It should have never been a federal issue. Mental health issues should be a state problem.
I've been waiting for one of our Democrat friends to ask why Kennedy took such an interest in the issue of mental illness....perhaps they know.
For those who don't, it is because John Kennedy's
father was so very infected with the desire for power that he actually had his own daughter lobotomized as a bulwark against her behavior embarrassing the family,and ending his quest for the presidency.
1. In 1941, Joseph Kennedy, worried his daughter's mild mental retardation would lead her into situations that
could damage the family's reputation, arranged for Rosemary to have a lobotomy at 23, author Laurence Leamer wrote in his book "The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family."
"Rosemary was a woman, and there was a dread
fear of pregnancy, disease and disgrace," Leamer wrote, adding that Rosemary, whose retardation possibly stemmed from brain damage at birth, had taken to sneaking out of the convent where she was staying at the time."
Why did Rosemary Kennedy undergo a lobotomy at the age of 23?
2. "Even if Rose believed that her daughter had been sent to her from God, however, this did not remove
the shame that she and her husband felt toward Rosemary. This shame was a powerful, often overlooked force that influenced the family dynamics and brought it together as a cohesive family unit. It also had the effect of closing the family in upon itself,
both to protect Rosemary from the outside world and “to protect the family image from the reality of Rosemary.”
In addition, her parents were
concerned about Rosemary’s sexual awakening. Rosemary being widely regarded as one of the most attractive of the Kennedy girls, Joe and Rose were extremely worried about the possibility that she would become sexually abused or pregnant. The latter possibility was a special source of anxiety to a father who was constantly concerned about political implications and a mother who was raising her daughters to be “good Catholics.”
Because of concerns about her growing aggression and sexuality, Joe Sr. decided, without consulting or informing his wife, to have
a prefrontal lobotomy performed on Rosemary. Because of its importance in this case, a few words about the prefrontal lobotomy are in order. First, Rosemary’s surgery was performed very soon after the introduction of the technique in this country. Fewer than one hundred such operations had been completed at this time, and the procedure was very much experimental. The operation was recommended for “ ‘hopeless’ patients who had failed to respond to other methods of treatment, people who had little to lose and everything to gain.”
Interesting article on Rosemary Kennedy and her impact on the family -- Kennedy Family Forum
3. "....she underwent a prefrontal lobotomy at
age 23, which left her permanently incapacitated.
After the lobotomy, it quickly became apparent that the procedure was not successful. Kennedy's mental capacity diminished to that of a two year old child. She could not walk, speak intelligibly, and was considered incontinent.
Rose Kennedy did not visit her for twenty years. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., did not visit his daughter at the institution.
Rosemary Kennedy died from natural causes on January 7, 2005, at the Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, at the
age of 86,...."
Rosemary Kennedy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Just imagine....had Joseph Kennedy had the same concerns about Ted Kennedy, Mary Jo Kopechne might still be alive.
