NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Senators passed a bill, SB 2767, letting schools show students a three-minute video that says human life starts at fertilization. The bill previously passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to Governor Bill Lee's desk.
The bill generally requires schools to show videos about fetal development during family life lessons, but specifically includes language allowing schools to show a video condemned by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as "anti-abortion misinformation designed to manipulate the emotions of viewers." The video is named Meet Baby Olivia.
That video said after around three weeks the embryo's heartbeat "can be detected," and has brain activity after six weeks of fertilization. It also said at nine weeks, a fetus will sigh and stretch, before "playing in the womb" at 11 weeks.
"This is Olivia. Though she has yet to greet the outside world, she has already completed an amazing journey," the video said at the start. "This is the moment that life begins. A new human being has come into existence. At fertilization, her gender, ethnicity, hair color, eye color and countless traits are already determined."
Normally, the sex of a newborn can only be determined between 18 weeks and 20 weeks after conception.
According to documents from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, a heartbeat can be seen on an ultrasound between five and six weeks from conception. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a heart is formed at around three weeks from conception.
The National Institutes of Health also said pregnant women usually start feeling movement from a fetus at around 20 weeks, or during the second trimester. It said an infant is considered to be born full-term at 39 or 40 weeks of pregnancy.
On April 4, Senator Raumesh Akbari (D - Memphis) tried to introduce an amendment that would have specifically restricted the Meet Baby Olivia video from being shown without approval from parents. The amendment was tabled. Akbari said she wanted to introduce the amendment after feedback from parents in her district.
Sen. Charlane Oliver (D - Nashville) also tried to introduce an amendment that would have only allowed schools to show a video depicting the development of a fetus — not required it. It failed without discussion.
"I think it's important that we leave this discretion to not only the school districts, but the teachers who are teaching curriculum to our kids and who are spending the most time with them during the school day," she said. "I've heard many members in this body talk about school choice, parent choices, as the lay of the land and how it should be. But it seems to only be convenient when it fits a certain political ideology."
Several Democratic lawmakers in the House condemned the bill and the video.
"This bill is a piece of anti-abortion legislation that is being moved through our committee so that it is integrated into our public school system," Rep. Aftyn Behn (D - Nashville) during a March 6 meeting of the Education Instruction Subcommittee.
It was also condemned by former teacher Representative Gloria Johnson (D- Knoxville) as medically inaccurate She said the video mischaracterizes how early survival outside the womb is possible, and uses the sounds of a fully-developed heartbeat while discussing electrical impulses during fetal development. She also said biology classes in schools already have a curriculum showing the development of the human body.
"So, physicians say that this video is medically inaccurate. And we do, in our biology classes, have a factual curriculum about that development that doesn't try to influence how people feel about it. Just your basic medical facts," said Johnson. "So, my concern here is that this video is deceptive and problematic for a young audience. It's designed to manipulate the emotions of viewers."
Its House sponsor, Rep. Gino Bulso (R - Brentwood), previously said the video is not medically inaccurate. He also said the video had the backing of organizations who participated in its development as being medically sound, and he said he believed ACOG has political motivations.
The video's website also offers "more pro-life resources" at the bottom of its webpage. It was produced by Live Action, an explicitly anti-abortion nonprofit. Behn also said many of Live Action's videos have been discredited for inaccuracies.
The bill passed the Senate in a 21-6 vote. If becoming law, students would be required to watch videos like Meet Baby Olivia starting in the 2024-2025 school year.