On Thursday, the Oklahoma House voted 69-15 to pass legislation aimed at educating students and the general public alike about fetal development and abortion alternatives, with the express goal of “achieving an abortion-free society.”
HB 2797, the Humanity of the Unborn Child Act, calls for the state to create a public information program on fetal development, including public 9-12th grade education, public service announcements and additional media initiatives, lists of public and private resources pertaining to fetal development, and requiring all health providers to inform pregnant patients of these resources.
Parents would have the right to opt their children out of the classroom component. HB 2797 now goes to the Senate for consideration, though the House vote did not approve funding with which to implement the measure, which would presumably be taken up should it become law.
Critics of the bill have complained that it amounts to indoctrination by taking a side in a controversial issue. However, the life of an individual human being beginning at fertilization is not a personal or religious belief, but an objective scientific fact which is confirmed by a number of mainstream biology texts and admitted by several pro-abortion leaders and philosophers, such as Ann Furedi and Peter Singer.
Majorities of Americans consistently say they favor banning elective abortions, yet the United States remains divided on the issue, partly due to misinformation about preborn babies spread by the abortion industry. Educating future generations on the science of embryology may be the key to establishing a pro-life consensus.
