The North Dakota Legislature appears poised to pass legislation this spring to require public schools to educate students about an unborn baby’s development as part of the sex education curriculum.
State House Bill 1265, sponsored by Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, is one of many efforts state lawmakers are taking to protect unborn babies and end abortions.
“If young people see the beauty of these beginnings, then hopefully they’ll think twice before running to the abortion clinic,” Myrdal told The Associated Press.
The legislation passed the state House in a 60-34 vote in January and the state Senate in a 37-9 vote on Wednesday. Because of a new amendment, it returns to the House for final approval.
The bill adds new requirements to the sex education curriculum for public schools. If it passes, students in middle and high school would be taught about “human biology related to pregnancy and human development inside the womb,” including the development of an unborn baby’s brain, heart and other vital organs early in pregnancy.
Additionally, schools would be required to show a short high-definition ultrasound video about an unborn baby’s development and information about the fertilization and human development process in the womb, “noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development for every week of pregnancy.”
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A few lawmakers objected to the bill, arguing that the government should not mandate what schools teach; but pro-life lawmakers said state and national lawmakers already do issue many curriculum requirements for taxpayer-funded public schools, according to the report.
Myrdal said public schools in North Dakota are required to teach sex and abstinence education, Native American history, anti-bullying programs and more.
Scientific advancements in recent decades have provided amazing new details about how babies develop in the womb. Before nine weeks of pregnancy, unborn babies already have beating hearts and detectable brain waves, fingers and toes, according to the Endowment for Human Development. By 10 weeks, they have been observed making breathing motions and hiccupping.
North Dakota and many other states are trying to protect unborn babies from abortion because, at the moment of conception, they already are unique, living and irreplaceable human beings.
However, earlier this month, the state Supreme Court refused to unblock a 2007 state abortion ban. Although the ruling was not final, the Republican-appointed justices’ decision is concerning.
In recent years, approximately 1,100 unborn babies were aborted in North Dakota annually. The only abortion facility recently moved to Minnesota, but it may return if the abortion ban remains permanently blocked.
North Dakota is one of several states that are battling in court to legally protect unborn babies from abortion. Currently, 14 other states are enforcing pro-life laws that ban or strictly limit abortions, saving more than 100,000 unborn babies’ lives.
