Electroshock Device Case Prompts Calls to FDA to Fight for Ban

The FDA is facing pressure from Democratic lawmakers to continue its fight against electric shock treatment for people with disabilities after a federal appeals court overturned an agency ban.

Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), along with five of their colleagues, penned a letter to acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock calling on the agency to “protect some of our most vulnerable citizens” by defending a 2020 rule barring the use of electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) for patients with self-injurious and aggressive behaviors.

A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled ...