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CV NEWS FEED // Lawmakers in New Hampshire this week discussed three bills that would forbid abortion providers from distributing materials to students and would require health classes in public schools to offer adoption resources and show videos that depict fetal development and abortion procedures.
Concord Monitor reports that Republican Rep. John Sellers was the primary sponsor of the three bills. He stated in a hearing on Feb. 5, “These are comprehensive, completely educational, well-done, non-political, non-religious videos.”
The first bill, HB 662, prevents high schools from providing or referring students for abortions, and prevents abortion providers from distributing materials during health class.
The bill also requires high school health classes to show computer-generated videos of abortion procedures. The videos, created by pro-life advocacy group Live Action, show first-trimester chemical abortions and first– and second-trimester surgical abortions.
The second bill, HB 667-FN, would require students to watch a high-quality ultrasound video each year in health class, beginning in sixth grade. The video must be at least 3 minutes and show “the development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs in early fetal development.”
Students must also watch Live Action’s “Meet Baby Olivia” video, an animated video that details milestones at each stage in pregnancy beginning with conception.
HB 667-FN would make the videos a graduation requirement, and the Department of Education would have to conduct yearly audits to ensure schools followed the new curriculum.
The third bill, HB 730-FN, would require high school health classes to provide resources on adoption when teaching about sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, and unplanned pregnancies.
Concord Monitor reports that the bills were widely opposed during the hearing at the state’s House of Representatives, in part because the required audits would cost $245,000 per year.
Kurt Wuelper, chairman of the New Hampshire Right to Life Political Action Committee, explained the importance of the videos detailing abortion procedures during the hearing.
“They need to see the babies trying to get away,” Wuelper stated. “They need to see the results. That’s why when they see it, they’ll never forget it, and it’ll save a lot of babies’ lives.”