Helping Mothers Suffering from Postpartum Depression

HELPING MOTHERS SUFFERING FROM POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION -- (House of Representatives - October 20, 2005)

(Mr. RUSH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that a 23-year-old mother threw her three children off a pier in San Francisco killing them all. Apparently she heard voices that told her to commit this unthinkable act.

Mr. Speaker, we do not know yet whether this woman suffered from a most severe form of postpartum disorder known as postpartum psychosis. We do know that postpartum depression and psychosis can emerge even a year after a child's birth.

That is why for the last three Congresses I have introduced the Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, H.R. 1940. My bill would direct funds to researching this misunderstood disorder, and it would also provide grants for services and care for mothers who suffer from postpartum depression.

I urge all of my colleagues in the House to cosponsor this important bill. What happened in San Francisco happens way too often in this Nation, and we must do what we can to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The mothers of America desperately need this Congress to recognize this deadly malady and pass H.R. 1940.

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