In a Virginia elementary school where “fetus dolls” were passed out with an attached card describing fetal development, the fetal models are being dubbed as conservative propaganda.
Fourth and fifth graders of Oakwood Elementary School in Norfolk were given the dolls by a teacher who has been on a leave of absence since the incident arose. Some media outlets displayed no objectivity when covering this story: Examiner.com stated that, “educators should never force feed kids their own ideologies.” The Washington Post quoted a member of the school board who called the fetal models a “Pro-Life tool” that is “entirely inappropriate and unacceptable”. The 4″ models represent a 16-week fetus, and include information on the first 12 weeks of prenatal development. One parent admitted to being offended because she was not given a form to sign, and felt that the school was demeaning her role as a parent.
In April, high school students were barred from passing out the fetal models in New Mexico. Roswell Independent School District responded to the students who passed out over 3500 models by confiscating the remaining models of 12-week fetuses, ostensibly because the students had not asked permission to distribute the fetal models. Later, the district changed its reason to focus on the cards that accompanied the models. The cards not only included a Bible verse, but also listed a local pregnancy shelter's information. The school released a statement that the fetal dolls were barred because they were a form of solicitation for the non-profit pregnancy shelter.
Tim Aguilar, a youth pastor in the area, said, “The youth are leading this charge. Our desire ultimately for the students is that they have the liberties our nation was founded on. We're proud of them.”
Public schools are under attack from abortion activists. Sex education and methods of contraception are taught in high school, middle school, and even elementary school. Advocates of unborn children are given no chance to speak out in the schools. Polls have shown that the climate among the youth of America has shifted toward the Pro-Life movement. However, as long as the message of Life is kept outside of the public schools, abortions will continue since it is the only openly taught option considered in the public school system.