COLUMBUS— Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) announced the introduction of the Baby Olivia Act, legislation that would require public schools to include a video about fetal development in school curriculum in grades three through 12.
The video shows prenatal development through detailed animation or ultrasound imagery, according to a press release. The video would demonstrate the formation of organs such as the heart and brain to provide students with a “clear, scientific understanding of early human biology.”
“Every child deserves to learn the truth about the miracle of human development. The Baby Olivia Act ensures that Ohio students are given a clear, science-based picture of life in the womb,” Miller said in a press release.
“By championing this legislation, I want to equip the next generation with knowledge that fosters respect for human life and an appreciation for the incredible biology that begin at conception,” Miller said in a press release.
Miller said in a press conference the video would be shown in classes that discuss human growth, development or sexuality. Those could include science and health classes.
If the bill is passed, the schools will begin showing the video in the 2026-27 school year, Miller said in a press conference.
The name of the bill is inspired by a video called Baby Olivia, which shows the progression of a fetus growing within the womb.
Rep. Miller announced the legislation on Tuesday in the Ohio Statehouse, where she was joined by Kate Makra, President of the Right to Life Action Coalition, and David Mahan, Policy Executive Director for the Center for Christian Virtue.
“CCV is excited to support the Baby Olivia Act,” Mahan said in the press release. “This instruction will give students of all ages a rare glimpse into how they came into this world, and hopefully engender a sense of renewed value and respect for themselves and others.”
“How many times have we heard the rationale that an embryo or a fetus is just ‘pregnancy tissue’ or a ‘clump of cells,’ or worse yet, not even human?” Makra said in the press release. “This dehumanization of the unborn must stop, and it can only be overcome by teaching children the truth about the humanity of the child in the womb. The Baby Olivia Act will accomplish this objective.”
At the press conference, Miller said Idaho, Kansas, North Dakota, Tennessee, Iowa and Indiana have all enacted similar legislation.
To see Rep. Miller’s full remarks from the press conference, click here.
