Arkansas bill that would teach fetal development in schools gaining traction 

Arkansas lawmakers want to give elementary schoolers a more pro-life education. 

The state’s House Education Committee Tuesday voted to advance the Baby Olivia Act (HB1180) along party lines; Republicans supported it and Democrats opposed it. 

That means it is ready for a full House vote, which could happen in the coming weeks. 

The proposal would require the state’s public schools, including charter schools, to show their 5^th-grade health class students a three-minute video, created by the pro-life organization Live Action, detailing fetal development. 

“This story is the growth of Olivia, as she progresses from one developmental stage to the next in preparation for her continued life outside of the womb,” Rep. Maria Bentley, R-Perryville, told KARK. 

“Each and every word and every image have the backing of experts in embryonic and fetal development,” she added. 

Nothing in the bill prevents parents from opting their children out of watching the video, Bentley said. 

Local conservative activist Jimmie Cavin heartily supports the legislation.  

“This bill requires discussion and instruction into the biological process of human development inside the womb. It’s not indoctrination, it’s biology,” Cavin told KARK. 

Republicans have large supermajorities in both legislative chambers and a pro-life governor in Sarah Huckabee Sanders, greatly helping the bill’s chances of becoming law, even as Democrat state legislators and liberal organizations oppose it. 

Progressive Arkansas Women PAC member Debby Goolsby said content created by pro-life organizations has no place in schools. 

“The fact that it was created by an anti-abortion group should be enough to stop it right there,” Goolsby told the Arkansas Times. “I had an abortion, and I do not need to tell anybody on this committee what my situation was, but this video is meant to shame me, I think.” 

Rep. Denise Garner, D-Fayetteville, said during the committee meeting that she “wanted to make sure everybody understands that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the group of medical professionals who set the standards for women’s care, say this film is medically inaccurate.” 

“I just want you to realize that,” Garner added.  

The measure comes as pro-lifers nationwide take creative approaches to advance their cause. 

In Indiana, Republican Gov. Mike Braun reversed his predecessor’s policy by ordering the state to release abortion records, settling a lawsuit from the pro-life organization Voices for Life, according to the Federalist.  

Voices for Life filed a lawsuit when Eric Holcomb was governor, after the state stopped releasing annual abortion data reports that included legal violations by abortion providers and instances of babies being born alive during a botched abortion. 

The Holcomb administration contended that because so few abortions were taking place in Indiana, the data would make it easy to identify specific women who had abortions. 

(Media credit: screenshot from “Baby Olivia” produced by Live Action)