Idaho schools to teach fetal development, show ultrasound videos when teaching related material

Idaho lawmakers recently approved legislation that will require public schools to teach fetal development and show ultrasound video to students in grades five to 12.

Republican Gov. Brad Little on March 27 signed Senate Bill 1046 into law, requiring schools that teach subjects such as human biology or health classes including information about sexually transmitted diseases show a "high-definition ultrasound video" that is at least three minutes long "showing the development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs in early fetal development."

Or, the bill says, schools must show an equivalent "high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation showing the process of fertilization and every stage of human development inside the uterus, noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development for every week of pregnancy until birth."

Supporters of the bill argued it requires schools to teach facts of fetal development, while critics argued it could unfairly restrict what teachers can show in the classroom or lead to erroneous videos being shown.

Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, praised the legislation in a statement, arguing, "The study of human development is a fundamental aspect of science education, and I am thrilled that with the passage and signing of SB1046, students in the great state of Idaho will gain a deeper understanding of the incredible process of how human life begins."

Rose also touted her organization's project "Baby Olivia," an animated rendering of fetal development, which she said met the bill's requirements to be shown in schools. The video was shown during at least one committee hearing on the bill as an example of what students might see.

"Through vivid, life-like animation, students can now witness the beauty and reality of life in the womb from the moment of fertilization," she said.

Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, Idaho state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said in a March 27 statement the group is "deeply disappointed that Governor Little has chosen to sign this dangerous and deceitful bill into law."

"With the stroke of a pen, he has endorsed the spread of medically inaccurate, ideologically driven propaganda in Idaho classrooms," DelliCarpini-Tolman said. "This is not education -- it's manipulation, and Idaho's students deserve far better."

Idaho is home to one of the strictest abortion laws in the country, which has been the subject of federal litigation. But the Trump administration recently moved to drop a Biden administration lawsuit against that law.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Boise did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legislation.