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HB2830 • 2026

fetal and prenatal development; instruction

HB2830 - fetal and prenatal development; instruction

Abortion Education Healthcare Labor
Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor
Rachel Keshel
Last action
2026-06-19
Official status
Governor vetoed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates a gubernatorial veto; whether this bill became law depends on if lawmakers successfully overrode the veto, which is not confirmed in the provided text.

HB2830: Rules for Teaching About Fetal Development in Schools

This bill requires the State Board of Education to create science lessons about how a human develops before birth, while excluding topics like abortion or contraception.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the state board of education to decide which grade levels should learn about fetal and prenatal development.
  • Mandates that science standards include factual instruction on biological processes from fertilization until birth.
  • Lists specific topics schools must cover, such as cell division, organ formation, and the role of the placenta.
  • Limits lessons to only biological facts and prohibits teaching about sexual activity or abortion procedures.
  • States that this instruction is not classified as sex education for parental consent rules.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Arizona State Board of Education
  • Public school science teachers and curriculum planners
  • Students in the grade levels chosen by the state board

Terms To Know

Zygote
A single cell formed when human reproductive cells join together.
Blastocyst
An early stage of development that implants into the uterine wall.
Placenta
A structure that provides nutrients and oxygen to a developing fetus.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify which exact grade levels must receive this instruction.
  • The governor vetoed the bill, so it did not become law unless lawmakers overrode the veto.
  • The text defines what topics are allowed but does not provide specific lesson plans or teaching materials.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: This amendment bans public schools from accepting health education materials or programs from abortion providers and requires science classes to teach specific facts about human fetal development.

  • Public schools cannot allow abortion clinics, their employees, or organizations that refer patients to them to provide any health class instruction, curriculum, or display educational materials on school grounds.
  • If a public school breaks this rule and does not fix it within 90 days of being notified by the Department of Education, the state can withhold money from that school until they follow the law.
  • The State Board of Education must create science standards requiring instruction on fetal development as a biological process, covering topics like fertilization, cell growth, organ formation, and how the placenta works.
  • Schools are required to teach specific details about prenatal stages (germinal, embryonic, and fetal) and major milestones such as brain, heart, and limb development.
  • The provided text is cut off at the end of Section 2, so it does not show if there are rules for parents to opt their children out of this instruction or other requirements that may follow.
  • While the amendment defines who counts as an 'abortion provider,' it refers to another law (Section 36-449.01) for the full definition of an 'abortion clinic' which is not included in this text.

Plain English: This amendment bans abortion providers from giving health education in public schools and requires science classes to teach specific facts about human fetal development while excluding topics like contraception or sexual activity.

  • Public schools are prohibited from allowing abortion clinics, their employees, or related organizations to provide any health instruction, programs, or materials on campus.
  • Schools that do not follow these rules within ninety days of being notified may lose state funding until they comply.
  • The State Board of Education must create science standards requiring age-appropriate lessons on the biological stages of human development from fertilization to birth.
  • These new biology lessons are defined as separate from sex education and cannot include information about sexual activity, contraception, or abortion procedures.
  • The text does not specify exactly which grade levels will receive this instruction, only that the State Board of Education must decide.
  • It is unclear how schools will be notified of non-compliance since the specific process for the Department of Education's determination is not detailed.

Plain English: This amendment adds new state laws that ban public schools from accepting health education materials or programs from abortion providers and requires science classes to teach specific facts about human fetal development.

  • Public schools are prohibited from allowing abortion clinics, their employees, or related organizations to provide any health instruction, curriculum, or distribute educational materials on campus.
  • If a school does not follow these new rules within ninety days of being notified by the Department of Education, the state can withhold funding until the school complies.
  • The State Board of Education must create science standards that require teaching about fetal and prenatal development as a biological process from fertilization to birth.
  • This required instruction on human development is defined separately from sex education, meaning it cannot be classified as such for parental consent or opt-out rules.
  • The text defines specific legal terms like 'abortion provider' but does not list every possible organization that might fall under these definitions.
  • While the amendment lists required topics, it does not specify exactly which grade levels must receive this instruction, leaving that decision to the State Board of Education.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-10 V

    Governor vetoed

  2. 2026-06-09 House

    House passed

  3. 2026-06-09 House

    House passed

  4. 2026-04-21 House

    House minority caucus

  5. 2026-04-13 House

    Transmitted to House

  6. 2026-04-13 Senate

    Senate third read passed

  7. 2026-04-13 Senate

    Senate committee of the whole

  8. 2026-03-31 Senate

    Senate minority caucus

  9. 2026-03-31 Senate

    Senate majority caucus

  10. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Senate second read

  11. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Senate Rules: PFC

  12. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Senate Health and Human Services: DPA

  13. 2026-03-09 Senate

    Senate first read

  14. 2026-02-26 Senate

    Transmitted to Senate

  15. 2026-02-26 House

    House third read passed

  16. 2026-02-25 House

    House committee of the whole

  17. 2026-02-17 House

    House minority caucus

  18. 2026-02-17 House

    House majority caucus

  19. 2026-02-16 House

    House consent calendar

  20. 2026-01-26 House

    House second read

  21. 2026-01-22 House

    House Rules: C&P

  22. 2026-01-22 House

    House Education: DP

  23. 2026-01-22 House

    House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2830 - fetal and prenatal development; instruction

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB2830 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed
House Bill

fetal and prenatal
development; instruction

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2830

AN
ACT

amending title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-712.02; relating to school
curricula.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAG

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-712.02, to read:

START_STATUTE
15-712.02.

Instruction on fetal development; requirements; parental notice
and opt out

A. The state board of education
shall:

1. Determine the grade level or
levels in which instruction on fetal and prenatal development is appropriate.

2. Adopt academic standards in the
area of science that require instruction on fetal and prenatal human
development that is consistent with the requirements prescribed in this section
and that is age-appropriate, factual and focused on only prenatal human
development as a biological process.

3. Include instruction on fetal and
prenatal human development in the competency requirements prescribed pursuant
to section 15-701 or 15-701.01, or both, in the area of science.

4. Require that instruction provided
pursuant to this section include an overview of all of the following:

(
a
) Prenatal
human development that explains the biological process by which a human
develops from a single cell, through successive stages, before birth.

(
b
) Fertilization
and early cellular development, including:

(
i
) The
formation of a zygote through the union of human reproductive cells.

(
ii
) Early cell
division and growth.

(
iii
) The
development of a blastocyst.

(
iv
) Implantation
of the blastocyst into the uterine wall.

(
c
) The stages
of prenatal development, including an overview of all of the following:

(
i
) the
germinal stage that describes early development from the time of fertilization
until the time of implantation.

(
ii
) The
embryonic stage that describes the early structural formation, including the
development of foundational tissues and early organ systems.

(
iii
) The fetal
stage that describes the growth and maturation of organs and body systems from
approximately the ninth week of development until birth.

(
d
) Major
developmental milestones, including:

(
i
) The
formation of the brain and spinal cord.

(
ii
) The
development of the heart and circulatory system.

(
iii
) The
formation of limbs, facial features and other identifiable human structures.

(
iv
) Ongoing
growth and maturation of organs during the fetal stage.

(
e
) Supporting
biological structures that are necessary for development, including:

(
i
) The
amniotic sac and amniotic fluid and their protective functions.

(
ii
) The
placenta and its role in providing nutrients and oxygen and removing waste.

(
iii
) The
umbilical cord and its function as a connection between the fetus and the
placenta.

(
f
) General
principles of healthy prenatal development, including only biological and
physiological factors that support normal growth and organ development.

5. Require that instruction provided
pursuant to this section meet both of the following:

(
a
) Be
descriptive and age appropriate.

(
b
) Not include
instruction on sexual activity, sexual behavior, contraception, abortion
procedures or reproductive decision-making.

B. Instruction required by this
section is not sex education and may not be classified as sex education for the
purposes of parental consent or opt-out requirements prescribed by this
title.
END_STATUTE