Anti-abortion activist’s image of ‘twin babies’ likely shows sugar gliders, analysis finds
The Story
An image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls named “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders, according to digital forensics analysis commissioned by Guardian Australia. Experts, including a wildlife veterinarian and an embryo specialist, said the image does not resemble human abortion tissue and likely depicts marsupials.
Key Facts
- The image was posted by Joanna Howe, who said she received it via an email titled “my shameful abortion” from a woman whose name she would keep private.
- Digital forensics analysis found the image was almost certainly from a TikTok video posted in January describing rescuing sugar gliders.
- The analysis found an “extremely low” chance the image was of human embryos, citing shape, head proportion, and other traits “characteristic of marsupials, not humans.”
- A wildlife veterinarian and glider expert agreed the picture was probably a sugar glider, noting a human embryo at that stage “would have an obvious umbilical cord and would be aborted with its membrane.”
- Adelaide University adjunct professor Jeremy Thompson said if the objects were the product of abortion, they appeared “tidied up” because they lacked tissues including the sac, placenta, and umbilical cord.
- A medical specialist (anonymous) said the objects were “not verified to be human, let alone females with names” and that an abortion would involve blood clots and membranes.
- Howe is using the image to garner support for a 2 June rally in Sydney calling on the state parliament to restrict abortion access; former Nationals leader and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce will speak at the rally.
- Howe has worked with NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick and SA Fair Go MP Sarah Game on bills restricting abortion access in their states.
- Howe said in an April debate, “We want to end abortion” and that “everybody involved in the process of murder should face criminal penalties.”
- Howe has been banned from SA parliament after alleged “threatening and intimidating tactics”; she denied wrongdoing and said she would challenge the ban.
- Howe has previously posted an image from a Townsville hospital of what she said was an aborted foetus, sparking an alleged privacy breach investigation that concluded without finding who sent the pictures.
- The president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Nisha Khot, called the use of such images an “absolutely horrible tactic” that “would tug at people’s emotions,” but said abortion is healthcare.
- The SA Abortion Action Coalition said such “incrementalism” undermines access to abortion care.
- Howe did not respond to questions about the veracity of the photo.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
- The identity of the woman who sent the email to Howe remains private.
- The source or origin of the TikTok video showing sugar gliders is unclear.
- Howe’s response to the analysis was not provided; she did not answer questions about the photo’s veracity.
Misconceptions
The article itself addresses the misconception that the image shows human aborted twins; multiple experts and digital forensics indicate it is likely marsupials.
Key Figures
- Joanna Howe – anti-abortion activist, expert in labour migration from Adelaide University
- Barnaby Joyce – former Nationals leader, now One Nation MP
- Jeremy Thompson – Adelaide University adjunct professor, chief scientific officer at Fertilis
- Nisha Khot – president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- John Ruddick – NSW Libertarian MP
- Sarah Game – SA Fair Go MP (formerly One Nation)
Sources: The Guardian
