Autistic Man Shackled to Bed for 14 Days

After authorities ignored their pleas for help, the parents of a man with severe autism in Australia have released photographs showing him strapped to a hospital bed where he was sedated and kept for 14 days. Bronwyn and Allan Pascoe said the Northern Hospital in Epping, Victoria, has put their son through this “sedate and shackle” treatment for two years. He even spent his 21st birthday strapped down and sedated in the hospital. A spokesman for the local department of human services said, “The department continues to work closely with James and his family to reach a suitable long-term outcome.”