Posted on 06/13/2012 5:33:13 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Bill to strike 'mentally retarded' from US code By Elise Viebeck - 06/13/12 05:00 PM ET
Bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday would strike the term "mentally retarded" from the section of the U.S. Code that governs major federal entitlements.
The bill from Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) would also expand the mental health services available to young people on Medicaid.
"This legislation would give families trying their best to help their children live with mental illness more options for alternative care in small settings," Kerry said in a statement.
The portion of the bill striking "mentally retarded" would apply to the Social Security Act, which includes Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Grassley emphasized that the new care option under Medicaid would mean better access to home- or community-based treatments for many young people with mental health needs — providing an alternative to institutional care.
"The federal government should give states incentives to use community-based settings for children with intensive mental health needs," Grassley said.
"This bipartisan legislation will give states the tools they need to provide care through smaller settings."
The Senate recently approved a bill striking the word "lunatic" from everywhere that it appears in the federal code.
That bill, introduced by Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), was praised by health groups.
A release for the Grassley-Kerry bill said the measure has been endorsed by more than 35 advocacy groups.
Change it to Senator.
How unfortunate that they are merely striking the term... Otherwise US code would shrink to the Constitution and about 28 more pages ; )
This is totally pointless, like many other PC attempts to change the language, for example with terminology for homos. Mentally retarded was originally an attempt to have a more neutral, clinical term for them, instead of just calling them “idiots”, “dullards”, etc. So, mentally retarded started out as a PC term too. Over time, the negative connotations that were associated with the old, loaded terms, just got tranferred over to the new PC term.
Changing the terminology isn’t enough to change peoples’ opinions, those opinions just become associated with the new terms, and then the PC crowd will demand another term, and another, ad nauseum.
Hell, how are they going to explain fricken Congress
And as an unexpected consequence of striking mentally retarted from the code, Slow Joe Biden suddenly disappeared!
“Retarded”
A term that needs to be expanded in its use, not retarded by the ill-educated and Politically Correct elements of our governing class that wish to retard our societal progress, quality of life and global economic prowess.
For me to follow them would be retarded!
Pass a budget, Jon Carry!
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