Ava’s Law receives passage in Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY – As Bre Frizzell watched from the gallery, the state Senate passed Ava’s Law, a measure named in memory of her infant daughter who passed away a few weeks after her birth. Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, introduced Senate Bill 1462 to help prevent other Oklahoma parents from experiencing such a devastating loss by properly training them on infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

“This is really important for women to learn before they have babies because infant CPR is completely different as far as technique. When you talk about doing infant CPR versus adult CPR or child CPR, it’s just completely different,” Garvin said. “This provides women who are pregnant with the information they would need to save their child’s life, so they don’t have to suffer like my friend, Bre, and her family has. I’m grateful for her strength in bringing this important issue to the Legislature’s attention.”

SB 1462 would require anyone licensed to practice medicine and surgery in Oklahoma or duly licensed as Advanced Registered Practice Nurses, like Certified Nurse-Midwives, to provide infant CPR and basic first aid, including contact information for training programs and cord blood banking and donation information to pregnant mothers.

The bill will next be heard in the House where Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, is carrying the measure.  

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Garvin: (405) 521-5522 or Jessica.Garvin@oksenate.gov