‘Baby Olivia Act,’ passed into law in Tennessee, is an attack on accurate sex education

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee officially signed into law a catastrophic bill that will change how public schools teach students about health and fetal development.

We all want what’s best for young people: education that’s age appropriate and helps them make decisions that will lead to a healthy future.

But rather than helping schools teach children the facts, the “Baby Olivia” Act will undeniably steer Tennessee further off course.

This comes at a time when the state is already behind, ranking 33rd in US News & World Report's state education rankings.

Why abstinence-only curriculum is ineffective

This legislation is more than just a curriculum change: it endorses ideas that don’t line up with what doctors, health experts and scientists have proved pregnancy and human development really look like. It’s confusing for students, paints a misleading picture of health and development not based in fact, and is a clear attempt to shame people who have had a miscarriage or abortion.

A handful of fringe special interest groups continue to exploit people’s lack of understanding to push politicians to adopt propaganda instead of listening to doctors and scientists and this video misses the mark entirely.

Health experts have already found the video inaccurately sets a timeline about two weeks ahead of medical consensus and overrepresents fetal movement in early stages.

Additionally, the abstinence-only curriculum under this law withholds the information young people need to make informed decisions about their bodies and their futures. Research continues to prove that abstinence-only curriculum is ineffective and omitting critical information from sex education only serves to endanger students' physical and mental health. Students can’t be expected to make healthy decisions if we keep them in the dark.

Here is how sex education should be taught

What, then, should sex education in Tennessee – or anywhere, for that matter – look like? As leaders with Advocates for Youth, a leading sex education advocacy organization, our work is dedicated to ensuring comprehensive, inclusive, and research-based sex education is the standard.

This covers the biological aspects of human development and reproduction while also addressing consent, interpersonal relationships, sexual violence prevention, identity and puberty. We aim to equip students with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and foster an environment of understanding and respect for diverse experiences and choices.

In today's digital age full of online resources, we have a prime opportunity to enhance traditional sex education with platforms like AMAZE. This multimedia project from Advocates for Youth offers young people, their parents, and teachers, with engaging, age appropriate, online sex education.

This kind of quality, expert-backed content is crucial, especially in places like Tennessee, where new laws not based on medical science will now limit what students can learn in class. While videos can be fantastic tools for learning, it's vital they’re crafted by health and education professionals–not partisan politicians–who know how to share complex and sometimes awkward topics in clear and effective ways.

Communities should advocate for more comprehensive sex ed

As the "Baby Olivia" video continues to spread nationwide, it’s more important than ever to have honest conversations about the role of sex education in shaping the health and well-being of students across our communities.

It’s time for educators, healthcare professionals, and parents to come together to ensure that the information provided in classrooms is accurate, comprehensive and grounded in evidence.

Our commitment to upholding a curriculum that accurately reflects human development and respects students' rights to comprehensive education is key. Using resources like AMAZE, we can ensure that our youth have access to the accurate, comprehensive information they deserve despite legislative barriers.

We urge communities across Tennessee to advocate for more comprehensive sex education with their legislators, emphasizing its critical role to the health and knowledge of our youth. The well-being of future generations depends on it.

Brittany McBride serves as the director of training at Advocates for Youth, enhancing sexual health education materials and aiding organizations and schools in delivering sustainable, equitable sex education. Nora Gelperin leads the sex education and training team at Advocates for Youth and co-authored the globally used K-12 curriculum, Rights, Respect, Responsibility.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee sex education: Baby Olivia Act sets the state backward