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TO DESIGNATE THE THIRD FULL WEEK OF APRIL 2017 AS "SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME AWARENESS WEEK," TO RAISE AWARENESS REGARDING SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME, AND TO COMMEND THE HOSPITALS, CHILD CARE COUNCILS, SCHOOLS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT EDUCATE PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS ON HOW TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM ABUSE.
Whereas, the month of April is "National Child Abuse Prevention Month," an annual recognition that was initiated in 1979 by former President Jimmy Carter; and
Whereas, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System figures reveal that almost seven hundred thousand children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States in 2011, causing unspeakable pain and suffering to our most vulnerable citizens; and
Whereas, among the children who are victims of abuse and neglect, nearly five die in the United States each day; and
Whereas, approximately eighty percent of children who die from abuse are under the age of four; and
Whereas, abusive head trauma, including the trauma known as shaken baby syndrome, is recognized as the leading cause of death of physically abused children; and
Whereas, shaken baby syndrome can result in a loss of vision, brain damage, paralysis, seizures, or death; and
Whereas, a 2003 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that, as a result of shaken baby syndrome, an average of three hundred children in the United States will die each year, and six hundred to one thousand two hundred more will be injured, of whom two-thirds will be babies or infants under one year of age, with many cases resulting in severe and permanent disabilities; and
Whereas, medical professionals believe that thousands of additional cases of shaken baby syndrome are misdiagnosed or left undetected; and
Whereas, shaken baby syndrome may result in more than $1,000,000 in medical costs for the care of a single disabled child in just the first few years of life; and
Whereas, the most effective solution for ending shaken baby syndrome is prevention, and it is clear that the minimal costs of education and prevention programs may put a stop to enormous medical and disability costs and immeasurable amounts of grief for many families; and
Whereas, prevention programs have demonstrated that educating new parents about the danger of shaking young children and how they can help protect their child from injury can significantly reduce the number of cases of shaken baby syndrome; and
Whereas, education programs have been shown to raise awareness and provide critically important information about shaken baby syndrome to parents, caregivers, daycare workers, child protection employees, law enforcement personnel, health care professionals, and legal representatives; and
Whereas efforts to prevent shaken baby syndrome are supported by advocacy groups across the United States that were formed by parents and relatives of children who have been killed or injured by shaking, including the Shaken Baby Association; the Shaking Kills: Instead Parents Please Educate and Remember Initiative, commonly known as the "SKIPPER Initiative"; Shaken Baby Prevention, Inc.; Don't Shake Jake; the Kierra Harrison Foundation; and the Hannah Rose Foundation, which maintains a mission to educate the general public and professionals about shaken baby syndrome and to increase support for victims and the families of victims in the health care and criminal justice systems; and
Whereas, child abuse prevention programs and "National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week" are supported by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, the Children's Defense Fund, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America, Prevent Child Abuse America, the National Child Abuse Coalition, the National Exchange Club Foundation, the American Humane Association, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the Arc of the United States, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Children's Healthcare is a Legal Duty, Family Partnership, Family Voices, the National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds, United Cerebral Palsy, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and related institutions, Never Shake a Baby Arizona, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, the Center for Child Protection and Family Support, and many other organizations. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly of South Carolina, by this resolution, designate the third full week of April 2017 as "Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week," to raise awareness regarding Shaken Baby Syndrome, and commend the hospitals, child care councils, schools, and other organizations that educate parents and caregivers on how to protect children from abuse.
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