In the legal beat section, Illinois is the latest to require AED units at schools, though there is some opposition due to the expense of the devices. From the aforementioned article:

“The bill was developed after the 2009 death of 18-year-old Lauren Laman, a senior at St. Charles North High School. Laman collapsed during drill team practice and was pronounced dead. It was later determined she died as a result of a known heart condition. Although she was given CPR at the scene, an AED nearby was never used and could have potentially saved her life.”

The debate seems to be shaping between the pros and cons of:

(a) existing AED units that are not being used vs. (b) having more AED units available to the public to increase overall awareness.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that “a” is a challenge, however, we’ll only be able to compare it to “b” after further saturation and deployment of life-saving AEDs.