The Tennessee Senate recently passed a bill (SB 2767) that will necessitate public schools to incorporate a video detailing fetal development in their family life curriculum. The video would be akin to the one prepared by an anti-abortion group, with a computer-generated animation or high-definition ultrasound demonstrating the early development of vital organs.
The video, termed “Meet Baby Olivia” in the bill and produced by the anti-abortion group Live Action, has received extensive criticisms. Prominent Tennessee Democrats and medical organizations, including State Senator Heidi Campbell, expressed their dissatisfaction, terming the video “offensively childish” and “insulting” to women and the medical profession. They opined the video trivializes the complexity inherent in reproductive health and propagates women’s personal health challenges.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, too, criticized the video, contending that it shares unsound anti-abortion information intended to influence the emotions of its viewers. The video’s medical accuracy has been a point of contention, with Republican State Senator Janice Bowling defending it as “medically correct”, a standpoint vehemently contradicted by Ashley Coffield, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi. Coffield asserted that the video lacked the endorsement of any leading impartial medical organization.
Critics also opposed the bill’s disregard for parental consent. The Tennessee Senate declined various amendments proposed by Democrats, including one requiring parental consent before students could view the video, and another necessitating a disclaimer that the video included “scientifically inaccurate information and political propaganda.” Democratic State Senator Charlane Oliver highlighted the inconsistency in Republicans enforcing the video’s implementation without parental consent, quipping that “[parental choice] seems to be only convenient when it fits a certain political ideology.”
This all transpires in a context where the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that there is no constitutional right to abortion. Following this, anti-abortion legislation has ramped up in various states. Proposals that reference the contentious “Meet Baby Olivia” video have been introduced in states like Kentucky, West Virginia, North Dakota, Missouri, and Iowa. If signed by Governor Bill Lee, Tennessee’s bill will become the first of these proposals to be enacted.
Lee, who applauded the Dobbs decision, has been a stringent advocate for anti-abortion policies. He implemented a comprehensive abortion ban with barely any exceptions and is currently involved in a legal entanglement. The Center for Reproductive Rights challenges his ban, asserting that it contravenes the Tennessee Constitution.