My testimony to the Members of the House Education Committee re: HB 1004, expanding early preK

Chairman Behning, and Members of the House Education Committee,

My name is Dr. Tony GiaQuinta. I am a pediatrician for Hendricks Regional Hospital, and the vice-president of the Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, representing over 800 Hoosier pediatricians. I am very proud of these credentials, but my favorite credential, by far, is father to two beautiful children, Margaret age two, and her four-year-old brother, Henry.

I am here today on behalf of Indiana’s pediatricians because we believe that success starts early, and therefore endorse an expansion of Indiana’s high-quality, pre-K commitment.

Our organization’s support is limited to funding pre-K. We are not here to either endorse, nor criticize, the school choice issue, which as been attached to this bill, as those are two separate issues. We would prefer pre-K be allowed to stand on its own sot that all sides can get behind this important movement.

You may be wondering why Indiana’s pediatricians would endorse an education bill.

Well, to begin, I’d like to share something neat my 4 year old did yesterday.

I was grocery shopping with my kids, and had somehow (some might say, miraculously), checked off everything on my wife Sarah’s grocery list. I had made it to the finish line, including the gauntlet of gum and candy at the register, when Henry asks the cashier for a sticker. She smiled, and gave Henry two. Well, Margaret saw that and just about flipped her lid. But then, something amazing happened: He put one sticker on his shirt, and took the other, and held it out to Margaret, to….share?

Wait. Is he sharing? Oh sweet Moses. This was it. Time slowed down as he held it out to her. A chorus of ‘alleluia’ started playing in my head. Never again would they fight, bicker, or taunt!

Well, it was a nice moment, but instead of handing it to her, he planted it square on her face. ‘A’ for effort… the execution needs some tinkering.  Thankfully, that was good enough for Margaret (and good enough for me, too) .

Why was this moment so significant, you might ask? Sure, as a dad, wanting your child to be a kind and sharing is something any parent strives for.

But as a pediatrician, I know that watching Henry offer that sticker for his sister, instead of himself, is a sign of a healthy brain developing and maturing.

The truth is, Indiana’s pediatricians know that house bill 1004 is so much more than an education bill. It is a bill that can protect and nurture Indiana’s most vulnerable brains.

You see, brain plasticity, or the ability of the brain to rewire itself in response to changes in the environment, declines with age. In fact, by age five, the vast majority of a child’s brain capacity is already developed. This creates a real, ‘make it or break’ timeframe when areas of the brain supporting memory and learning, can inextricably connect to the areas supporting social, emotional, and language development. If these connections are not formed by Kindergarten, they likely never will.

Conversely, when the environment fosters interactions that are sensitive and responsive to the child’s needs, neuronal connections are formed and reinforced that help the brain mature, and allow the child to succeed.  

Unfortunately, there is a large population of Hoosier children that are at grave risk of missing this important opportunity forever.  Specifically, this applies to 27,000 low-income four-year old Hoosier children that are at increased risk of suffering from toxic stress.  Toxic stress is the physiologic maladaptation of the brain and body to poverty and violence. Young brains exposed to toxic stress are unable to form the healthy connections between important brain structures. This disrupted brain architecture has significant adverse effects on physical and social emotional health across the lifespan.

High quality Pre K, however, rescues children from toxic stress by providing a secure, nurturing environment, strengthening healthy neural connections and setting a strong foundation for learning and adult success.

It is without surprise, therefore, that high quality preschool is associated with greater academic success, higher high school graduation rates, increased years of education completed, higher earnings, reduced juvenile crime, decreased adolescent pregnancy rates, decreased need for future special education services, and in sum a significant rate of return on investment.

Henry is lucky. He is in a high quality pre-K program, and the only stress he faces is getting his shoes on the right feet. Every day comes home from school with a full belly, and a brain further exposed to positive, stable, and nurturing influences that reinforce integral connections in his brain. He has every opportunity to succeed.

For 27,000 low-income four-year olds Hoosier Children, their toxic stresses and adverse experiences may see the window of their brain’s development, and window of opportunity for success, closed forever.  

Indiana’s pediatricians recognize that we are critical partners in this effort to keep children on the right track, and that partnership includes calling on our state leaders to recognize the importance of pre-K and sufficiently fund it to increase access. On behalf of Indiana’s pediatricians, we hope that HB 1006 is the feel good, everyone wins success story of this legislative session. By investing in high-quality pre-K and fulfilling a young child’s developmental needs, the long term benefits are realized not only by the child, but their children, their community, and our commonwealth.

#BanTheBumper

If there were no automobiles, children would never die from car accidents. Right.

But we need cars. They take us to cool and important places, like your Pediatrician’s office, or work, respectively. Therefore, we accept the risk of putting our children into cars, and do our best to make them as safe as possible. Carseats, anti-lock brakes, air bags, speed limits, rules of the road, etc.

If there were no crib bumpers, infants would never die from crib bumpers. Also right.

However, we don’t need crib bumpers. At all. Ever. They are seriously pointless, and worse, they can be deadly.

An article published by the Journal of Pediatrics this past year found that 23 infants were killed by crib bumpers from 2006-2012. Notice I didn’t say “only” 23 infants. These deaths are entirely preventable, making one such death needless and tragic.

So why are they still found in cribs?

Well, Pottery Barn Kids makes us think we need them; why else would they display them in their stores?

sketch-1

 

Pintrest makes us think we need them; how else can that barren crib look cute and cuddly?

crib-bumper

 

I’ll grant even common sense might make us think we need them, to prevent limb entrapment, or banging a vulnerable head against a hard rail.

Ultimately, all of these considerations are misleading.

Proposed benefits of crib bumpers include preventing entrapment of head, neck, or limbs between the crib rails, or preventing head trauma. Fortunately, the width of the rails, or ‘slats’ are regulated to be less than the width of a soda can. Limb entrapment does occur, but is not prevented entirely by crib bumpers. More importantly, limb entrapment is not a serious or deadly injury. There was one case of an infant hitting his head on a crib rail, causing a bruise. We (and your infant) can live with that.

We (and your infant) can also live with a plain, boring, nothing-but-baby, crib.

Pediatricians have advocated strongly against their use, and all soft bedding, as part of a comprehensive safe sleep policy statement issued in 2008, and reiterated in 2011. I personally don’t let a family leave my newborn nursery without explaining the safest possible sleep environment, ie, the lowest risk of sudden unexpected infant death. I tell parents to remember your ABC’s of safe sleep: Place infants Alone, on the Backs, and in their own crib. No bumpers. No stuffed animals. Make pinterest scoff in pity and disapproval. Your baby is sleeping safe tonight!

But it’s not enough, clearly. In this recent article published last month in Pediatrics, investigators got sneaky and filmed parents and their infant’s sleep environment. I’m not kidding. 91% had the stuff I just talked about in their sleep environments (bedding, bumper pads, pillows etc).

Sigh.

If only we treated crib bumpers like we do other things that are completely unnecessary and dangerous. Like, nuclear waste. You can’t buy that stuff because its dangerous, and unless powering your 1985 DeLorean for time-travel purposes, is completely unnecessary to possess. It’s probably illegal. Wait. Yes! That’s it! What if a crib bumper, which is clearly a hazardous, unnecessary material, were illegal to sell? Impossible? Wrong.

Maryland’s state department of health did just that, and in two short years from conception to action, passed a regulation banning the sale of baby bumper pads. You can read more here.

The INAAP Perinatal and Infant Mortality Committee believes Indiana should follow suit. On Monday, October 17th we will be advocating  “Ban the Bumper” day. On this day we invite everyone to share our messages through your Twitter and Facebook social media accounts, using #BanTheBumper.

Messages to share (cut and paste away!) include:

  • Crib bumper deaths are needless, tragic, and 100% preventable! #BanTheBumper #LaborOfLove16
  • 23 infants died because of crib bumpers from 2006-2012. We can put an end to this! #BanTheBumper #LaborOfLove16
  • Indiana ranks 45/50 in perinatal mortality. Let’s do everything possible to save these lives! #BanTheBumper #LaborOfLove16
  • A baby should be the only cute object in a crib #BanTheBumper #LaborOfLove16
  • Boring crib = safe sleep #BoringIsBest #BanTheBumper #LaborOfLove16
  • Your baby can live with a boring crib without crib bumpers! #BanTheBumper #BoringIsBest #LaborOfLove16

This date coincides with the Indiana department of health sponsored infant mortality summit, “Labor of Love,” where I will be presenting the dangers of crib bumpers, and advocating their removal from infant stores. And by all means, if you are driving by an infant supply store, or perusing Pinterest, and see these deadly, unnecessary objects in cribs, let them know they are endorsing a real threat to infant safety.

I hope you will join with INAAP as we encourage everyone to #BanTheBumper.

Tony GiaQuinta, MD FAAP

@IndyPedsDoc

Zika, Chikungunya, and Aedes Mosquitos. Oh My!

Until our honorable elected officials stop their political posturing and decide Zika is real bad and needs real attention, here are some tips to protect yourself and your kids from mosquitoes.

There are three basic strategies:

  1. Whenever outside, constantly scan your arms, legs, and all other exposed skin areas waiting for a mosquito to land. Quickly smack that son-of-a-gun into a unrecognizable insect paste. Make sure someone is constantly scanning your neck and other hard to reach areas, also ready to deliver a nice whack.
  2.  Never ever ever go outside this summer. There are plenty of great HBO series to get caught up on anyways.
  3.  Use a safe, effective insect repellent.

This doc wants you to go with #3.

#1 sounds exhausting and might start a fight. #2 would worsen our obesity epidemic, and kids aren’t mature enough for the suggestive adult content of some HBO series (I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones). No, kids really do need to spend time outside this summer, and you do, too.  Here’s how to do so safely.

Kinds-of-Insect-Repellent

Honestly, just remember to use a repellent with DEET in it. Or N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide as I like to call it. Yeah, I know it’s a chemical made up of big chemically words, and I have no idea if it is gluten free or not. But it is the most widely used ingredient and has the most data on safety and efficacy.

Word on the street is there is no evidence that concentrations above 50% increase efficacy, so you can stick your nose up at that marketing ploy. My academy (The American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends using products containing up to 30% DEET for children.

Couple of considerations:

  1. Don’t use on babies less than 2 months old, use mosquito netting instead.
  2. Don’t use repellents under clothes
  3. Don’t use products that use both sunscreen and repellent, because sunscreen needs to be applied more frequently.

Pregnant? You’re good. They’ve studied DEET during 2nd/3rd trimesters of pregnancy, and didn’t see any adverse effects to the fetus.

Other options include:

  1. IR3535 – concentrations between 7.5%-20% are safe and effective.
  2. Picaridin – odorless, doesn’t damage clothing, no reports of toxicity. Use up to 10%
  3. Essential oils – Safe to use, doesn’t work as well. Zika!
  4. Citronella – Works well, doesn’t last as long

More info here!

That should do it. Enjoy being outdoors this summer! If you have time, contact your honorable congressman or congresswomen and let them your future children shouldn’t be a political pawn vs Zika. Here is the letter my academy wrote, for example.

– IndyPedsDoc

 

Breastfeeding for guys. I get it. You don’t have boobs. You can still help.

O.K. Dads here the deal: It’s 2AM, you have your new 2 day old baby at home for the first time, you’ve had 2 hours of sleep in the past 2 days, your kiddo isn’t latching on 2 mom well, tears of frustration are starting to well-up in her eyes and you have 2 seconds to figure out what to do before Mom, baby, and you start to lose it…. what do you do??

Terrifying? Yup. Been there… but don’t panic. If you weren’t trained for this before, I’ll help walk you through it.

Through my own trial and error, and pumping my wife for feedback, I have compiled a couple helpful tips of do’s and don’t that will help you breastfeed.

Tip 1: Consider breastfeeding a team sport with the mentality that you are both breastfeeding.

My wife really found it helpful for me to just be there, as an extension of her. Breastfeeding put an enormous amount of pressure on my wife. After all, breastfeeding is supposed to be natural and the best form of nutrition for your baby… to not succeed gave her feelings of not only failure as a mother, but also that the baby isn’t getting what’s best. Breastfeeding can be a very onerous responsibility, with the pressure of letting the three of you down. The more you make the act of breastfeeding seem like a team sport, the less guilt and burden she will feel when things don’t go so well (which usually is bound to happen). Hopefully you have some paternity time off that first week. I really do suggest waking up for those first few breastfeeds with your wife until things start going smoothly. Now, the question becomes, what to do while she is breastfeeding?

Tip 2: Make like Jeeves and wait.

I’m thinking that origin of ‘waiting on tables’ and thus, a ‘waiter’ probably stems from the responsibility to just stand-by, be patient, and ‘wait’ until given something to do. You don’t have breasts, so you have to find other ways to be a part of this breastfeeding team.

Here’s a couple pearls:

–          Keep a LARGE water glass full of cold water. My wife was ALWAYS thirsty, and really pretty parched for water. (I thought this was curious, so I looked it up. Guess what? Scientific article “Thirst induced by a suckling episode during breast feeding and relation with plasma vasopressin, oxytocin and osmoregulation.”1 or in other words, baby sucking makes you thirsty). You will find that Mom is so focused on breastfeeding that she really can’t just press pause get things like a glass of water. In fact, with this one, don’t wait for her to ask, just keep a cold glass full by her side. She will notice and thank you.

–          She probably forgot to grab the remote control, lanolin cream, burp cloth, or tons of other little things before she sat down and got things started. Again, interrupting breastfeeding is really tricky for her. Be there to help get these things.

–          Impromptu shoulder rub. Just do it. She won’t mind.

Tip 3: You can over do it.

Yeah, I was feeling a little cocky. I went to the breastfeeding class. I followed around lactation doctors while in residency. I watched the lactation nurses work with my wife in the hospital. I’m IndyPedsDoc for crying out loud! I can be such a bonehead. Your wife does need you to be there emotionally and even physically… but she isn’t a cow that wants to be milked. Its one thing for a lactation nurse to manipulate her breast, but you are her teammate, and doing these things can make her feel as if she isn’t doing it right, and that you could do better. Leave her breasts alone unless she asks.

Tip 4: Reinforce that she is your hero

Especially during those late-night feeds when the latching isn’t going well and she asks, on the verge of tears, ‘What am I doing wrong?” or “Why isn’t he latching?” I found the best thing to do was kiss her on the forehead, maybe hand her a kleenex, and offer words of encouragement (check out my earlier blog with a note from our lacatation nurse for some easy tips that will help). You might have a tip that you remembered during your breastfeeding class, but again, don’t let her think that you could do better, or that she is doing things wrong. If things are really getting strained, it might be best to take a break and have her take a shower or nap, and call the lactation nurse in the morning. Remember: all babies are equipped with extra fluid on board until mom’s milk comes in, which means losing a little weight those first few days is normal. You can remind her that a newborn’s stomach is about the size of a big marble, so as long as the baby is peeing a few times a day, the baby is probably getting everything it needs.

Good luck Team! You are going to be great.

1) James RJ, Irons DW. Thirst induced by a suckling episode during breast feeding and relation with plasma vasopressin, oxytocin and osmoregulation. , Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1995 Sep;43(3):277-82.

Gun Safety? Get real.

8/8/2013: My IndyStar published response to the awful news from Anderson, Indiana:

I can’t write an article every time a child is needlessly killed by a gun. If I did, I would probably have to quit my job due to the time commitment involved. Just in the last six weeks, in central Indiana, three kids have been accidentally killed. The latest fatality, however, emphasizes a point that we just can’t seem to grasp: THERE IS NO 100% SAFE WAY TO STORE A GUN.

The guns were hidden (in a closet).

The guns were locked away.

The bullets were separate from the gun.

The gun was unloaded….almost.

One bullet, unknowingly and accidentally left in the chamber, is what stands between a 13 year old honor student from going back to school today, shot yesterday by his 10 year old brother.

But we still don’t get it.

The Anderson Police department has called the case ‘a perfect storm of unlikely scenarios,’ musing that “had (the bullet) been in another chamber, it would have dry fired. The odds are just really unbelievable.” They are pleading with area residents to please keep your guns safe, even offering free gun locks.

Unbelievable odds? Nope. They are possibilities. Possibilities of your child getting killed. What a stupid game to play.

I am sick for this family. They have been given the delusion by gun advocates, and even the Anderson police department, that there is a safe way to store guns around children. There isn’t. Are there safer ways to store guns? Who cares?

Once again…

1) A gun kept in the home is 43 times more likely to kill someone known to the family than to kill someone in self defense.

2) A gun kept in the home triples the risk of homicide

3) The risk of suicide is 5 times more likely if a gun is kept in the home

Please stop kidding yourself, and each other, that there is a safe way to keep a gun in a home with children.

KatieCouricBodyCount.com

In case you missed it (I never do), here’s the opening line to Katie Couric’s syndicated talk show last week:

(spooky voice, eerie music) The HPV vaccine is considered a life-saving cancer preventer… but is it a potentially deadly dose for girls?

Ugh.

I used roll my eyes at such irresponsible attempts at sensationalism, but I can’t anymore, not after Jenny McCarthy took to daytime TV to spout her unproven theories blaming autism on vaccines. Like Katie Couric, the TV shows that invited Jenny McCarthy (‘Larry King Live,’ ‘The Doctors’), supported the topic under the innocent banner of a ‘conversation.’

The problem, however, is when in one corner you have two teary eyed mothers (or the pretty, charismatic Jenny McCarthy), and in the other, a scientist giving objective data, science loses EVERY TIME.

The consequences of losing these talk-show ‘conversations,’ unfortunately, are not inconsequential. We are still reeling from the effects of Jenny McCarthy’s media campaign, in which kids unnecessarily got sick, and important dollars were diverted from meaningful autism research.

For the record, we are talking about a medicine that prevents cancer. For all the research, money, and media attention that go towards cancer research and treatment, nothing comes close to the holy grail of medicine, that is prevention.

Here’s the boring objective stuff. HPV isn’t just an unsightly wart. Annually, it is estimate to cause1:

  • 2,100 vulvar cancers,
  • 500 vaginal cancers,
  • 600 penile cancers,
  • 2,800 anal cancers in women,
  • 1,500 anal cancers in men,
  • 1,700 oropharyngeal cancers in women, and
  • 6,700 oropharyngeal cancers in men

And, by the way, its safe: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6229a4.htm?s_cid=mm6229a4_e

As a whole, we pediatricians were embarrassingly silent as we watched Jenny McCarthy’s deadly escapade unfold. I don’t think we will let that happen again. Katie Couric, what you did is shameful and dangerous. I hope you use your platform as a respected journalist to refocus the image you created for the HPV vaccine. If not, you may see yourself the recipient of a similar dubious honor, as seen here:

http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com

 

  1. http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

Enough anecdotes. The truth about kids and guns

Media loves social experiments.  It’s the driving theme for a lot of shows, from “Let’s Make a Deal,” to the thought provoking, “What Would You Do?”

Tonight (Friday, 1/31/14) on ABC’s 20/20, hosted by Diane Sawyer, an experiment is conducted in which young children are exposed to “gun safety” programs, then observed via hidden camera to see how they would react to discovering a real gun. Their goal is to dramatically reveal the often unrealistic parental expectations of their child around guns.

Here is the preview: http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/young-guns-diane-sawyer-special-21694484

I always try my best to take the findings from a television show with a heavy grain of salt. After all drama, and often sensationalism, is usually the name of the game. This program, however, is actually a replica of a study published in the respected medical journal Pediatrics back in 2001.

The background was a survey of 400 parents, who were asked if their child (age 4-12) could determine the difference between a toy and real gun, and how they would then behave with the guns. Three-fourths (74%) believed their child could tell the difference between a real gun and a toy. 74% also believed they would leave the gun alone, or tell an adult.

The experiment consisted of watching 2-3 children play for 15 minutes in a room where a real, unloaded gun was placed in one drawer, and toy guns in another (they were not told to look into the drawers). 75% of the kids found the real gun. Of these, 80% handled the gun, and 50% pulled the trigger. 90% of the kids who handled the gun, and 95% that had pulled the trigger, later revealed that they had received some sort of gun-safety training. It didn’t matter whether the child was from a gun-owning family, or whether the child had remarked earlier that he or she was ‘interested’ in guns.

Absolutely, I think it reasonable to consider the results from tonight as “made for TV;” however the results from this study are not. Please remember  to teach your child: STOP! Don’t touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult.

IndyPedsDoc

@IndyPedsDoc

An email from our lactation consultant (a must read for breastfeeding parents)

Dear Sarah and Dr. G,

I am confident with some time both of you will work into breastfeeding success. Don’t give up and Be patient, both of you are learning and he needs some time to forget about his early days in the hospital (the separation from you both, constant NICU stimulation, tests, and bottle feedings).  He needs time to be at home, bonding with you both.  In this (stay at home), quiet,, no testing, atmosphere he will begin to relax and fit into that wonderful baby routine of eat,sleep, poop, pee and best of all being loved and touched gently.   Scheduling is ok right now keeping your breast happy with milk release by pumping or nursing, and making sure Henry  is fed by the 3rd hour.    Remember to time the next feeding from the moment his tummy is full.   It takes about 10 min after a feeding, and gentle burp for babies to slip into that deep sleep so they can be  placed in a crib without waking up.  That’s your goal.  Happy breasts, happy baby, happy Mommy, happy daddy.

Tips:
> Try natural methods to increase your milk supply.   Diet, fluid intake, eat two servings of oatmeal a day, Pumping on a comfortably high setting with the larger flange 27mm.  Your breasts need a good 2 1/2 hour break between feedings or pumping sessions to replenish milk volumes.

>  Rest:   This is so important to your whole well being.  You can rest with baby skin to skin between feedings, as long as you do not drift into sleep.
Pump before feeding; Give the milk and baby to Daddy for food and bonding,  while you take your meds and go to bed for a good 3 hours.

>  Breastfeeding:  Choose your times to attempt a feeding at the breast, or when doing skin to skin bonding, his little brief latch on moments are good practice   sessions.  Let him explore your breasts and nipples and learn.
If pumping before a feeding: do this 20 min prior to even waking Henry ..  Pump both or one to collect 15 -20 mm per breast.   Wake Henry
Burp him, change his diaper, and bring him to your breast.  Cuddle and bond first, watch for his rooting, and see if he will latch to your bare Wet nipple.  If he
refuses, or fusses,  give him the fresh milk you just pumped,  once he takes that milk.  Then bring him back to your nipple, hopefully to continue his feeding.
You may use the shield as directed.  Apply wet, massage the breast, bringing a puddle of milk into the shield, so he gets instant reward when he sucks.
Massage your breasts as you pump and as you nurse Henry.  This keeps milk moving toward your nipple, for removal.

>  Use the tips provided in the engorgement phase management hand out.  Switch it up to make it work for you.

>  Clean pump parts, bottles, nipples, paci, shield, with hot soapy water, hot rinse and paper towel dry.  Dish washers can harbor bacteria.

Sarah,  Now that you are home with Henry,  Keep visitors to a minimum, stay in your PJ’s, Do a lot of skin to skin bonding with Henry,  Dr. G- this means you too. curl up next to Sarah and Henry in bed for some important gentle bonding time.  When it is time for sleep, Henry goes to his crib.    Both of you Sleep when baby sleeps.  Maternal Fatigue can disrupt milk production, and prompt frustration (tears).  Sarah, You have everything you need to feed your baby.  Working into nursing at the breast needs patients, practice, and confidence.   All of which you have.  You can do it.  You’re both such loving parents.  Keep me posted.  I will check with you tomorrow.

Our lactation consultant and Henry:

Carla and Henry

When it comes to guns and kids, leave your politics at the door

Perusing social media, I strayed upon this blog article posted by a friend, summarizing “something bad could always happen.” Here, a mom left her 12 year old in the car while running in to a bank. Tragically, the mother was then killed by a bank robber, while the 12 year old was unharmed. This, of course, was on the heels of recent arrests for parents that unknowingly left their children in their cars. Her point? Voicing out against laws* that infringe on our autonomy (maximum freedom, minimum government), she argues:

“There is risk in everything in life. Punishing parents who make rational decisions just because something bad couldhappen is not going to change that. Something bad could always happen.”

This popular argument always seems to come up when defending guns in the home with children.

A couple of examples:

pic1 blog

And here (in response to same article):

blog pic2

So we’re missing the point.

‘Que sera, sera’ is certainly a fun Instagram #yolo, but it makes for really lousy parenting. Yep, something bad could always happen, and accidents do happen. We accept this, and do our best to weight and minimize these risks wherever possible. Bike helmets, seatbelts, fences around pools, etc. This is ok. This is parenting. Guns are no exception. Leaving you kid in the car unattended is no exception.

Instead, some seem to suggest it’s fine to ignore risk, because ‘something bad could always happen.’ In reality, though, I think they are ignoring risk because it gets in the way of their politics. This is really selfish, and it’s jeopardizing the safety of children. And for what? The right for an adult to keep a gun in the house with children? An opportunity to decry a state law infringing personal autonomy? When it comes to protecting the lives and safety of children, we need to keep our politics to ourselves. It’s distorting our perception of risk, which isn’t fair to our kids.

 

*This particular case, by the way, I’m pretty sure isn’t illegal. Most laws, in the states that do have laws, pertain to children under 7, and usually only under certain dangerous situations. See here for your state’s law. http://www.kidsandcars.org/state-laws.html