(Radio Iowa) – A bill eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate Education Committee would require that public schools show students in all grades ultrasounds and computer-generated animation that explain pregnancy and fetal development.
Similar bills that stalled in the legislature last year specified the “Meet Baby Olivia” video produced by an anti-abortion group would have to be shown to students, starting in 7th grade. There’s no reference to that video in this year’s bill — and the legislation no longer says what’s presented to students should be based on research by medical organizations like the American College of O-B-G-Y-Ns. Bill backers say the legislation requires students be presented with research-based, unbiased information that depicts the humanity of the unborn child.
A lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa says it’s a politically motivated bill that’s meant to influence the trajectory of young Iowans’ lives.
