Iowa Senate Bill SF175

Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/25
• Engrossed: 2/18/25
• Enrolled: 5/19/25
• Enrolled: 5/14/25
• Passed: 6/6/25

Caption

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades five through twelve. (Formerly SSB 1028.) Effective date: 07/01/2025.

Summary

SF 175 revises Iowa’s required human growth and development and health instruction for students in grades five through twelve. It directs school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to include instruction on pregnancy and fetal development, including material about development inside the womb, a high-definition ultrasound video, and a computer-generated or real image showing prenatal development from fertilization through pregnancy. The bill also requires instruction on sexually transmitted diseases in grades seven through twelve and updates the health curriculum language to include age-appropriate, research-based information on disease prevention and other health topics. The bill further amends the definition of “research-based” instruction to require information that is complete, unbiased, scientifically supported, medically accurate, objective, and free of racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender bias. It also bars use of educational materials produced or provided by entities that perform, promote, contract with, affiliate with, or regularly refer for abortions. The bill applies these requirements across public school districts and certain nonpublic and alternative school settings, with the state board of education directed to adopt rules to administer and interpret the new provisions.

Impact

SF 175 changes Iowa Code sections governing elementary and secondary curriculum, especially sections 256.11 and 279.50, by adding specific pregnancy and fetal development content to human growth and development instruction and by tightening the statutory definition of research-based instruction. It also extends compliance obligations to charter schools, innovation zone schools, and accredited nonpublic schools through related provisions in chapters 256E and 256F. The practical effect is to standardize required instructional content statewide and limit the types of outside educational materials schools may use for these lessons.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have generally favorable support in the legislature, as shown by passage in both chambers and multiple votes in favor of final passage. At the same time, the recorded votes on amendments suggest some disagreement over the bill’s details, even though the underlying measure ultimately advanced. Overall, the voting history indicates that the core proposal had enough support to become law, but not without some partisan or policy-based resistance to specific changes.

Contention

The main points of contention are the bill’s abortion-related restrictions and its mandated framing of fetal development instruction. Opponents are likely to object to the prohibition on materials from entities that perform or support abortions, arguing it narrows educational choices and injects a policy position into health education. Supporters likely view those provisions as ensuring that instruction is medically accurate while presenting prenatal development in a way they consider age-appropriate and comprehensive. The amendment votes, which failed by substantial margins, suggest that attempts to alter these provisions or the bill’s wording did not gain broad support.