Bipartisan support suggests better sex ed in FL schools. It's the opposite.
As a Palm Beach County resident, the Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, and a mom of two teenagers, I have grave concerns about our young people's future in Florida. I know our elected officials share my commitment to education, but I'm troubled by the support I'm seeing for House Bill 1255, which includes language mandating the use of anti-abortion propaganda in our public schools.
As this bill moves through the committee process we're seeing members of our local legislative delegation – both Democrats and Republicans – voting "yes" for this bill requiring middle and high school students in Florida be subjected to anti-abortion indoctrination despite the fact that National Sex Education Standards do not recommend viewing an ultrasound video for sex education and displaying such a video is not considered a best practice in the sex education field.
Bills like HB 1255 are another example of a growing trend to infuse anti-abortion extremism and disinformation into health education by requiring the viewing of the "Meet Baby Olivia" video created by Live Action, an extreme anti-abortion group. Although the bill doesn't directly name Live Action's 'Meet Baby Olivia' video, it uses a description of the video that is very similar to the one used in the North Dakota law, and would likely require that students have to watch the Live Action video as part of health education. Thus far, no other videos have been developed that comply with the legislation, which leaves school boards with no option but to rely on Live Action's materials, even though the video is not scientifically accurate and has not been endorsed by leading medical organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Opinion: Florida is getting prudish on sex education
Being that the video in question is intended to mislead and frighten, it's no wonder it's rife with falsehoods. For starters, the video counts the embryo's age from conception, which is not how doctors measure pregnancy. They measure from the last known period. That means, in addition to other inaccuracies about development, every milestone is presented two weeks earlier than it happens. The computer-generated video uses up-close shots to misrepresent fetal development. The truth is, early pregnancy looks nothing like what we're told by groups like Live Action.
Live Action – the group behind the 'Baby Olivia' video – must not be allowed to spread their propaganda in our schools. Their group has been suspended or banned from several social media platforms for spreading conspiracies and disinformation and for posting graphic fear-mongering content and has been widely discredited for its inflammatory and doctored videos.
In April 2024, Fargo Public Schools in North Dakota stopped showing this video after a 15-year-old student said the video was misleading. A committee there investigated the video and found it contains significant portions of untrue information, inaccurate facts, and/or faulty premises.
Opinion: Florida turning the page on book banning with an excuse that will make you gag
All young people — no matter who they are or where they live — deserve sex education that is reflective of their experiences and needs. Young people deserve an accurate curriculum that will equip them to make healthy decisions and build the futures they want.
I hope our legislators will heed this warning from North Dakota – and from the overwhelming opposition from Floridians who have testified against this bill – and not only vote down this dangerous language, but speak up for our young people who are looking to these elected officials for leadership.
Laura Goodhue is Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, and Palm Beach resident.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida sex ed in schools may get worse with new bill | Opinion
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