Alaska Educator Sues Psychiatric Facility After Being Forcibly Committed for Expressing Her Faith
Mary Fulp, a respected educator and the 2022 Alaska Principal of the Year, never expected that her heartfelt expression of faith would lead to a harrowing ordeal. In January 2023, Fulp was forcibly removed from her home, involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility, and injected with psychotropic drugs—all because she shared her love for Jesus Christ in a video posted online. Now, Fulp is fighting back, filing a lawsuit against the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and others involved in what she calls a blatant violation of her civil and religious rights.
As reported by John Blosser in Freedom magazine, Fulp’s case sparked a national conversation about the intersection of religious freedom, mental health, and civil liberties.
“This traumatic experience is a free citizen’s worst nightmare,” Fulp said. “It’s about abuse of power, disregard for the law, and violations of basic human and constitutional rights.”
A Testimony of Faith Leads to Unthinkable Consequences
Fulp’s ordeal began on January 15, 2023, when she posted a video online sharing a deeply personal religious experience. In the video, she spoke about her love for Jesus and described receiving the spiritual gift of “speaking in tongues,” a practice common among charismatic and Pentecostal Christians. While her testimony was a sincere expression of her faith, it alarmed some members of her family, who believed she might be experiencing a mental health crisis.
When Fulp’s family visited her home to express their concerns, she asked them to leave. Instead, they contacted the police. A female officer responded and, after speaking with Fulp, determined that she was of “sound mind and body” and posed no threat to herself or others. The officer left without taking further action.
However, as detailed in John Blosser’s original reporting for Freedom magazine, Fulp’s family persisted. They later contacted the police again, presenting what they claimed was a court order mandating a psychiatric evaluation. Relying on this document, officers returned to Fulp’s home, handcuffed her, and transported her to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.
“I’m actually being taken away because I love Jesus,” Fulp recalled thinking at the time. “I’m in the back of a cop car for my testimony. And so here I am getting a psych eval because I love Jesus.”
A Forged Document and a System’s Failure
Two days after Fulp’s involuntary commitment, authorities discovered that the court order her family had presented was a forgery. By then, the damage had already been done. Fulp had been strapped to a gurney, forcibly injected with psychotropic drugs, and held in a cold, dark hospital room for three days. During her confinement, staff allegedly violated her HIPAA rights by discussing her case with unauthorized individuals.
“It appears that we made a mistake by transporting the adult female for an evaluation,” Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell admitted in a statement. “Our staff should have taken additional steps to verify the information presented by the complainant and the validity of the court order. We take full responsibility for this and want to assure the public that we are taking necessary steps to ensure that incidents like this never happen again.”
But for Fulp, the apology rings hollow. “My faith is not a disorder—it is my strength,” she said. “Instead of respecting my right to freely express my religion, the defendants dismissed my beliefs, labeling them as ‘delusions’ and ‘religiously preoccupied.’ This discriminatory mindset shaped their reckless decisions, leading to the physical, emotional, and spiritual harm I endured.”
A Broader Issue of Human Rights
Fulp’s case, as highlighted in John Blosser’s reporting for Freedom magazine, has sparked outrage among civil rights advocates and religious freedom organizations. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has condemned the use of involuntary psychiatric commitment, calling it a violation of human rights.
“Involuntary detention and forced treatment policies in the U.S. are unworkable and harmful,” the CCHR stated. “Involuntary commitment is a fate that can be worse than criminal incarceration—though in the case of a mental health commitment, the person has not committed a crime.”
Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International, echoed these sentiments, describing the psychiatric system as one that “exemplifies human rights abuse and denies individuals their inherent rights.”
Fighting for Justice and Reform
Fulp’s lawsuit against the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center seeks not only accountability for the harm she endured but also systemic reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future. Her legal team is calling for behavioral health centers to adopt policies that respect patients’ legal and constitutional rights, including their right to religious freedom.
“The people who are defending me are looking at every violation that has happened to me,” Fulp said. “We’re going to right these wrongs in a very public, powerful way.”
Fulp’s case serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of civil liberties and the potential for abuse within systems designed to protect public health. Her courage in speaking out has already inspired others to question the ethics of involuntary psychiatric treatment and to advocate for greater protections for religious expression.
As Fulp continues her fight for justice, one thing is clear: her faith remains unshaken. “I love Jesus, and no one can take that away from me,” she said. “What happened to me was wrong, but it has only strengthened my resolve to stand up for what I believe in.”
For Mary Fulp, the question is no longer, “What would Jesus do?” but rather, “What will we do to ensure this never happens again?”
