A January 2025 view of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – South Dakota schools will have multiple options for new state-required prenatal development videos — including one from an anti-abortion group.
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed House Bill 1313 into law earlier this year, requiring public schools to show students “age-appropriate and research-based” videos. The law takes effect July 1.
Each video must be at least three minutes long, and each video or combination of videos must include two things: high-definition ultrasound footage showing brain, heart and organ development, and imagery tracing prenatal development from fertilization through birth. Videos from groups that perform or promote abortion are prohibited.
The South Dakota Board of Education Standards approved three videos Monday.
State Education Secretary Joe Graves said the department vetted all three videos for scientific accuracy before sending them to the board.
“Will there be a controversy somewhere? It’s possible. But I don’t see it being based on there being any inaccurate information in the videos,” Graves said.
One is the three minute, 13-second “Baby Olivia” video, which has drawn criticism from medical professionals and abortion-rights groups, including for misaligning with how doctors date pregnancies. The video dates an embryo’s age from conception, rather than the mother’s last known period. The video comes from Live Action, an anti-abortion group, and has been the inspiration for similar legislation in other states.
“Baby Olivia” alone doesn’t meet the law’s two requirements and must be paired with a second video, said Shannon Malone, the department’s director of learning and instruction. That second video, “How a Human Embryo Develops into a Fetus,” is nearly four minutes long and produced by Encyclopedia Britannica. Both videos are available online for free.
The third video option, which covers both of the law’s requirements, is the only recommendation that costs school districts money. It’s a 42-minute DVD, “The Biology of Prenatal Development,” produced in 2006 by the Endowment for Human Development and available from various sellers for up to $29. The endowment describes itself as a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health science education and public health.
“The DVD was obviously superior,” board member Phyllis Heineman said.
Malone said the department will explore options to license and share the 42-minute video on its website.
School districts must confirm annually that they’ve met the requirement, Malone said. The school districts will also report which video or videos they used.
No members of the public spoke about the videos during the meeting. The state law describes the requirements only as “age appropriate” and does not specify what age of students should watch the videos.
Comments