Bill Text: IL SR0043 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates the third full week of April in 2011 as "Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week" in the State of Illinois.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2012-05-31 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Martin A. Sandoval [SR0043 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-SR0043-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The month of April has been designated "National | ||||||
3 | Child Abuse Prevention Month" as an annual tradition that was | ||||||
4 | initiated in 1979 by former President Jimmy Carter; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The most recent National Child Abuse and Neglect | ||||||
6 | Data System (NCANDS) figures show that almost 900,000 children | ||||||
7 | were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States in 2004, | ||||||
8 | causing unspeakable pain and suffering to our most vulnerable | ||||||
9 | citizens; among the children who are victims of abuse and | ||||||
10 | neglect, nearly four children die each day in this country; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Children age one and younger accounted for 45 | ||||||
12 | percent of child abuse and neglect fatalities in 2004, and | ||||||
13 | children age three and younger accounted for 81 percent of all | ||||||
14 | child abuse and neglect fatalities in 2004; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Abusive head trauma, including the trauma known as | ||||||
16 | Shaken Baby Syndrome, is recognized as the leading cause of | ||||||
17 | death of physically abused children; Shaken Baby Syndrome is a | ||||||
18 | totally preventable form of child abuse, caused by a caregiver | ||||||
19 | losing control and shaking a baby that is usually less than one | ||||||
20 | year in age; it can result in loss of vision, brain damage, | ||||||
21 | paralysis, seizures, or death; and
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1 | WHEREAS, A 2003 report in the Journal of the American | ||||||
2 | Medical Association estimates that, in the United States, an | ||||||
3 | average of 300 children will die each year, and 600 to 1,200 | ||||||
4 | more will be injured, of whom two-thirds will be babies or | ||||||
5 | infants under one year in age, as a result of Shaken Baby | ||||||
6 | Syndrome, with many cases resulting in severe and permanent | ||||||
7 | disabilities; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Medical professionals believe that thousands of | ||||||
9 | additional cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are being misdiagnosed | ||||||
10 | or not detected; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Shaken Baby Syndrome often results in permanent, | ||||||
12 | irreparable brain damage or death to an infant and may result | ||||||
13 | in more than $1,000,000 in medical costs to care for a single, | ||||||
14 | disabled child in just the first few years of life; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The most effective solution for ending Shaken Baby | ||||||
16 | Syndrome is to prevent such abuse, and it is clear that the | ||||||
17 | minimal costs of education and prevention programs may prevent | ||||||
18 | enormous medical and disability costs and untold grief for many | ||||||
19 | families; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Prevention programs have demonstrated that | ||||||
21 | educating new parents about the danger of shaking young | ||||||
22 | children and how they can help protect their child from injury |
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1 | can bring about a significant reduction in the number of cases | ||||||
2 | of Shaken Baby Syndrome; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Education programs have been shown to raise | ||||||
4 | awareness and provide critically important information about | ||||||
5 | Shaken Baby Syndrome to parents, caregivers, daycare workers, | ||||||
6 | child protection employees, law enforcement personnel, health | ||||||
7 | care professionals, and legal representatives; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Efforts to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome are | ||||||
9 | supported by advocacy groups across the United States that were | ||||||
10 | formed by parents and relatives of children who have been | ||||||
11 | killed or injured by shaking, such as the National Shaken Baby | ||||||
12 | Coalition, the Shaken Baby Association, the SKIPPER (Shaking | ||||||
13 | Kills: Instead Parents Please Educate and Remember) | ||||||
14 | Initiative, the Shaken Baby Alliance, Shaken Baby Prevention, | ||||||
15 | Inc., A Voice for Gabbi, Don't Shake Jake, the Kierra Harrison | ||||||
16 | Foundation, the Cynthia Gibbs Foundation, Reagan's Rescue, the | ||||||
17 | Hannah Rose Foundation, and the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, | ||||||
18 | whose mission is to educate the general public and | ||||||
19 | professionals about Shaken Baby Syndrome and to increase | ||||||
20 | support for victims and victims' families in the health care | ||||||
21 | and criminal justice systems; and
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22 | WHEREAS, Child abuse prevention programs and "National | ||||||
23 | Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week" are supported by the |
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1 | National Shaken Baby Coalition, the National Center on Shaken | ||||||
2 | Baby Syndrome, the Children's Defense Fund, the American | ||||||
3 | Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America, | ||||||
4 | Prevent Child Abuse America, the National Child Abuse | ||||||
5 | Coalition, the National Exchange Club Foundation, the American | ||||||
6 | Humane Association, the American Professional Society on the | ||||||
7 | Abuse of Children, the Arc of the United States, the | ||||||
8 | Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Children's | ||||||
9 | Healthcare is a Legal Duty, Family Partnership, Family Voices, | ||||||
10 | National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds, | ||||||
11 | United Cerebral Palsy, the National Association of Children's | ||||||
12 | Hospitals and related institutions, Never Shake a Baby | ||||||
13 | Arizona/Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, the Center for Child | ||||||
14 | Protection and Family Support, and many other organizations; | ||||||
15 | therefore, be it
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16 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | ||||||
17 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in honor of survivors | ||||||
18 | of Shaken Baby Syndrome like Kristina Simmons of Decatur, | ||||||
19 | non-survivors like Taylor Nicole (Pinkas) Rogers of | ||||||
20 | Edwardsville, Reagan Williams of Danville, Gabriella Manzardo | ||||||
21 | of Naperville, Brynden Tyler Gibson of Herrin, Xavier Delgado | ||||||
22 | of Sterling, and Ben Fitton of Paxton, and in honor of all the | ||||||
23 | other precious children that did or did not survive, we hereby | ||||||
24 | designate April 18-24, 2011, as "Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness | ||||||
25 | Week" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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1 | RESOLVED, That we commend those hospitals, child care | ||||||
2 | councils, schools, and other organizations that are working to | ||||||
3 | increase awareness of the danger of shaking young children and | ||||||
4 | educate parents and caregivers as to how they can help protect | ||||||
5 | children from such injuries; and be it further
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6 | RESOLVED, That we encourage the people of Illinois to | ||||||
7 | remember the victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome and to participate | ||||||
8 | in educational programs to help prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome; | ||||||
9 | and be it further
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10 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
11 | presented to the National Shaken Baby Coalition.
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