This is absolutely wild.
I can’t really believe I’m writing this, or that the story isn’t 100 years old, but a school in the US has won a court battle that will allow the use of electric shock devices on students as a behavioral device.
The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Massachusetts introduced the practice to deal with behavior in adults and children, but the FDA banned the practice. That was until a 2-1 ruling by the US Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit saw the ban overturned.
According to the school, it takes on “emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems, as well as those with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum. With the treatment, these residents can continue to participate in enriching experiences, enjoy visits with their families and, most importantly, live in safety and freedom from self-injurious and aggressive behaviors.”
I’m flabbergasted.
Speaking about the case result, Senior Circuit Judge David Sentelles said “‘use-specific” bans such as this are not appropriate: “The FDA has no authority to choose what medical devices a practitioner should prescribe or administer or for which conditions.”
Fifty-five of 300 students at the school have been approved for the electronic decelerator shock devices, which administer a powerful shock to the wearer’s skin and are worn twenty-four hours a day.
There is something very, very wrong with this planet.
