The students, one of who represented IU, asked Merritt to author a bill that would give immunity to underage youth under the influence of alcohol when they call to receive medical help for a friend.
“It took me about 30 days to think about authoring this bill or not, because we’re acknowledging that kids under 21 do drink alcohol,” Merritt said. “That was a big hurdle for me, but what I want is to make sure they make good decisions. I don’t want their last decision to be a bad one.”
To encourage these good decisions, Merritt authored the Lifeline Law, which was originally passed in 2012. It states a person is immune from arrest or prosecution for certain alcohol offenses if the arrest is due to that person reporting a medical emergency.
The law also grants certain levels of immunity to the person for whom help is called as well as anyone around who can provide information and fully cooperates with emergency responders.
In the 2014 legislative session, the General Assembly passed an amendment to the bill that allows underage youth to call for help if they witness or experience sexual assault, if they witness a non-alcohol related crime or if they call for help in the instance of a non-alcohol related medical emergency, without fear of arrest or prosecution.
Last week marked the beginning of the second year of the “Make Good Decisions” social media campaign.
“This past fall we were able to send 6 million impressions out over social media,” Merritt said of last year’s campaign. “To think that we contacted 6 million kids, I really believe we had a positive impact.”
Make Good Decisions is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating youth about the effects of alcohol and the Lifeline Law.
The campaign involves creating invisible domes around college campuses — including one in Bloomington — that send advertisements out onto various social media platforms like Facebook and Pandora.
The organization tries to conduct the campaign, which costs around $30,000, twice a year.
“I don’t want there to be a student or a young person in Indiana who doesn’t understand how alcohol affects their body or what to do in an alcohol-related medical situation,” said Dawn Finbloom, a woman involved with organizing the campaign.
Finbloom lost her 18-year-old son, Brett, to alcohol poisoning in August 2012.
Finbloom said she thinks many youths don’t really understand how alcohol affects their bodies. One Solo cup filled with hard alcohol is actually equal to 12 drinks, she explained.
“I think that if there’s awareness, then they’re going to make the call,” Finbloom said, noting the group’s new Facebook page is a good way to raise awareness. “Everybody wants to do the right thing. Nobody wants to lose their friend.”
Capt. Joe Qualters, of the Bloomington Police Department, said he’s happy the law encourages students to call for help.
“The law didn’t really change how we do business because we’ve always been medical first and everything else secondary,” Qualters said. “For us, the notoriety that came with the law is the biggest benefit.”
Continue reading about the Lifeline Law
After the Fall
She had only been on campus for two days and everyone knew her — the girl who fell down the stairs. As the reporters called and the rumors spread, her parents tried to remember she was more than that.
Rachael's First Week prepares students for college's dangers
The students, one of who represented IU, asked Merritt to author a bill that would give immunity to underage youth under the influence of alcohol when they call to receive medical help for a friend.
