Planned Parenthood in Pennsylvania is sounding false alarms over a proposed bill in Harrisburg—House Bill 606—that would ensure students receive medically accurate instruction on early human life development. In a recent email to supporters, Planned Parenthood mischaracterized both the legislation and one of the many educational tools it could make available.
What HB 606 Actually Does
House Bill 606, introduced by Rep. Joe Hamm (R-Lycoming,Sullivan) , would amend the Public School Code to require Pennsylvania schools to teach the facts about a baby’s development starting with conception. Similar legislation is being proposed in the Senate by Senator Michele Brooks (R-Mercer,Crawford), who emphasized in a co-sponsor memo that the instruction would be science-based, integrated into biology courses, and aligned with state academic standards.
The goal: give students a deeper understanding of the remarkable journey of human life, including the effects of parental behaviors like drug and alcohol use during pregnancy. Senator Brooks noted the relevance in light of public health challenges such as the opioid epidemic and fetal alcohol syndrome, stressing that this education can equip future parents to make healthier choices and build stronger families.
Nowhere does HB 606 mandate a single specific video or curriculum resource. “Baby Olivia” is one scientifically accurate option among many that could be used..
What is “Baby Olivia”?
“Baby Olivia” is a medically accurate, 3D-animated video created by Live Action, developed with input from medical experts and world-class visual artists. The video depicts prenatal development from fertilization onward, using data sourced largely from the Endowment for Human Development (EHD). EHD describes itself as “committed to neutrality regarding all controversial bioethical issues,” and its award-winning prenatal development materials are distributed by National Geographic.
Far from “propaganda,” as Planned Parenthood’s email claims, “Baby Olivia” visualizes established, verifiable medical facts about human development.
Planned Parenthood’s Talking Points, And the Fallacies
Planned Parenthood’s email claims that videos like “Baby Olivia” are “manipulative attempts to assign personhood to fetuses” and “opt for propaganda rather than science.” Planned Parenthood would rather smear the source and intentions instead of addressing the content’s factual accuracy.
They also falsely frame the choice as “propaganda versus science,” as though accurate science and visual media can’t coexist. In reality, the video draws directly from peer-reviewed embryology data.
Lastly, email implies that showing students medically accurate prenatal development is dangerous because it may influence their views on abortion. They are explicitly arguing that accurate facts should be suppressed because they might lead to conclusions Planned Parenthood dislikes.
| Planned Parenthood Lies | The facts & truth |
| “Baby Olivia” is propaganda, not science. | “Baby Olivia” is based on peer-reviewed embryology data from the Endowment for Human Development, whose award-winning prenatal resources are distributed by National Geographic. |
| These videos are manipulative attempts to assign personhood to fetuses. | The video shows medically accurate, observable stages of human development; assigning moral value is separate from the scientific facts presented. |
| Showing this video is dangerous for students. | Accurate science is not dangerous. Suppressing information because of potential viewpoints it might influence undermines informed consent. |
| HB 606 forces all PA schools to show “Baby Olivia”. | HB 606 allows for a range of medically accurate prenatal development resources; “Baby Olivia” is one option, not a mandate. |
| Sex ed should be comprehensive and inclusive; this video is neither. | The video depicts factual, inclusive human development content and can complement comprehensive sex education by adding accurate prenatal science. |
The Hechinger Report Connection
The Planned Parenthood email links to a Hechinger Report story, reprinted by Teen Vogue, that disparages “Baby Olivia” and similar resources. As LiveAction reported, the Hechinger Report describes itself as “nonprofit” and “independent,” but its funding comes from major pro-abortion funding organizations, including the Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.
The ideological bias shows.
The smear hit piece warns that legislators in some states propose showing fetal development videos to students as young as third grade, presenting the fact as inherently alarming without offering any reasons for the alarm.
The article also quotes one critic urging viewers not to be “seduced by facts,” an extraordinary statement that suggests fear of students simply seeing scientifically accurate depictions of life in the womb.
Clearly, Hechinger Report and Planned Parenthood are of the same mind and are against science when it comes to this issue.
Why Informed Consent Matters
The irony is stark: Planned Parenthood markets itself under the banner of “pro-choice,” yet it opposes giving young people medically accurate information about prenatal development—information that could help them make informed decisions later in life.
In health care, informed consent means providing patients with clear, accurate, and complete information before making decisions. That principle should apply to life’s earliest stages. Teaching students the science of how human life develops, and the factors that can harm it, is not “propaganda”—it’s education.
Why This Matters for Pennsylvania Families
Senator Brooks’ memo rightly points out that public health crises—like the opioid epidemic—are harming babies before they are born. Students deserve to understand how choices made during pregnancy can affect a child’s health for life. HB 606 seeks to equip the next generation with the scientific knowledge to promote healthier pregnancies, stronger families, and better outcomes for children.
Planned Parenthood’s opposition to “Baby Olivia” and similar educational tools isn’t about protecting students from misinformation; it’s about controlling which facts they’re allowed to see. Parents, educators, and lawmakers should reject the false choice between science and morality, and stand for an approach that allows students to see the truth for themselves. Pennsylvania’s bill does just this, as science itself can fully display to students how life begins at the moment of fertilization when the sperm and the egg unite.
The bottom line: Accurate science is not a threat. Suppressing it is.
Click here to learn more about fetal human development from Endowment for Human Development.
Related Video:
From a single-celled human to a baby with a beating heart, brainwaves, fingers, and toes, Olivia shows the remarkable beauty of a unique life within the womb. The educational video was created by Live Action and reviewed by accredited medical professionals to show audiences the spectacular life of a baby growing within the womb.
With scientific accuracy, this video depicts the moment human life begins and beyond to show the humanity of preborn children throughout each stage of human development.
