Kids & Family
Op Ed: All Westwood Residents Should Support #StopTheShock
The Judge Rotenberg Center is permitted to shock disabled people only miles from the Canton/Westwood line.
I come today with an issue that I believe my fellow Westwoodians should be outraged about that is happening in our backyards. The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) is located in Canton, only a few miles from the Canton/Westwood line. On Tuesday, The U.S. Court of Appeals overturned an FDA ban on shock devices at the JRC.
The United Nations stated that the act of shocking disabled people is torture in 2013. The Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton is the only place in the United States that uses this practice. Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED's) are used as a form of discipline on autistic children and young adults who attend the JRC.
What can you do to #StopTheShock? I’m glad you asked. Since the ruling came down last week, disability activists have organized several resources to Stop the Shock. Some key actions that can be taken are:
Find out what's happening in Westwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Contact your representatives to tell them to support the Keep All Students Safe Act (KASSA).
- Contact State Rep Paul McMurtry to let him know you support the bill, House, No. 225, banning the use of aversive therapy in Massachusetts.
- Sign these Change.org petitions to Ban the use of the GED and Encourage the FDA to ban the GED.
Remember that Autism Speaks has offered the JRC as a resource before, adding yet another reason to boycott them and related events such as "light it up blue." If you are looking for more information on the JRC's history of torture, Lydia X. Z. Brown's site is the best resource on this topic.