Dear Director Gottlieb:
ADAPT is a grassroots, disability rights organization comprised of people with all types of disabilities and of all ages. Since 1990, ADAPT has been fighting to end the institutional bias in long term care (LTC) and to, instead, move the LTC system toward home and community services and supports.
As part of the effort to end the institutional bias, ADAPT has long opposed aversive “therapies” that inflict pain and suffering; used to “teach”, or “modify” behavior of people with disabilities. In particular, ADAPT has opposed the continued use of painful electric shocks used by the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Massachusetts. The United Nations has called this practice torture that is illegal under international law. JRC is the only place in the country that practices and promotes this barbaric practice!
ADAPT will be in town over the next few days engaging in peaceful, first amendment, protest over the ongoing torture of innocent people with disabilities at the JRC and the failure of FDA Director, Dr. Scott Gottlieb to release the final regulations that would outlaw the practice of inflicting painful electric shocks against people with disabilities.
ADAPT demands that:
- Dr. Scott Gottlieb must watch the attached video. There is really nothing left to say, is there?
- Dr. Scott Gottlieb agrees to release the final regulations outlawing using of electric shocks to modify behavior. These regulations have been final and ready to release since 2016.
- FDA agrees to meet with and work with ADAPT to expeditiously release the final regulations.
For more information contact: Mike Oxford (785.224.3865) or Dawn Russell (303.884.1471)
Video – Shocking people with autism, behavioral disorders stirs controversy
“https://youtu.be/XV5D2ZL0icM”