Please sign this online petition to support passage of The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act. A companion bill passed in the House of Representatives last fall to a nearly unanimous bipartisan vote. Democratic Senators Obama and Clinton both support this legislation along with Republican Senators including Olympia Snowe of Maine. Please help us gain our target goal of 100,000 signatures for this petition.
What the MOTHERS Act does is:
- Encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the research into the causes of postpartum conditions and find treatments
- Establish a national public awareness campaign to increase awareness and knowledge of PPD and psychosis
- Make grants available for programs that develop and offer essential services to women with PPD
To learn more about the MOTHERS Act, read our blog post from October 2007.
Please take the time to let your representatives in Washington know that you support this vital legislation.
Click here to Connect and Be Counted!
Thank you!
To read more about postpartum depression, visit our specialty area page.
Having suffered with Postpartum Depression after the birth of my first child 17 years ago, I am so relieved to see that the country will finally be educated to what a real illness this is. If there had been more services in place and easier access, I would not have suffered as long as I did. There is nothing worse then having one of the happiest moments of your life, giving birth, turned upside down by such a baffling illness.
I was lucky with the births of my second and third children that my new obstetrician was somewhat educated to the possibility of my having PPD again and he was able to facilitate my receiving treatment early on. My hope is that no one will have to suffer the way I did, which included hospitalization, multiple medication trials, under educated physicians leaving me feeling hopeless, unsupportive family thinking it’s the “baby blues” and should be easy to get over.