I had the good fortune of attending the Rod Stewart concert in San Jose last night. He put on a 2 ½ hour show with no opening act (except for some bagpipes wondering around the crowd beforehand), and it was spectacular!!! There aren’t a lot of 60-somethings who could pull off “If You Want My Body,” and “Tonight I’m Yours,” but he did!
When he sang “Young Hearts Beat Free Tonight”, I had to kick myself for being a terminal political junkie, because the song made me think of Senator Harman’s bill, SB 126, which will require that the next set of health education content standards developed by the State Board of Education include instruction on child abuse prevention. The song talks about a young couple who run away together “’cause there ain’t no point in talking when there’s nobody listenin’”, and how their lives turn out very difficult. It made me think of all the children who are victims of various forms of neglect and abuse, and how the lifelong ramifications of that abuse can be so devastating. Innumerable scientific studies have documented the link between the abuse and neglect of children and a wide range of medical, emotional, psychological and behavior disorders. From suicide to becoming an abuser, the victim of child abuse, as well as society in general, can be spared a life of physical pain or psychiatric anguish if we can stop the abuse incidents from occurring in the first place. In 2004, the California Department of Social Services estimated that 378,301 cases of abuse and neglect involving approximately 713,391 children were referred for investigation. According to an audit conducted in 2002 by the California Department of Health Services, 140 children died in the state as a result of abuse and neglect.
Senator Harman is a visionary for making SB 126 a top priority. When this piece of legislation is enacted, perhaps more “young hearts will beat free”…free from neglect, free from abuse, and free from fear. Great job, Senator!