at a time.

CPS's funding comes from the state and federal grants (as is the case with the Children's Center which originally put Maryanne's daughter on the drug). And one of the most powerful and high-rolling government lobbying forces in the U.S. is the pharmaceutical industry.

In reporting on the Godboldo story, the Voice of Detroit talked to Starletta Banks who filed suit in 2005 when her three children were snatched by CPS. Banks says, "The sole reasons that children are being stolen from their families and homes are the financial incentives associated with each child and circumstance. There is federal grant money given to states and child placement agencies to create situations that do not exist to generate these funds. The state of Michigan is financially broke, thus surviving on the backs of our children."

Big Pharma's stronghold over Michigan is evidenced by it being the only state with an immunity law for drug makers. Per Michigan State Representative, Vicki Barnett, "Michigan is the only state in the nation that gives drug companies total immunity when their products harm or kill consumers."

Ironically, the same week Michigan officials busted a mother's door down for taking her child off Risperdal, a South Carolina jury found the drug's manufacturer (Johnson & Johnson) guilty of deceiving doctors about its side effects and effectiveness. "It was all about the money," says the South Carolina state attorney. At least ten other states have similar Risperdal lawsuits pending trial in federal courts.

But it is not only Michigan parents or those involved with child protection who have been marginalized by psychiatric influence. Millions of parents across the country, in every economic strata and race, have been misled into believing that they must defer to mental health "experts". Yet these psychiatric drug pushers sacrifice children's health and futures for the sake of profit.

Sources include:
http://detnews.com/article/20110423/METRO/10...

http://detnews.com/article/20110422/METRO/10...

http://the-classic-liberal.com/maryann-godbo...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-19/j-j...

http://037.housedems.com/news/article/brown-...

http://voiceofdetroit.net/?p=5998

About the author:
Monica G. Young is a human rights investigator and educational writer with a purpose to expose the truth about the pharmaceutical and psychiatric industries and safeguard human liberty. She encourages non-drug alternative approaches based on healthy lifestyles and human decency. She supports the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and like-minded groups. For more facts and video documentaries, see cchr.org