SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH BRANCH, TO STUDY THE ROLES OF GESTATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS, GENTLE BIRTHING PRACTICES,  STRESS REDUCTION EDUCATION, DOMESTIC HARMONY AWARENESS, AND APPROPRIATE AND SUFFICIENT TOUCH, AND THEIR CONNECTION TO PUBLIC POLICY CONCERNS THAT INCLUDES SUBSTANCE ABUSE, ALCOHOLISM AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

WHEREAS, in memory of Puna, Hawaii resident, Sarah Marie Faye, whose life, beauty,  intelligence and passion were cut short as a vicitim of domestic violence, and whose unborn child was saved through heroic medical intervention, and for whom the Legislature shares in the public outcry for the need to educate, collaborate, and develop strategies for addressing the issue of domestic violence; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that deliberation of societal issues such as abuse of controlled substances, alcoholism and domestic violence are of serious public concern; and

WHEREAS, it is relatively well-known that wellness education improves responses to stress, which leads to the healthy development and harmonious co-existence of family members; and

WHEREAS, it is relatively well-known and accepted that the health and well-being of a pregnant woman is linked to the health and well-being of her unborn child; and

WHEREAS, it has been suggested that the environment and practices employed in the birth experience imprints the basic personality of a child; and

WHEREAS, it has been asserted that domestic abuse and turmoil in a child's domestic environment may lead to a propensity for that child to perpetuate domestic abuse in the future; and

WHEREAS, it has been suggested that appropriate and sufficient touch and human contact between an infant child and its caregivers is integral to that child's development; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes the positive impact of the trained birth coaching professional, and in particular, the profession of "Doula", defined as a person trained and experienced in childbirth assistance, providing continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth; and now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Branch,  is requested to study the roles of gestational environments, gentle birthing practices, stress reduction education, domestic harmony awareness, and appropriate and sufficient touch, and their connection to abuse of controlled substances, alcoholism and domestic violence; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health Branch, is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Office of the Governor.

OFFERED BY:

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