- Target:
- Warner Brothers
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- dontshake.com
Here are some statistics that everyone should be aware of:
Shaken Baby Syndrome IS "Abusive Head Trauma".
Abusive Head Trauma is the leading cause of non-accidental death in children under age 2, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Shaking injuries are the most frequent cause of this trauma.
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) occurs when a parent or caregiver, in frustration or anger, shakes a baby vigorously in an effort to stop them from crying or fussing. This shaking causes significant injuries to the baby’s brain and eyes. Bone fractures and bruises can also be present.
The majority of victims of SBS are under 6 months of age. At least 1 in 4 victims of SBS die from their injuries.
More than 50% of surviving victims suffer lifelong disabilities including brain damage, seizures, mental retardation, blindness, paralysis, and more. One-fourth of SBS survivors show no initial effects from shaking but develop learning and/or behavior problems later in childhood.
The incidence of SBS is greatly underestimated since many cases are under-detected, under-reported, and misdiagnosed. New research indicates that for every case of diagnosed SBS, as many as 152 children may be shaken but not identified or reported. This equates to 2.6% of infants and children under the age of 2 who are shaken at some point.
Approximately $1 million are spent in medical costs for each surviving victim in the first three years after the shaking incident. It is estimated that $4 to $9 million are spent in lifetime costs for these victims. There is an untold cost to the families caring for these victims as well as the loss of a very precious life that will never reach full potential.
SBS is Preventable! The most effective ways to stop these tragedies are by educating parents and caregivers about infant crying and effective infant soothing techniques, as well as ways to protect children from SBS.
Uncontrollable crying is the most frequent trigger of shaking events. In-hospital education of parents of newborns in a New York State study reduced SBS cases by 47%.
Warner Brothers Please Take Heed...
The new movie, recently released by Warner Brothers entitled "Licensed To Wed", has successfully made a media joke of a very dangerous and catastrophic event, called "Shaken Baby Syndrome" and has refused to consider a disclaimer regarding the "dangers of shaking" as a trailer.
In the movie there is a scene where the "groom to be" John Krasinski, shakes a robot baby causing it's head to fly off of it's shoulders. This scene is prompted by the very trigger that our infant population is most vulnerable to, crying.
This movie is rated PG-13 and the viewer population that will be exposed is extremely vulnerable to media hype and exposure to actions that are perceived as okay. This population is one that can potentially be the perpetrators of this horrific form of child abuse.
Warner Brothers as well as the theatre owners that are showing the movie need to take a proactive stance on ensuring that the message displayed loud and clear that "shaking a baby" is NEVER an alternative to address infant crying.
We are asking you to sign this petition in support of the "movie disclaimer" as well as a warning tag on the DVD's that will be sold. It's never okay to shake a baby...EVER and thousands of future lives are depending on us getting the message out.
Shaking shatters not only the lives of the victims, it shatters the lives of the families that love them.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The END SBS Media Exploitation petition to Warner Brothers was written by Pamela Rowse, RN and is in the category Arts & Entertainment at GoPetition.