Driven mad by the new mental health bill; but don’t be guilty of scare

I wish to express in a very loud voice my strong opposition to this new Mental Health Bill to replace the Mental Health Act of 1983.

This is total regression, not progress. What government would give its medical profession the power to forcibly drug people against their own will? What doctors would go against the decision of parents and forcibly vaccinate children?

Progress has been made in the field of mental health over the years; the stigma attached to such illnesses is no longer there. Let us continue to give everyone the dignity of being heard, and of being fully informed about all decisions that are being made about them. - O. Donnelly, Northern Ireland

I am afraid your choice of scenarios and wording in your Viewpoint (WDDTY vol 13 no 6) regarding the new Mental Health Bill smacked of scaremongering.

I have two small children, the eldest having had the first few vaccinations up to the point of the MMR, when I began to look more deeply into the subject. I decided neither he nor my new baby would have any. It was not an easy choice and I have had many health officials (some absolute zealots to their cause) giving me a hard time. Your editorial put the fear of God into me until I thought about it more carefully.

The instance you gave would be an absolute travesty, causing a massive public outcry regarding our freedom of choice, ideas and opinions. It would not happen as simply as you suggest. - Mrs J.C. Fossett, Ross-on-Wye