House Bill 1603 by Rep. Emily Gise (R-Oklahoma City) passed the House Floor Monday. The bill would make viewing the video a graduation requirement, but only for students whose parents or guardians opt-in.
“Baby Olivia” is a three-minute, high-definition, computer-generated animated ultrasound video from the anti-abortion group Live Action.
While the legislation doesn’t name the “Baby Olivia” video specifically, it calls for 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.”
Similar legislation is underway in at least six other states.
In an email to StateImpact, Gise denies Live Action was involved in crafting the legislation and says there are “several videos” that would fit the language of the bill but did not provide examples by the time of publication.
Critics of the “Baby Olivia” video argue it includes scientifically misleading information — such as counting fetal age from conception, rather than the more commonly accepted gestational age, which begins at the start of the last missed menstrual cycle.
According to a statement provided to The AP by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the video “is designed to manipulate the emotions of viewers.”
On the House Floor, Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D-Tulsa) said as a former biology teacher, she was concerned about model legislation being passed from state to state requiring teachers to “lie to kids” about embryonic development.
Gise answered as she had spent “countless hours tirelessly working” on the legislation, she “highly doubt[ed]” there is an exact replica of it.
“There are some other states that have the high-definition video and the three-minute ultrasound,” Gise responded. “There’s a growing trend among other states that are leading in this compassionate conservatism movement that we see here.”
Gise also claimed that mandating schools to show the video to opt-in participants could reduce teen pregnancy.
“I believe that [teens] will be making more informed decisions when they understand the sanctity of life and what those decisions lead to,” Gise said.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
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