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HF391 • 2026

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(Formerly HSB 34 .)

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(Formerly HSB 34 .)

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Last action
2025-04-17
Official status
Withdrawn. H.J. 985 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(Formerly HSB 34 .)

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(Formerly HSB 34 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(Formerly HSB 34 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-17 Iowa Legislature

    Withdrawn. H.J. 985 .

  2. 2025-04-17 Iowa Legislature

    SF 175 substituted. H.J. 977 .

  3. 2025-04-17 Iowa Legislature

    Amendment H-1236 adopted. H.J. 977 .

  4. 2025-04-16 Iowa Legislature

    Amendment H-1236 filed. H.J. 950 .

  5. 2025-04-03 Iowa Legislature

    Placed on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 894 .

  6. 2025-02-13 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 319 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.(Formerly HSB 34 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

391

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

391

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR

TO

HSB

34)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

incorporating

provisions

related

to

pregnancy

and

1

fetal

development

into

the

human

growth

and

development

and

2

health

curriculum

provided

by

school

districts,

accredited

3

nonpublic

schools,

charter

schools,

and

innovation

zone

4

schools

to

students

enrolled

in

grades

seven

through

twelve.

5

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

6

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391

Section

1.

Section

256.11,

subsection

4,

Code

2025,

is

1

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

4.

The

following

shall

be

taught

in

grades

seven

and

3

eight:

English-language

arts;

social

studies,

including

4

instruction

related

to

civics;

mathematics;

science;

5

health;

age-appropriate

and

research-based

human

growth

and

6

development;

career

exploration

and

development;

physical

7

education;

music;

and

visual

art.

Computer

science

instruction

8

incorporating

the

standards

established

under

section

256.7,

9

subsection

26

,

paragraph

“a”

,

subparagraph

(4),

shall

be

10

offered

in

at

least

one

grade

level

commencing

with

the

11

school

year

beginning

July

1,

2023.

Career

exploration

12

and

development

shall

be

designed

so

that

students

are

13

appropriately

prepared

to

create

an

individual

career

14

and

academic

plan

pursuant

to

section

279.61

,

incorporate

15

foundational

career

and

technical

education

concepts

aligned

16

with

the

six

career

and

technical

education

service

areas

as

17

defined

in

subsection

5

,

paragraph

“h”

,

incorporate

relevant

18

twenty-first

century

skills

to

facilitate

career

readiness,

19

and

introduce

students

to

career

opportunities

within

the

20

local

community

and

across

this

state.

The

health

curriculum

21

shall

include

age-appropriate

and

research-based

information

22

regarding

the

characteristics

of

sexually

transmitted

diseases.

23

The

state

board

as

part

of

accreditation

standards

shall

adopt

24

curriculum

definitions

for

implementing

the

program

in

grades

25

seven

and

eight.

However,

this

subsection

shall

not

apply

to

26

the

teaching

of

career

exploration

and

development

in

nonpublic

27

schools.

The

human

growth

and

development

curriculum

shall

28

include

all

of

the

following:

29

a.

Human

biology

related

to

pregnancy.

30

b.

Human

development

inside

the

womb.

31

c.

A

high-definition

ultrasound

video,

at

least

three

32

minutes

in

duration,

showing

the

development

of

the

brain,

33

heart,

sex

organs,

and

other

vital

organs

in

early

fetal

34

development.

35

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391

d.

A

high-quality,

computer-generated

rendering

or

1

animation,

comparable

to

the

meet

baby

Olivia

video

developed

2

by

live

action,

showing

the

process

of

fertilization

and

3

every

stage

of

human

development

inside

the

uterus,

noting

4

significant

markers

in

cell

growth

and

organ

development

for

5

every

significant

marker

of

pregnancy

until

birth.

6

Sec.

2.

Section

256.11,

subsection

5,

paragraph

j,

7

subparagraph

(1),

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

8

(1)

One

unit

of

health

education

which

may

include

personal

9

health;

food

and

nutrition;

environmental

health;

safety

and

10

survival

skills;

consumer

health;

family

life;

age-appropriate

11

and

research-based

human

growth

and

development;

substance

12

use

disorder

and

nonuse;

emotional

and

social

health;

health

13

resources;

cardiopulmonary

resuscitation;

and

prevention

14

and

control

of

disease,

including

age-appropriate

and

15

research-based

information

regarding

sexually

transmitted

16

diseases.

The

health

education

curriculum

shall

include

all

17

of

the

following:

18

(a)

Human

biology

related

to

pregnancy.

19

(b)

Human

development

inside

the

womb.

20

(c)

A

high-definition

ultrasound

video,

at

least

three

21

minutes

in

duration,

showing

the

development

of

the

brain,

22

heart,

sex

organs,

and

other

vital

organs

in

early

fetal

23

development.

24

(d)

A

high-quality,

computer-generated

rendering

or

25

animation,

comparable

to

the

meet

baby

Olivia

video

developed

26

by

live

action,

showing

the

process

of

fertilization

and

27

every

stage

of

human

development

inside

the

uterus,

noting

28

significant

markers

in

cell

growth

and

organ

development

for

29

every

significant

marker

of

pregnancy

until

birth.

30

Sec.

3.

Section

256E.7,

subsection

2,

paragraph

g,

Code

31

2025,

is

amended

by

adding

the

following

new

subparagraph:

32

NEW

SUBPARAGRAPH

.

(01)

The

educational

standards

33

established

in

section

256.11

relating

to

the

human

growth

and

34

development

curriculum

for

grades

seven

and

eight

or

the

health

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H.F.

391

curriculum

for

grades

nine

through

twelve.

1

Sec.

4.

Section

256F.4,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

2

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

3

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

r.

Be

subject

to

and

comply

with

the

4

requirements

of

section

256.11

relating

to

the

human

growth

5

and

development

curriculum

for

grades

seven

and

eight

and

the

6

health

curriculum

for

grades

nine

through

twelve.

7

EXPLANATION

8

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

9

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

10

This

bill

incorporates

provisions

related

to

pregnancy

and

11

fetal

development

into

the

human

growth

and

development

and

12

health

curriculum

provided

by

school

districts,

accredited

13

nonpublic

schools,

charter

schools,

and

innovation

zone

schools

14

to

students

enrolled

in

grades

7

through

12.

15

The

bill

requires

that

the

human

growth

and

development

16

curriculum

provided

by

school

districts,

nonpublic

schools,

17

charter

schools,

and

innovation

zone

schools

in

grades

7

and

18

8,

and

the

health

curriculum

in

grades

9

through

12,

include

19

instruction

regarding

human

biology

related

to

pregnancy

and

20

human

development

inside

the

womb.

The

bill

also

requires

21

that

such

curriculum

include

a

video,

at

least

three

minutes

22

in

duration,

showing

the

development

of

the

brain,

heart,

sex

23

organs,

and

other

vital

organs

in

early

fetal

development,

24

and

a

rendering

or

animation,

comparable

to

the

meet

baby

25

Olivia

video

developed

by

live

action,

showing

the

process

of

26

fertilization

and

every

stage

of

human

development

inside

the

27

uterus,

noting

significant

markers

in

cell

growth

and

organ

28

development

for

every

significant

marker

of

pregnancy

until

29

birth.

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