July 24: 'Amazing Abigail' inspires D.C. to act

Kathryn Taylor began to sing to her daughter Abigail at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis on Monday morning, as U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar looked on.

It was a little song called "How a bill becomes a law."

What better way to explain to a 6-year-old how her own misfortune could end up changing the law of the land?

Three weeks after a devastating injury at a wading pool, Abigail is now eating ice chips and hoping to go home to Edina sometime this week.

At the same time, her accident has galvanized support for a pool safety bill that had, until now, been stalled in Congress. That's why Klobuchar, one of the Senate sponsors, joined the girl's parents at a hospital news conference Monday and thanked them for going public with their story. All three wore bracelets that said "Amazing Abigail."The courage of this family, the courage of little Abigail, was an inspiration for change in Washington," Klobuchar said.

Abigail, who lost her small intestine in the accident, was upgraded from serious to fair condition Monday. Her parents said that despite everything, her spirits remain high.

"She's handled it better than I'm sure any adult would," said her mother. "She's handled it with the ease of a child."

Abigail had been playing in a wading pool June 29 at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park when she became trapped by the suction of an uncovered pool drain, the family said. The force apparently ruptured her rectum and pulled out her small intestine.

Another operation soon

Abigail has had at least two operations since then and will need another in September, her parents said. She's on a feeding tube 18 hours a day because she can no longer absorb nutrients, her mother said.

When she's not tethered to a feeding tube, Abigail is up and walking around, said her father, Scott Taylor. He said she's even wearing nail polish.

"You would think she's a normal little skinny 6-year-old," he said. "You can't believe this little girl has basically had her intestines ripped from her body and that the rest of her life is going to be seriously affected by this."

At home, she'll need nursing help "for a while," her father said, but she is expected to return to school in September. The family may not know what the future holds, he added, but "we're all planning on dancing with her at her wedding."

He said that Abigail, the second of four daughters, and the rest of his family are "thrilled" that her story has drawn attention to the dangers of pool drains and that it has inspired action in Congress.

The legislation would create new safety standards for pools and pool drains, and provide incentives for states to adopt their own safety laws. The bill, introduced last year, lost on a last-minute vote in December. It was reintroduced this year and took on new urgency after Abigail's accident made national headlines.

Congress taking action

Klobuchar was one of several members of the Minnesota delegation to sign on as a cosponsor. She also inserted an amendment in the Senate bill to require all public pools to install "anti-entrapment" drain covers within a year.

The bill glided through committee last week and a full Senate vote could come before the August recess, Klobuchar said.

"In Washington, they deal with these huge issues of war and peace," Klobuchar said Monday. "Sometimes, we can make a difference by just one change to a law."

A similar version in the House, supported by Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn., and Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., is expected to head for committee this week, with a similar amendment.

Alan Korn, public policy director of Safe Kids Worldwide, an advocacy group, praised Klobuchar's amendment. If passed, he said, it means that "very soon, within a year, whether or not your state passes a law, you need to change the way the bottom of your pools look."

The pool industry also supports the legislation, said Bill Weber, president and CEO of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, based in Alexandria, Va.

"We understand the motivation with [Abigail Taylor]," said Weber, whose organization worked with Klobuchar on the amendment. "The industry is working very aggressively on these measures. I think it's unlikely there will be changes on the Senate floor, and it should get through."

Abigail may not understand all that just yet, her father said. But he's sure she will be pleased.

Within days of the accident, he said, Abigail told her mother that she wanted to be on the news "to make sure this doesn't happen to any other boys or girls."

mlerner@startribune.com • 612-673-7384 jsherman@startribune.com • 202-408-2723