Thoughts on "The Jennifer Act"?

[tmthforu94]

http://thejenniferact.com/

I'd be interested in hearing some opinions on this forum about this bill. It was written by a good friend of mine who's daughter's life was taken due to an addiction to drugs.

[tmthforu94]

What precisely does it do?

A quick quote from the website:
"It is a way for the family or loved one to intervene and rescue someone from addiction."

That's it's general purpose. It's currently trying to be passed in Indiana and Florida.

[tmthforu94]

Sorry, I was doing other things earlier...

Just to give some background, the lady who this bill was named after died after an addiction to drugs. Her family repeatedly tried to help her with her problems, but were unsuccessful in doing so. Now, her mother, whom I know and admire, is pushing to pass this bill in her honor.

The general point of this law is to allow parents/relatives to petition the court for treatment on behalf of their family member who is suffering with a drug addiction. The person will be evaluated by several health physicians to determine whether or not treatment would be helpful for them. In the end, if the judge finds that that the person believed to have an alcohol addiction needs treatment, they can order that person to be treated for up to 360 days, but can be less.

http://thejenniferact.com/the-jennifer-act/
Scroll down a bit and you can see the full text of the bill.

[tmthforu94]

The other thing I'm wondering - if the family can petition the court to put someone into treatment, can they pull them out if they decide it isn't working for them, or the program itself is harmful?  Not all people respond well to a particular treatment program.

Good question. I'll pass that on, and will give the lady's response as soon as I can.

I understand the whole "privacy rights" issue, part of the reason I'm somewhat torn at it. But are privacy rights worth lives being lost?

[tmthforu94]

My main goal in creating this thread was to see opposing sides of the argument, and that goal was accomplished, though it's disappointing to see people take such a negative and abrasive turn. Not every debate has to turn into a war of wards.