Defib bill fails, but moms aren't quitting the fight
Senate Bill 63's progress came to a halt May 26. This bill would have required all California high schools to have at least one automated external defibrillator (AED) on campus. Freshman students at USC who had a friend saved by an AED researched statistics about sudden cardiac arrest among younger people and got this effort started.
SB 63 was introduced on April 6. That day, I had the honor of meeting these students. Several parents and I traveled to Sacramento and testified before the state senate's education committee. We all shared our own personal stories about our children who died from sudden cardiac arrest.
The bill passed both the education and health committees, but it failed to make it out of the Appropriations Committee. This was a huge disappointment for those of us who understand the importance of saving lives with AEDs in schools. It is estimated that we have lost more than 50 young lives in the past two years in California alone. The ages range from 10 to 23.
Every three days we are losing a young life in the U.S. to sudden cardiac arrest, yet it's an uphill battle to get AEDs placed in our California schools. It's OK to have AEDs in our state buildings, health clubs and casinos but we can't get them into our schools.
For all of us moms who have lost children to sudden cardiac arrest, the fate of SB 63 is heartbreaking. We will regroup and continue to fight this battle.
CORINNE RUIZ
Bakersfield
