NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On March 18 the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill, HB 2435, that would allow schools with a family-life curriculum to show a video made by an anti-abortion organization that says human life starts at fertilization. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called it "anti-abortion misinformation designed to manipulate the emotions of viewers."
The video is named "Meet Baby Olivia," and starts by showing a fully-formed infant in a womb before transitioning to depict a fertilized egg implanting inside a uterus.
The video said that 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.
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.
"Our state's extreme abortion ban is in full effect, and it's devastating lives. But the extremists in the legislature won't stop there," said Ashley Coffield, from Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi. "Baby Olivia is a fake ultrasound video produced by Live Action, a radical anti-abortion organization, and it parrots the same lies and misinformation that anti-abortion groups and lawmakers use to impose the total abortion ban that we have in Tennessee."
She said the video had not been endorsed by any unbiased medical organization, and Live Action had used similar materials across the U.S. to advance an anti-abortion agenda. She said the organization had been suspended or banned from several social media platforms for "spreading misinformation, conspiracy theories, and graphic content."
"This legislation brings that content into our schools. Young people, regardless of where they live, deserve honest, accurate and age-appropriate sex education that addresses their experiences and their needs," she said. "Real comprehensive sex education gives young people medically accurate information without shame or judgment, that sets students up for success in their lives and their relationships."
She also said child development experts agreed ultrasound videos would be inappropriate for sex education. She said it would not address the age-appropriate developmental needs of young people, and lead people away from possible complications and issues surrounding pregnancy that families would need to consider when starting a family.
She also said the family-life curricula are in most public schools, although its implementation and material may differ between schools.
The bill will be discussed by a Tennessee Senate committee on March 20, before going to a full vote.