§ 24520

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Shaken baby syndrome is a medically serious, sometimes fatal, matter affecting newborns and very young children. Shaking an infant or child in anger is particularly dangerous.

(b) Vigorous shaking of an infant or child can result in bleeding inside the head, causing irreversible brain damage, blindness, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, spinal cord injury, seizures, learning disabilities, and even death.

(c) While doctors have long recognized that shaking an infant or child can cause injuries, many adults remain unaware of how dangerous this practice can be.

(d) Studies have shown that exposure to materials about the dangers of shaking a baby improved understanding of the effects of shaking an infant or child.

(e) Shaken baby syndrome is preventable. Knowledge about shaken baby syndrome can be significantly raised through education and public awareness campaigns.

(f) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage public and private collaboration in developing instructional materials regarding shaken baby syndrome, and to encourage that these materials be supplied to health facilities, midwives, and to the State Department of Social Services free of charge.

(Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1176, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1995.)