Appeals court axes FDA ban of electric shock on the disabled
The judges' 2-1 decision will allow the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center to continue using shock devices on its residents.
A federal appeals court this week overturned the US Food and Drug Administration’s ban on shock devices used by the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center for children and adults who have disabilities. In this 2006 file photo, a father holds the hand of his daughter, who received shocks as part of her treatment for epilepsy.
John Tlumacki / Globe Staff
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A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., overturned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s federal ban on the use of electric shock devices on people with mental disabilities by a Canton residential school.