Letters
The psychiatric vote
Sir: I refer to the article by Thomas Szasz titled 'Lunatic reform' (4 December), which
Is concerned about the recent enfranchise-
,,ineut of psychiatric patients in the Mental Health Bill. The amendment which Mr
Szasz refers to was moved by Mike Thomas
41) and I carried it against the Govern- 'lieut. It would be helpful if Mr Szasz would
!tad the Hansard of the debates on the sub- Jec t, read the final amendment and finally discuss the matter with an authority on the
subject of psychiatric patients. Then he !woY uld realise that he has got his facts whol- Wrong. First, there is no question of compuls- (3rdy detained patients being enfranchised. DThis was never proposed by anyone on the ental Health Bill committee and does not :rITI part of the resulting legislation. "econd, a major proportion of voluntary .Patients have long since recovered but
them the hospital as home. To 'restore to liberty', by which I presume Mr Szasz means turn them out of hospital,
ra tIld be an act of great cruelty as they glie nowhere to go. ta There are no sensible reasons why volun- k rY Patients in psychiatric hospitals should ue denied the vote, especially as psychiatric Patients in general hospitals have always evidence enfranchised. Nor is there any these to show that voluntary patients in thuese hospitals will cast a less rational vote an Mr Szasz who demonstrates a lack of c't.irasP of the facts of his subject, only mat- thed by his apparent prejudice against Tom unhappily describes as 'crazies'. ko (On Benyon Loedon SW1 -se of Commons,
Previous page
