Image of ‘twin babies’ used by anti-abortion activist appears to show sugar gliders

An image shared by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe, presented as evidence of aborted twin girls named Ruth and Emma, has been identified by experts as likely being sugar gliders. The photograph, showing two small pink bodies on a white background, has been subjected to digital forensic analysis.

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The shape, head proportion, and other traits were characteristic of marsupials, not humans.

Forensic experts commissioned by Guardian Australia determined that the image strongly resembles a sugar glider joey (Petaurus breviceps) or another marsupial. Their analysis indicated an "extremely low" probability of the image being of human embryos, citing characteristic traits of marsupials in the shape and proportions of the heads and bodies. The image appears to originate from a TikTok video about rescuing sugar gliders.

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at that stage would have an obvious umbilical cord and would be aborted with its membrane.

Howe intends to use this image at a rally scheduled for June 2 in Sydney, which aims to advocate for stricter abortion access laws. Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is slated to speak at the event. Medical experts have corroborated the forensic findings, noting that a human embryo would typically display an umbilical cord and be accompanied by blood clots and membranes, features absent in Howe's image. The ultimate goal of Howe and her associates, who have worked on legislation to restrict abortion, is to criminalize all abortions.

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if the objects in the image were the product of abortion it appeared someone had “tidied them up” for the picture because they were lacking tissues including the sac, the placenta, and the umbilical cord.