When Elizabeth Packard was institutionalized, no trial or medical evaluation was required…just her husband’s decision. Once inside, she documented maltreatment, confinement without cause, and women whose children and estates had been taken from them through “medical” rulings tied to marital power. After her release, she published volumes exposing asylum abuse and personally lobbied state legislators. Her efforts led to reforms known as the “Packard Laws,” which required judicial review before a

Collin Gosselin: Mom Kate institutionalized me because I spoke out about her secret ‘abusive’ behavior