Bloggers, Mother's Group Band Together to Support Postpartum Depression Legislation

According to a press release, the MOTHERS ACT (The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act) recently introduced in Congress is receiving some high profile support from mother's groups and bloggers.

The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). The legislation aims to increase support, education, and screening for postpartum depression. The legislation also has a broader goal of increasing research into the causes of postpartum depression which currently remain mostly a mystery.

The legislation hopes to increase the likelihood that mothers afflicted with PPD will be discovered early by providing two grants for health care providers.

The woman's support group Postpartum Support International, the largest non-profit organization that is solely dedicated to improving perinatal mental health announced on Sunday that it will be collaborating with BlogHer which is a large group of female bloggers, and with Postpartum Progress, which is the main United States blog devoted to issues concerning postpartum mood disorders.

The groups hope to galvanize support for the MOTHERS Act legislation by placing calls to senators on October 24th. The groups also plan to blog about the legislation on that date.

The president of Postpartum Support International made these comments regarding the legislation and call for action: "The good news is that perinatal mood disorders are preventable and easily treated once detected. The MOTHERS Act legislation is key because its initiatives are preventive, educational and treatment oriented. PSI urges you to participate in this important campaign."

The author of the Postpartum Progress Blog Katherine Stone went on to say: "Postpartum mood disorders are a disease of motherhood -- they can affect any woman who becomes a mother, regardless of who she is. If we don't do something to better educate and treat the mothers who may suffer, we are doing a disservice to all mothers, children and families everywhere. All it takes is a phone call to let the Senate know that the women of America want the MOTHERS Act to pass."

Postpartum depression was once a little talked about condition that has hit the mainstream media in recent years due to a rash of afflicted mothers, such as Andrea Yates, who horrified the nation by murdering their children. There have also been many highly publicized cases involving mothers afflicted with PPD making the tragic decision to commit suicide.

The BlogHer Co-founder and CEO, Lisa Stone commented: "The BlogHer community has chosen Global Health as the focus for our year-long blogging activism initiative, BlogHers Act. Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act is exactly the kind of project where BlogHer's community can make a difference on legislation that will save women's lives."

The groups are urging any interested parties to show their support by blogging about the legislation and joining the day of action on October 24th 2007 by placing calls to their senators to show their support for the MOTHERS Act. Anyone interested in participating may also find more information by visiting the following link: www.postpartum.net