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1
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 687

 
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
 
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 2002,
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
 
11     WHEREAS, Children age one and younger accounted for 41.2
12 percent of child abuse and neglect fatalities in 2002, and
13 children age four and younger accounted for 76.1 percent of all
14 child abuse and neglect fatalities in 2002; and
 
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
 
22     WHEREAS, A 2003 report in the Journal of the American
23 Medical Association estimates that, in the United States, an
24 average of 300 children will die each year, and 600 to 1,200
25 more will be injured, of whom two-thirds will be babies or
26 infants under one year in age, as a result of Shaken Baby
27 Syndrome, with many cases resulting in severe and permanent
28 disabilities; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Medical professionals believe that thousands of
30 additional cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are being misdiagnosed

 

 

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1 or not detected; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Shaken Baby Syndrome often results in permanent,
3 irreparable brain damage or death to an infant and may result
4 in more than $1,000,000 in medical costs to care for a single,
5 disabled child in just the first few years of life; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The most effective solution for ending Shaken Baby
7 Syndrome is to prevent such abuse, and it is clear that the
8 minimal costs of education and prevention programs may prevent
9 enormous medical and disability costs and untold grief for many
10 families; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Prevention programs have demonstrated that
12 educating new parents about the danger of shaking young
13 children and how they can help protect their child from injury
14 can bring about a significant reduction in the number of cases
15 of Shaken Baby Syndrome; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Education programs have been shown to raise
17 awareness and provide critically important information about
18 Shaken Baby Syndrome to parents, caregivers, daycare workers,
19 child protection employees, law enforcement personnel, health
20 care professionals, and legal representatives; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Efforts to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome are
22 supported by advocacy groups across the United States that were
23 formed by parents and relatives of children who have been
24 killed or injured by shaking, such as the National Shaken Baby
25 Coalition, the Shaken Baby Association, the SKIPPER (Shaking
26 Kills: Instead Parents Please Educate and Remember)
27 Initiative, the Shaken Baby Alliance, Shaken Baby Prevention,
28 Inc., A Voice for Gabbi, Don't Shake Jake, and the Kierra
29 Harrison Foundation, whose mission is to educate the general
30 public and professionals about Shaken Baby Syndrome and to
31 increase support for victims and victim's families in the

 

 

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1 health care and criminal justice systems; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Child abuse prevention programs and "National
3 Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week" are supported by the
4 National Shaken Baby Coalition, the National Center on Shaken
5 Baby Syndrome, the Children's Defense Fund, the American
6 Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America,
7 Prevent Child Abuse America, the National Child Abuse
8 Coalition, the National Exchange Club Foundation, the American
9 Humane Association, the American Professional Society on the
10 Abuse of Children, the Arc of the United States, the
11 Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Children's
12 Healthcare is a Legal Duty, Family Partnership, Family Voices,
13 National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds,
14 United Cerebral Palsy, the National Association of Children's
15 Hospitals and related institutions, Never Shake a Baby
16 Arizona/Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, the Center for Child
17 Protection and Family Support, and many other organizations;
18 therefore, be it
 
19     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
20 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in honor of survivors
21 of Shaken Baby Syndrome like Taylor Nicole (Pinkas) Rogers of
22 Edwardsville and Kristina Simmons of Decatur, and in honor of
23 those precious children that did not survive, we hereby
24 designate April 17-23, 2006, as "Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness
25 Week" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
26     RESOLVED, That we commend those hospitals, child care
27 councils, schools, and other organizations that are working to
28 increase awareness of the danger of shaking young children and
29 educate parents and caregivers as to how they can help protect
30 children from such injuries; and be it further
 
31     RESOLVED, That we encourage the people of Illinois to
32 remember the victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome and to participate

 

 

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1 in educational programs to help prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome;
2 and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to the National Shaken Baby Coalition.