Latest news with #BabyOlivia
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sex ed bill going to Braun requires students view fetal development videos. Is it anti-abortion?
A controversial bill on its way to Gov. Mike Braun's desk would require Hoosier students in sex education classes to view video of an ultrasound and computer renderings of the stages of fetal development, which one national organization says is a tactic of anti-abortion groups. The video language in Senate Bill 442 was added to the bill in early April by the House Committee on Education and has drawn condemnation from Democrats who have expressed concerns over whether medically accurate materials would be shown to students. The final version of the bill was approved by both the House and Senate April 23 and now heads to Braun. SB 442 specifies that human sexuality courses in Indiana must include presentations on 'human growth and development during pregnancy,' and states they must be a minimum three-minute, 'high-definition' ultrasound video of fetal development and 'high quality' computer renderings or animation of the fertilization of egg and stages of the growth of a fetus. Similar language requiring students in sex education classes to watch fetal development videos has popped up in statehouses around the country this year, including in New Hampshire and Florida. Stateline reported in February that other Republican-led states, including Arkansas, Iowa and Nebraska, were passing requirements aimed at having students watch a video anti-abortion group Live Action created titled 'Baby Olivia.' SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, a sex education nonprofit, in a March news release said the movement to show 'medically inaccurate' fetal development videos and ultrasounds in classrooms are a tactic of 'anti-abortion extremists.' Indiana passed a near-total abortion ban in 2022. The language in SB 442 on ultrasound video and fetal development animations does not explicitly describe Live Action's Baby Olivia video. The bill says that the materials must be 'medically accurate and age appropriate.' But Senate Democrats on April 23 questioned the reasoning behind the specificity of the language in the bill, down to the minimum three-minute timeline. The "Baby Olivia" video is just over three minutes long. 'You can say that the House put it in there, but there has to be some reason why you kept it in there,' Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, asked Republican Sen. Gary Byrne, who authored the bill. 'Is it based on some evidence that you have in terms of what is best practices with high-definition ultrasound videos on length of time?' More: Indiana already banned abortions. Now, state lawmakers are eyeing abortion pills. Byrne, of Byrneville, said he received several examples of videos that could apply to the requirement in SB 442. When Sen. JD Ford, D-Indianapolis, asked Byrne specifically if he knew about the Baby Olivia video, Byrne said he couldn't give the specific titles of the videos he watched. Byrne stood firm that individual school boards would have to approve the video shown to students in sex education courses, which is the main focus of SB 442. 'There's plenty of examples of videos,' Byrne said. 'The school boards get to choose what video they would approve, and again, the parent would decide whether they want their child to participate in that, because that would be listed on the materials used.' The video language is not the only controversy that has hit SB 442. During a conference committee meeting on April 21, Byrne said a he removed a requirement to teach consent to sexual activity from the bill. By April 23, Byrne shared in a statement that the language was added back to the bill. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana sex ed bill heading to Braun requires fetal development video viewing
Indianapolis Star
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Sex ed bill going to Braun requires students view fetal development videos. Is it anti-abortion?
A controversial bill on its way to Gov. Mike Braun's desk would require Hoosier students in sex education classes to view video of an ultrasound and computer renderings of the stages of fetal development, which one national organization says is a tactic of anti-abortion groups. The video language in Senate Bill 442 was added to the bill in early April by the House Committee on Education and has drawn condemnation from Democrats who have expressed concerns over whether medically accurate materials would be shown to students. The final version of the bill was approved by both the House and Senate April 23 and now heads to Braun. SB 442 specifies that human sexuality courses in Indiana must include presentations on 'human growth and development during pregnancy,' and states they must be a minimum three-minute, 'high-definition' ultrasound video of fetal development and 'high quality' computer renderings or animation of the fertilization of egg and stages of the growth of a fetus. Similar language requiring students in sex education classes to watch fetal development videos has popped up in statehouses around the country this year, including in New Hampshire and Florida. Stateline reported in February that other Republican-led states, including Arkansas, Iowa and Nebraska, were passing requirements aimed at having students watch a video anti-abortion group Live Action created titled ' Baby Olivia.' SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, a sex education nonprofit, in a March news release said the movement to show 'medically inaccurate' fetal development videos and ultrasounds in classrooms are a tactic of 'anti-abortion extremists.' Indiana passed a near-total abortion ban in 2022. The language in SB 442 on ultrasound video and fetal development animations does not explicitly describe Live Action's Baby Olivia video. The bill says that the materials must be 'medically accurate and age appropriate.' But Senate Democrats on April 23 questioned the reasoning behind the specificity of the language in the bill, down to the minimum three-minute timeline. The "Baby Olivia" video is just over three minutes long. 'You can say that the House put it in there, but there has to be some reason why you kept it in there,' Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, asked Republican Sen. Gary Byrne, who authored the bill. 'Is it based on some evidence that you have in terms of what is best practices with high-definition ultrasound videos on length of time?' Byrne, of Byrneville, said he received several examples of videos that could apply to the requirement in SB 442. When Sen. JD Ford, D-Indianapolis, asked Byrne specifically if he knew about the Baby Olivia video, Byrne said he couldn't give the specific titles of the videos he watched. Byrne stood firm that individual school boards would have to approve the video shown to students in sex education courses, which is the main focus of SB 442. 'There's plenty of examples of videos,' Byrne said. 'The school boards get to choose what video they would approve, and again, the parent would decide whether they want their child to participate in that, because that would be listed on the materials used.' The video language is not the only controversy that has hit SB 442. During a conference committee meeting on April 21, Byrne said a he removed a requirement to teach consent to sexual activity from the bill. By April 23, Byrne shared in a statement that the language was added back to the bill.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma legislators want to require schools to show controversial ‘Baby Olivia' video
Rep. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, is the author of a bill that could make "Baby Olivia," a controversial anti-abortion video, part of the curriculum for Oklahoma students. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — A controversial anti-abortion video could become part of the curriculum for Oklahoma students in November after legislation cleared the state House Monday. House Bill 1603 from Rep. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, outlines requirements and standards for a video teaching 'human biology related to pregnancy' and 'human development inside of a womb.' The bill requires parents to opt-in their students to the curriculum, but makes viewing it a graduation requirement for Oklahoma high school students unless they are not opted-in. While the legislation does not explicitly name the 'Baby Olivia' video and the bill author rebuked any direct relation, the video fits the outlined requirements. In several other states, similar legislation with nearly identical language directly named 'Baby Olivia.' The controversial video is produced by Live Action, an anti-abortion organization, and narrates the development of a fetus inside a womb from conception until birth. The group said the video's accuracy was reviewed by several doctors, but all are associated with anti-abortion or Christian organizations, according to reporting from Stateline. Oklahoma's video must be 'a high-definition ultrasound video, at least three minutes in duration, showing the development of the fetus in a biological woman' and 'a high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation showing the process of fetal development, highlighting significant markers in cell growth and organ development until birth.' These are the same requirements listed in more explicit 'Baby Olivia' legislation around the country. Oklahoma schools are currently not required to teach sex education, but do have to provide HIV/AIDS prevention instruction and health education. Gise said her legislation gives parents a say in what their children learn when it comes to health education as they have to opt their students in. Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, said the 'Baby Olivia' video was deemed inaccurate by many other states and asked Gise to provide a list of acceptable videos that meet her standards, which was not provided. Provenzano said this appeared to be model legislation being pushed by Live Action, but Gise said she is not familiar with the group pushing the 'Baby Olivia' video and said she 'highly doubts' there is an exact replica of her bill as she worked 'tirelessly' on it. She said other states have similar requirements which is indicative of a growing trend in this 'compassionate and conservative movement.' Gise said there are plenty of 'science-based and medically sound' videos available for free online and that her bill does not mandate a specific video but rather a 'set of standards.' Local school districts would be tasked with choosing what video to include in curriculum, with the State Board of Education available for guidance on selecting scientifically accurate options. While Gise said seeing the development of a fetus in the womb 'will create a culture that understands and values the sanctity of life' and lead to more informed decisions and less teen pregnancies in Oklahoma, critics of the bill did not appear to be satisfied with this reasoning. Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City, said the bill's language was broad and could potentially open the door to teachers choosing to teach sex education, which he said fits under the language of 'human biology related to pregnancy.' Gise disagreed and said her bill is narrowly focused on human growth and development. States with similar legislation in various stages of the legislative process include Iowa, Arkansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, North Dakota and Florida. The bill passed through the Oklahoma House 75-18 Monday, with two Republicans joining Democratic representatives in voting against it. A Senate version of the bill was not heard in committee this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida could make schools show fetal-development video backed by anti-abortion group
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida schools could be required to show students detailed videos of human fetal development under legislation filed this week that mirrors bills backed by an anti-abortion group and adopted in recent years in North Dakota and Tennessee. Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, who chairs the Florida House education committee, filed HB 1255 late Wednesday afternoon. The multi-pronged education bill includes a requirement to show students in grades 6 through 12 a 'high-definition ultrasound video, at least one minute in duration' and a three-minute computer-generated video 'showing and describing the process of fertilization and various stages of human development inside the uterus.' North Dakota and Tennessee passed similar laws requiring schools to show a fetal-development video by Live Action, an anti-abortion group. The video, titled 'Baby Olivia', is a three-minute, computer-generated video that shows and describes the process of fertilization and the various stages of human development inside the uterus — echoing the language in HB 1255. 'If young people see the beauty of these beginnings, then hopefully they'll think twice before running to the abortion clinic,' said Sen. Janne Myrdal, a North Dakota Republican who helped introduce that state's bill, in an interview with The Associated Press in 2023. Live Action gained notoriety in the late 2000s for secretly recording abortion clinics and posting its 'investigations' to social media, where the organization has now amassed millions of followers across several platforms. The organization has called for outlawing abortions. Trabulsy did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday morning. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the bill was 'anti-abortion propaganda' being snuck into sweeping education legislation. 'It's just sick,' she said. Eskamani said Florida is missing the mark on sex education in public schools and heading further in the wrong direction with Trabulsy's bill. 'This video is not scientific. It is from an anti abortion organization,' Eskamani said. 'This is clearly an attempt to continue to push an anti-abortion agenda onto our children — where I thought the legislature didn't want to indoctrinate kids.' Citing a new state law, Florida education officials last year told school districts they could not teach students about contraception or other sex-related topics and must 'emphasize abstinence' in any sex education lessons. A bill similar to Trabulsy's failed in Arkansas — like Florida, a GOP-run state — this week when the 'Baby Olivia Act' failed to get enough votes in committee, according to the Arkansas Advocate. The Florida Legislature, which starts its new session Tuesday, is dominated by Republicans who enacted a strict six-week ban that, with some exceptions, limits most abortions. But some lawmakers could vote against the bill, Eskamani said, if 'voters hold them accountable.' In November, 57% of Floridians voted to protect abortion rights until viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy. Amendment 4, however, needed 60% of the vote to become law, and so failed to pass. 'Pushing anti-abortion propaganda onto our children is not something that the people of this state want to see,' she said. --------
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Baby Olivia Act hits bump in Arkansas Senate Education Committee
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Baby Olivia Act passed on the Arkansas House floor last week, but on Monday it hit a bump in the road on the Senate side. In the Senate Education Committee, State Sen. Breanne Davis (R- Russellville) testified she is pro-life and has concerns with the bill. Bill filed to show Baby Olivia gestation video in Arkansas health classrooms She said the conversation is being framed as a pro-life or pro-choice issue when it should be looked at as a science issue. 'So we're going to be teaching children, about development in a way that when they go see their OBGYN, the doctor will not tell them the same thing, and that is what is controversial,' Davis said. 'That's what I have a problem with.' The debate surrounds a three-minute fetal development video from the pro-life organization Live Action. The bill would require that the video be shown to students in public and open-enrollment charter schools, starting in 5th-grade health class. Erin Hogan with Family Council was there to support the bill and says it's medically accurate. 'It's a video that shows the fetal development of a human being,' Hogan said. 'There are numerous, numerous OBGYNs across the nation who helped put this video together.' There was concern about if other videos could be shown as well. The bill's sponsor said there could be, but the committee debated if they felt the legislation allowed that. State Sen. Stephanie Flowers (D-Pine Bluff) made a motion of do not pass, however, that vote failed after a lot of discussion about procedure. Bill filed to show Baby Olivia gestation video in Arkansas health classrooms passes state House The bill was pulled down from committee. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Mary Bentley (R-Perryville), could make changes and bring it back to committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
