Medical professionals have criticized the video for misleading viewers with inaccurate information. Language used in the video also humanizes the fetus from the moment of conception – an approach pushed by anti-abortion advocates. The video has inspired conservative lawmakers to pass legislation mandating that students watch a “high-quality, computer-generated animation” of at least three minutes in length that depicts fetal heart, brain and vital organ development.
Now lawmakers in Iowa are considering making the video required viewing for students between first and 12th grade, and excise medical organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists from its list of “leading professional organizations … with relevant experience in the field.”.
“Instead, students should be equipped with sex education that sets them up with the medically accurate information they need to make healthy decisions for their lives, now and in the future,” Mazie Stilwell, the director of public affairs said in a statement.
A similar bill has been introduced in Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Missouri. Live Action, the creator of the video, is a nonprofit that aims to end abortion, in part by spreading opinions. They refer to fetuses as “preborn children” and only define abortion as a dilation and evacuation, which is typically done in the second trimester and is not the most common form of abortion.
