10/16/2017 Human Rights Watch
Mexico’s Congressional Mental Health and Drug Commission is considering a national mental health bill that would seriously jeopardize the rights of people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today.
In a letter sent on October 16, 2017, to the Commission on Health and Drugs in the Chamber of Deputies, Human Rights Watch urged the commission to reject the bill in its current form. The commission should revise the bill to reflect a human rights-oriented framework, based on consultations with organizations representing people with disabilities and disability rights experts. The final bill should ensure the right to mental health for all in Mexico on an equal basis, and without resort to forced treatment.
“The bill before the commission unfortunately reflects a discredited approach to mental health, focusing on forced medical treatment instead of on the consent, autonomy and rights of those in need of mental health services,” said Carlos Ríos Espinosa, senior researcher and advocate for disability rights at Human Rights Watch. “The bill is inconsistent with Mexico’s human rights obligations, in particular the right to consent to or refuse treatment, which is an integral aspect of the right to health.”
“You go — leave me,” Flor Carillo’s bedridden 78-year-old mother implored when the most devastating earthquake in three decades struck Mexico City last month.
WASHINGTON — The North American Free Trade Agreement, long a punching bag for President Trump, is edging closer toward collapse as negotiators gather for a fourth round of contentious talks here this week.
MEXICO CITY — Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said on Tuesday that an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would be a breaking point in Mexican-U.S. relations and would affect bilateral cooperation in other areas.
