Kansas lawmakers overrode Democrat Governor Laura Kelly’s vetoes of pro-life laws, making the state the fourth to require public schools to show the process of human development in the womb.
Under House Bill 2382, public schools must provide ultrasound footage to students.
“Any school district that offers any course or other instruction that addresses human growth, human development or human sexuality shall include, as part of such course or instruction, a presentation of a high-quality, computer-generated animation or high-definition ultrasound of at least three minutes in duration that shows the development of the brain, heart and other vital organs in early human fetal development,” the bill states.
Upon vetoing the bill, Kelly said, “This bill is convoluted, manipulative, and wrong for a number of reasons. It undermines the authority of the Kansas State Board of Education and local school boards, who are vested with the duty and responsibility to set and enforce curricula for our schools, no matter the subject.”
Kelly added that the bill “fails to establish standards to ensure the information included in the program is evidence-based. But it is not surprising, as the goal of this bill is not to educate developing and impressionable young minds – it is to push a specific agenda without proper research to back it up.”
North Dakota, Tennessee, and Idaho have similar laws requiring students to learn about fetal development.
Idaho’s Senate Bill 1046, recently signed into law by Governor Brad Little (R), amends the state code to “provide for human growth and development instruction in public schools.”
“Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each school district, specially chartered district, and public charter school serving students in grades 5 through 12 inclusive, or any combination thereof, shall include instruction on human growth and development,” the legislation says. Instruction will include a “high-definition ultrasound video” lasting at least three minutes that shows the “development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs in early fetal development.”
