'Divine Journey': N. Dakota to Show Students Medically Accurate Video of 'When Human Life Begins'

Steve Warren
04-12-2023

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North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has signed a new law mandating that schools show a high-quality video to educate students on preborn human development to students. 

Burgum's signing of HB 1265 comes after the North Dakota Supreme Court's ruling in March that a state abortion ban will remain blocked while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds.

The North Dakota Senate voted 37-9 to pass HB 1265 mandating schools use a medically accurate, high-definition video on fetal human development in middle school and high school classrooms. 

slider img 2The pro-life advocacy group Live Action's Baby Olivia video was presented by State Sen. Janne Myrdal (R-19th District) as the model video to use in schools. 

"Human development in the womb is obviously a part of science, something we want our children to learn and see," said Myrdal on the Senate floor. "I was inspired by Live Action's Baby Olivia video so I drafted legislation showing students the divine journey that every human being experiences. I look forward to seeing educators show Baby Olivia in classrooms in North Dakota and states beyond."

The video notes significant milestones in growth and development for every week of the pregnancy such as the preborn baby's heart, brain, and lungs. 

Lawmakers did not explicitly mention abortion when debating the bill on the Senate floor.

Opponents of the bill said they did not want to overstep by telling local schools how to teach, whereas supporters said lawmakers have the right to mandate curriculum in taxpayer-funded institutions.

"Although the video was great, well-intended, I just think we're opening the door to something that in the future might widen the scope of how we dictate local schools," Republican Sen. Michelle Axtman, of Bismarck, said in opposition to the bill late last month. 

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Republican Sen. Michael Wobbema, of Valley City, said the bill would not cost schools any money because the content the lawmakers have in mind is already online and free.

Cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound around six weeks into a pregnancy in cells within an embryo that will eventually become the heart.

"When people learn the truth about the humanity of children in the womb, and the barbaric procedures abortionists use to kill them, they change. They become pro-life," Lila Rose founder and president of Live Action, said in a statement. "North Dakota has taken a huge leap forward towards a more comprehensive understanding of how every human person begins by ensuring all 116,639 students in North Dakota will be shown the truth of human development." 

"Live Action is rejoicing in the fact that one of the options presented for school district use is our cutting-edge, educational video: Baby Olivia," she added. 

"I applaud Governor Burgum for signing this bill into law, Senator Myrdal for sponsoring it, and all of the North Dakota lawmakers who voted for it. This is just the beginning of ensuring every American student has access to accurate and high-quality information on when human life begins and how it develops," Rose concluded. 

You can watch Live Action's Baby Olivia video below:

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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