Iowa students will have to watch inaccurate video thanks to Republican lawmakers

Iowa lawmakers have passed a bill that will make students watch a medically inaccurate video on fetal development.

A pregnancy education bill, Senate File 175 (SF175), has passed both houses of the Iowa Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature.

If signed, it will require students in grades 5-12 to view a fetal development video as part of their human growth and development instruction. The law further requires that the human growth and development curricula include:

• Instruction referring to “human development” instead of “fetal development,” inside the “womb” instead of “uterus,” and
• A high-quality rendering, animation, or image that “depicts the humanity of the unborn child.”

The law additionally prohibits using any educational materials created by medical institutions like the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, along with organizations like Planned Parenthood, because they perform or refer for abortions when medically necessary. 

“Iowa’s youth are not political pawns, yet here we are once again with state lawmakers inserting themselves into the classroom by requiring even our youngest children to watch scientifically false videos about fetal development,” said Mazie Stilwell, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, in a statement.

While the bill does not name a specific video, it’s modeled after a video titled “Meet Baby Olivia,” which was produced by an anti-abortion group. That video misrepresents gestational age, makes false claims about viability, and uses narration that emotionally manipulates viewers—such as characterising fetal movement as “playing.” 

“It is despicable and shameless,” Stilwell said. “Our students deserve to be taught curriculum bound in facts, so they are equipped with the necessary tools to make informed decisions about their lives and futures.”

If Reynolds signs the bill into law, the new curriculum standards would be implemented starting July 1, 2025.