SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A bill moving to the Illinois House floor could require schools to include female CPR manikins in health curriculum.
Current state law requires all secondary schools to teach students how to properly administer CPR and use defibrillators, but the manikins are consistently male.Â
Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia) and advocates said women are 25% less likely to receive bystander CPR during an emergency. Hirschauer filed her proposal after hearing the idea from Naperville Central High School senior Ashlynn Goldstein.
"I've been CPR certified at least five times in my life and yet, I've never seen a female manakin in a class," Goldstein said Wednesday. "Even when studying my certified nursing assistant program and getting basic life support certification, there was not one single female manakin in the room or a chest cover as an alternative."
Illinois Heart Rescue provides grants for schools to buy manikins, and the organization has already started sending female manikins to some schools. Hirschauer explained that chest covers and other alternatives could also be purchased for $12 to $18.
House Bill 4788 passed out of the House Education Policy Committee on a partisan 9-3 vote Wednesday. The proposal now moves to the House floor for further consideration.
"Allowing for students to have reasonable opportunities to train on both genders will bring parity to bystander CPR and save lives," Hirschauer said.
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