GOP bill calls for Iowa schools to show disputed video of fetus development

DES MOINES — State policies on pregnancy and early infancy were on the agenda Tuesday at the Iowa Capitol.

Republicans in the agenda-setting majority advanced bills requiring schools to provide instruction on early development in a pregnancy and extending child support payments to cover expenses for the mother’s pregnancy and the child’s birth.

The minority-party Democrats in the Senate unveiled their package of bills they said are designed to ensure women’s reproductive freedom: a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the Iowa Constitution, access to over-the-counter birth control and a right to access contraception, the reinstatement of a state family planning program and expanded post-birth coverage for Medicaid patients.

Development in pregnancy instruction

Starting in elementary school, Iowa’s K-12 schools would be required to provide instruction on the development of a pregnancy — using an anti-abortion rights video as a model — under legislation advanced by Iowa House Republicans.

The bill would require schools in first through 12th grade to show a high-definition ultrasound video of at least three minutes showing development of the brain, heart, sex organs and other organs in fetal development.

Schools also would need to show students a computer-generated animation “comparable to the Meet Baby Olivia video developed by Live Action” that shows every stage of an embryo and fetus’ development. The rules would apply to both public and accredited private schools.

Live Action is an organization opposed to abortion rights known for recording undercover videos at Planned Parenthood. The “Meet Baby Olivia” video shows the development of a pregnancy and says that conception is “the moment that life begins.”

Republicans and anti-abortion rights activists who spoke at the meeting said the information mandated in the bill is based on science. Ryan Benn, a lobbyist for The Family Leader, a conservative religious organization, said he hopes the bill would impart a pro-life worldview on students and influence them to not get abortions later in life.

“Ultimately, we just want to teach kids at a young age that life begins at conception and that baby in mother’s womb, she’s a baby,” Benn said.

Lobbyists for school groups told lawmakers the bill introduces unnecessary mandates into school instruction. Advocates for abortion access said the bill injects “propaganda” into schools and argued the Live Action video is medically inaccurate.

“I really feel like this video is offering facts to kids that are disguised as facts, and really falsehoods,” said Rep. Molly Buck, a Democrat from Ankeny. “When teaching human growth and development, I think that teachers really need to stick to the facts that medical doctors are sticking to.”

Republican Rep. Anne Osmundson of Volga, who sponsored the bill, defended the content of the group’s video and said there is “a differing of opinions” on what is medically and scientifically accurate.

Osmundson and Craig Johnson, a Republican from Independence, voted to move the bill out of the subcommittee. Buck voted against it. The bill, House File 2031, is now eligible for consideration by the full House Education Committee.

Democrats’ agenda

Senate Democrats at a news conference Tuesday said they believe a majority of Iowans supports their package of reproductive health care bills. They published a series of bills:

Senate Joint Resolution 2001 would amend the Iowa Constitution to guarantee a right to a spectrum of prenatal, child birth and postpartum care, including abortions.

Senate File 2141 would permit pharmacists to order and dispense birth control without a doctor’s prescription.

Senate File 2137 would reinstate the State Family Planning program, which included state funding to Planned Parenthood, a program that Republicans defunded in 2017.

Senate File 2135 would establish in state law that Iowans have a right to access and obtain contraception.

Senate Democrats also highlighted Senate File 57, introduced last year, which would extend postpartum coverage for Medicaid patients to a full year. Currently, that care is covered by Medicaid for 60 days.

“For years now we’ve seen attacks on reproductive freedom, including the six-week abortion ban Republican politicians forced into law last year,” said Sen. Pam Jochum, the leader of the Senate Democrats from Dubuque. “Iowans have a right to live their lives without unnecessary intrusion from their government.”

Statehouse Republicans in a special legislative session last year passed a law that would ban abortions once a fetus’ heartbeat can be detected, which proponents of such laws say happens after about six weeks of pregnancy. That law is on hold while it is challenged in court.

Expanding child support requirements

Another bill advanced Tuesday by House Republicans would extend court-ordered child support payments to cover expenses related to the mother’s pregnancy and the child’s birth. Under current law, judges consider the income that both parents earn in determining child support — after the child is born.

Rep. John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake, said Iowa would be the first state to force men to support their child from the moment of conception if the bill becomes law.

Paternity tests can be performed during or after a pregnancy, Wills said. Once paternity is established, a judge could order the father to retroactively provide financial support during the nine months of pregnancy. A court could also order the father to provide health insurance coverage to the mother during pregnancy, Wills said.

“We’ve got to take care of that baby before it’s born. If we do, it’s going to be a better, healthier baby, in better shape to be able to take on the world,” he said. “The mother is going to be able to finish school. The mother’s going to be able to do all these things, have less stress on her life. It is going to be better for all and maybe we can even keep women off the welfare system because they’ve got this extra support.”

House File 2103 passed out of committee, 2-0, with Wills and Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, signing off. It is now goes to the House Judiciary Committee.

Subcommittee member and Democratic Rep. Megan Srinivas, a Des Moines physician, said she supports the bill but held off on signing until language is clarified regarding the ability of a mother who is diagnosed with a mental illness to file a complaint and testify.

Calling it a “great bill,” Srinivas said she has “one concern only, because especially in single motherhood, we see an extreme rise in depression, anxiety. And I wouldn't want the mother to have their rights be able to file a complaint in a situation taken away. So if we could fix that, I would love to work on this bill further.”

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