Bills in three states would bring fetal development video to public schools

Pro-life lawmakers in at least three states have proposed legislation that would require public schools to incorporate a video on fetal development into the standard health curriculum.

Kentucky Rep. Nancy Tate, R-District 27, recently introduced HB 346, called the Baby Olivia Act. Olivia is the name given to an animated preborn baby featured in a fetal development video produced by the pro-life nonprofit organization Live Action. A similar Iowa bill, filed by Rep. Luana Stoltenberg, R-District 81, also mentions Live Action’s Baby Olivia project by name.

The Kentucky bill stipulates that the public school health curriculum for 6th grade and above must include a “high-definition ultrasound video, at least three minutes in duration, showing the development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs in early fetal development.” The bill adds that the curriculum must also include a “high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation” that visualizes fetal development from fertilization until birth.

A similar bill was introduced in West Virginia by Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson. SB 468 specifically targets the health curriculum for 8th and 10th grades, requiring discussions about human growth and development. The measure has been sent to the Rules Committee for deliberation.

The human development unit would have to include the presentation of the “Meet Baby Olivia video developed by Live Action, showing the process of fertilization and every stage of human development inside the uterus, noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development for every significant marker of pregnancy until birth,” the bill states.

“The Baby Olivia project is the most medically accurate, animated glimpse at human life in the womb from the moment of fertilization until the baby’s birthday,” Noah Brandt, vice president of communications and government affairs at Live Action, told The Lion. “We detail her growth from one development stage to the next. It illustrates the magic of human existence.

“The states that are working to add this video or similar content to state curriculums are just recognizing basic science – that human life begins at the moment of fertilization – and they want students to understand that and see that in a compelling way. Live Action is proud that Baby Olivia is a world class, leading resource being used to show that fact, but the legislative effort itself is from lawmakers in communities that want to ensure their school students have access to the truth.” 

The video has been reviewed and approved by numerous medical experts, including Dr. David Bolender of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Donna Harrison of the American Association of Pro-Life ObGyns, and Michelle Cretella of the American College of Pediatricians. 

“We worked with a team of amazing animators to beautifully document the details of preborn life, including heartbeat, fingernails, eyelashes, and even hiccups,” said Lila Rose, president of Live Action, at the time the resource launched. 

“Baby Olivia should be shown to anyone considering abortion – in schools, at pregnancy resource centers, at churches, and in sidewalk advocacy,” Rose continued.

Currently, abortion giant Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of sex education in the United States. Its designated education staff reach roughly 1.2 million Americans each year, the organization boasts, with most of these individuals being middle and high school aged students. Planned Parenthood Action also openly opposes abstinence-based or Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) methods of sex education.