In April of 2023, North Dakota enacted a law inspired by Live Action’s “Baby Olivia” video under the guise of teaching young people about fetal development. [1] Similar anti-abortion propaganda legislation was passed in Tennessee and introduced in at least ten more states in 2024, with seven of those bills explicitly referencing the Live Action video. [2,3]

Already this year, at least seven states – Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and West Virginia – have introduced legislation that would mandate “Baby Olivia” or a similar video be shown in schools. [4-10] Eight other states have proposed bills that include similar language without naming the Live Action video. [11-18] The proposed bill in Arkansas has faced pushback, even from would-be supporters. Arkansas Republican Senator Joshua Bryant, a co-sponsor of the bill, expressed concern about attaching Live Action’s content to this legislation. In a recent hearing, he asked, “What if Live Action becomes something that I don’t agree with tomorrow?” and further noted, “Live Action tomorrow may change their stance, and it may be to our detriment that we are mandating this to be taught at our schools and then not having the ability for our schools to have other options.” [19]

Despite claiming to be backed by scientists, the claims made in the “Baby Olivia” video don’t add up. The video repeats anti-abortion lies and inflammatory rhetoric debunked by numerous medical professionals: for example, the claim that hiccups begin at seven weeks of gestation, despite trusted medical experts stating that fetal hiccups may begin earliest at 23 weeks. [20] Additionally, the self-described scientists backing Live Action’s video have ties to anti-abortion groups seeking to ban all abortions, with two working for anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s research arm. [21]

Live Action is an extreme anti-abortion group, and the organization and its work have no place in education. Live Action and its founder and leader Lila Rose have close ties to David Daleiden, the anti-abortion activist who deceptively edited sting videos and spread inflammatory rhetoric about Planned Parenthood that was repeated by a mass shooter immediately after he shot three people to death and injured eight at a Colorado Springs health center. [22, 23] Live Action also employed Ruben Verastigui, an anti-abortion activist who was later convicted of distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography. [24] In addition to these disturbing ties, Rose has taken stances against IVF and contraception. She has also widely disseminated a dangerous lie that “abortion is never medically necessary.” This lie endangers people experiencing acute medical emergencies and has been directly refuted by medical groups and the Associated Press. [25-30]

Framing anti-abortion disinformation as educational material is detrimental to our nation’s youth. Add your name and make the message clear: Live Action’s anti-abortion propaganda has no place in our public schools.

Sources:

[1] https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/bill-overview/bo1265.html

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/21/meet-baby-olivia-anti-abortion-sex-ed

[3] https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2435&ga=113

[4] https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1180&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R

[5] https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HSB34

[6] https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25RS/hb397.html

[7] https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB461&year=2025&code=R

[8]https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_status.aspx?lsr=0407&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025&txtbillnumber=HB667

[9] https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3256&session=126&summary=B

[10] http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=94&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill

[11] https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=899&year=2025

[12] https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/S1046/

[13] https://bills.legmt.gov/#/lc/bill/2/LC2054

[14] http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=hb1603&Session=2500

[15] https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB3459

[16] https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=606

[17] https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/25808

[18] https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/HB2440

[19] https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/02/10/fetal-development-video-bill-hits-speed-bump-in-arkansas-senate-committee/

[20] https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/fetal-health/fetal-hiccups

[21] https://babyolivia.liveaction.org/

[22] https://www.thedailybeast.com/maker-of-planned-parenthood-video-called-abortion-genocide

[23] https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2019/12/09/colorado-springs-planned-parenthood-shooter-indicted-by-justice-department/

[24] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/246416/former-employee-of-pro-life-organizations-arrested-in-dc-on-child-pornography-charges

[25] https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1384733559697461248

[26] https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1694527703788249310

[27] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkwsBExmqTI&ab_channel=LilaRose

[28] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/21/stopping-birth-control-misinformation/

[29] https://www.facebook.com/lilagracerose/videos/508941603187665/

[30] https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2019/09/abortion-can-be-medically-necessary