‘Baby Olivia’ bill passed by legislature, heads to governor’s desk

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee students will soon be required to watch a video that, according to critics, constitutes medical misinformation about fetal development in their sex education classes.

The “Meet Baby Olivia Act” passed the final hurdle in the Tennessee General Assembly Thursday, April 4, paving the way for the pro-life video to be included in all family life curriculum that deals with human growth.

During floor debate Thursday, multiple Democrats attempted to add amendments that would require parental consent be obtained prior to showing the video, make the law permissive rather than mandatory, include language addressing the controversial nature of the video, and including topics such as consent and safe contraceptive use in the curriculum. All amendments failed after Republicans moved to table them, closing off any discussion of the amendments.

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Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) said as the parent of three, including two middle schoolers, it was important to leave curriculum decisions like this to school districts and parents, not the state.

“I don’t agree with this as a parent. I need to see what my child, who has access to all kinds of technology, what they are being exposed to,” she said. “As a parent, I want to raise them in the way that I should have to do that. I don’t want to leave that in the hands of, as this bill says, Live Action. I don’t even know who that is, and I’m leaving them to indoctrinate my child with material that I don’t even know is factual, medically accurate. That information needs to be left to professionals.”

Brought by staunch conservatives Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) and Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), the bill would take effect for the upcoming school year and be required thereafter.

Bowling said the video was “medically accurate” and shows the moment of fertilization, which “is the beginning of life.”

Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) said she disagreed with requiring “something designed by a political website” in the state curriculum, calling it “15 steps too far.”

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“A parent should certainly be able to decide if they want their child to watch an ultrasound video when they are in school. That’s just absurd to me,” she said.

According to Bowling, the video would be required as part of the “family life curriculum,” which is for students “middle school and over,” and which also requires parental consent to attend in Tennessee. She also clarified that the legislation does not require specifically “Meet Baby Olivia,” but rather names that video “or similar, anything like it,” after fielding questions from Democrats on the specifics of the bill.

“This is not a required video,” Bowling said of “Meet Baby Olivia.”

In closing, Bowling reaffirmed her stance that “Meet Baby Olivia” is a “medically accurate animated glimpse of human life in the moment of fertilization.”

“This is scientifically accurate,” she said. “And I repeat: this is one of the choices that a teacher may choose in showing this type of information.”

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No other choices of fetal development videos were offered in the Senate floor debate.

The bill passed the Senate on a party line vote, 21-6-2, with Sens. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) and Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) present not voting.

It also cleared the House floor Thursday, over objections and amendment attempts by House Democrats. The House passed the measure 67-23, again on a party line vote. The measure now heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.

News 2 reached out to the governor’s office to ask if he would sign the bill, but has not yet heard back.

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