An Iowa bill requiring students to receive prenatal instruction has been sent to the desk of Republican Governor Kim Reynolds for her signature.
Senate Bill 175 will require that the state’s public school students in grades four through 12 be shown “a high-definition ultrasound video showing the presence of the brain, heart and other vital organs in early fetal development” as well as “a high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation, or an ultrasound or other real image that depicts the humanity of the unborn child by showing prenatal human development, starting at fertilization, noting significant markers in cell and organ development throughout every stage of pregnancy.”
Though the legislation does not mention Live Action’s “Baby Olivia” video by name, the animated prenatal development video would qualify under the bill’s definition. It utilizes groundbreaking animation to depict medically-accurate information about life in the womb from the moment of fertilization all the way until birth. The video enables students to understand that human development starts well before birth, as it notes significant milestones in the preborn child’s growth and development for every week of pregnancy, such as the baby’s brain, heart, and lungs.
The bill passed the Iowa Senate in February, and was amended in the House on April 17 to specify that fetal development materials from any organization that “promotes,” commits, or refers for abortions would not be permitted. On April 28, the Senate approved the amendment, which next sends the bill to Reynolds’ desk.
DES MOINES, IOWA – JULY 14: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds speaks to guests before signing into law a bill that will ban most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy during a visit to the Family Leadership Summit on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. Several Republican presidential candidates were scheduled to speak at the event, billed as “The Midwest’s largest gathering of Christians seeking cultural transformation in the family, Church, government, and more.” (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Though some Iowa Democrats blasted the bill as “indoctrination” — parroting the rhetoric of the abortion industry that sees it as a threat — Rep. Helena Hayes defended the bill.
“It’s not about politics, but it challenges us to see value, beauty and dignity in every stage of human life,” she said. “I want to remind us all, that to teach a child to see life is to value it.”
Hayes also explained the reasoning behind the amendment to ensure materials from pro-abortion entities would not be permitted.
“If you seek abortion and you promote abortion, you probably don’t have a whole lot of material about depicting … the humanity of life inside the womb,” she said. “Because your objective, by definition, is to cease life in the womb. So the goals of those types of entities are totally different than what we are trying to accomplish with the intent of this bill.”
That sentiment was echoed by Sen. Jeff Taylor during Senate debate.
“Using material from abortion advocates may provide a tainted view of human life before birth, and that is unfair to young learning minds,” he explained. “Embryos, fetuses, babies, adolescents and adults are all human, and that fact should not be hidden — that every life, no matter how small, contains humanity and dignity from the very start.”
