New Legislation Mandating Fetal Development Videos Be Shown As Part Of School Curriculum Signed By Tennessee Governor

Image Credit: Live Action / YouTube

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

Governor Bill Lee signed new legislation last week requiring fetal development videos be added to family life curriculum in public schools.

Dubbed “The Baby Olivia Act,” the new law will go into effect with the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

School districts required by Tennessee law to provide family life curriculum due to a county’s teen birth rate exceeding 19.5 per 1,000 in 15 to 19-year-old female students – 78 out of 95 counties in Tennessee – will be mandated to include a “presentation of a high-quality, computer-generated animation or high-definition ultrasound” at least three minutes in length that shows the brain, heart, and other vital organs in early fetal development.

The text of the amendment that rewrote the bill references “Meet Baby Olivia” – a video created by Live Action – as a suitable example of an animation that “shows the process of fertilization and the stages of human development inside the uterus.” The YouTube video has been viewed almost 7 million times.

During a committee meeting, sponsor Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16) said that “a family life curriculum that directly or indirectly addresses human growth, human development, human sexuality would be incomplete if it didn’t show the very beginning of that life, which is at conception.”

Critics of Live Action’s “Meet Baby Olivia” animation have argued that the video is “unscientific and emotionally manipulative” and in no way neutral. These same critics object to the idea “that fetuses are people” and take issue with calling abortion a moral evil.

Live Action’s video depicts milestone events in early fetal development including a detectable heartbeat 22 days from time of conception and brain activity at 6 weeks post fertilization.

According to Lila Rose, Live Action founder and president, the baby depicted in the computer-generated animation “can bring her hands together at 7 ½  weeks, and separate fingers and toes emerge. She can also begin to hiccup.”

House sponsor Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood-District 61) has said that the video has been reviewed by physicians who say it is “a completely accurate demonstration of embryonic development.”

Those physicians include Dr. David Bolender – PhD in Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy – and Michelle Cretella, MD, who is the Executive Director of the American College of Pediatricians. A bioethics nonprofit – Endowment for Human Development – was the source of the information presented in the animation.

Similar legislation has already been passed or has been considered in other states that specifically mandates that Live Action’s video be used. Tennessee references the video as a suitable option instead.

The House version of the bill passed in March with a vote of 67 to 23. Only Democrats voted against it. In early April it passed the Senate in a 21 to 6 vote with only Democrats voting against the legislation again. Two Republican Senators were present but chose not to vote, Senators Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7) and Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10).

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.