Requires public school health curricula to include age-appropriate sexuality education featuring a computer-generated animation or ultrasound video showing the heart, brain, and other vital organs developing during embryonic and fetal stages.
relative to health education and requiring pupils to view certain videos demonstrating gestational development of the heart, brain, and other vital organs.
HB1493 would require public school health education to include videos depicting gestational development of the heart, brain, and other vital organs. A small number of submitters support the bill as a way to educate students about prenatal life, while a large majority oppose it, primarily arguing the mandated videos are medically inaccurate, that curriculum decisions belong with local schools rather than the legislature, and that the bill is an ideologically or religiously motivated attempt to advance an anti-abortion agenda under the guise of education.
Supporters argue that showing students videos of fetal development would teach the truth about life beginning at conception and could change attitudes toward sex and pregnancy, potentially reducing abortions and unintended pregnancies.
“I believe educating people on the fact that life begins at conception and seeing the different stages of life during pregnancy will help save many lives.”
— Belinda Bolduc, Stoddard · #530799 — read full submission →
“They would be able to see heart, brain, and other organs developing inside the fetus. I believe it would change hearts and minds, resulting in less abortions.”
— Rosanna Anderson, Bristol · #533420 — read full submission →
“More education on this topic may change young peoples minds on 1. having sex, and 2. how they should consider pregnancies' special with a view to keeping their babies through to birth.”
— Wayne Anderson, Bristol · #533494 — read full submission →
Submitters argue the mandated videos are not evidence-based or scientifically accurate, and that students deserve fact-based health education rather than disinformation.
“The fact that this body would even consider perpetuating medically inaccurate information to young, impressionable children goes against the very goals that this body should hope to hold.”
— Jenna Binkhorst, Hanover · #534283 — read full submission →
“Young people deserve accurate and thorough fact-based information to make reasonable decisions about their bodies and lives.”
— Kathy Grossman, Hollis · #536973 — read full submission →
“HB 1493 requires students to watch medically inaccurate information in their health class depicting the development of the heart, brain, and other organs during the embryo and fetal stages.”
— Faye MacDonald, Hanover · #527622 — read full submission →
Submitters characterize the bill as a vehicle for a religious or anti-abortion agenda disguised as neutral health education, rather than genuine curriculum improvement.
“This is unacceptable religious propaganda. Unconscionable for a group that wants to ban books and limit town budgets. What happened to local control?”
— Kimberly Peicker, Bedford · #534094 — read full submission →
“This bill supports a religious and one sided view of abortion. It masks its intention of anti-abortion propaganda as science and education.”
— Brian Flynn, Rumney · #536527 — read full submission →
Submitters argue that decisions about health curriculum content should be made by local school boards, certified teachers, or the Department of Education rather than mandated by state legislators.
“Local school boards, with advice from the certified teachers in their schools who have subject area knowledge, are best at determining which curricula and materials will allow them to meet the state's academic frameworks, as well as students' learning needs.”
— Debrah Howes, Bow · #536505 — read full submission →
“It is not the job of the Legislature to define which materials shall be used in school courses. Our schools are run by trained professionals who know how best to reach students.”
— Liz Tentarelli, Manchester · #524924 — read full submission →
Submitters argue the bill restricts parents' role in guiding their children's health and sex education, including undermining existing frameworks that let parents opt children out of such content.
“Moreover, the proposed law restricts parental rights and undermines the existing framework that allows parents to opt their children out of certain educational content, such as sex education.”
— Georgina Lambert, Belmont · #535670 — read full submission →
“I oppose any forcing of political views into the sexual education of children. Especially if the presented information is biased and designed to force a certain political view.”
— Anne peirce, Hancock · #534808 — read full submission →
Some submitters connect the bill to broader efforts to restrict abortion, sharing personal experiences to argue that abortion access is important healthcare that should not be undermined.
“Abortion is legal. This bill would affect women's ability to access one. I needed one and I'm alive because I had access to one in a hospital setting.”
— Amy Sterndale, Durham · #536412 — read full submission →
“We have states that have restrictive abortion laws. Look at the statistics, people are dying. Look at Texas. Abortion is a healthcare right.”
— Bailey Chan, Lebanon · #526619 — read full submission →
Several submitters state opposition to the bill or urge a no vote without elaborating on a specific rationale.
Submitters express concern that the visual, graphic nature of the required videos could be distressing or retraumatizing for students who have experienced sexual violence or trauma.
Submitters note that a similar bill was previously vetoed by the Governor and argue there is no reason to expect a different outcome or to revisit the issue.
Submitters argue that focusing narrowly on gestational development videos ignores the broader, age-appropriate sex education students need to understand their bodies.
Generated by claude-sonnet-5 (claude code agent) on Jul 22, 2026. Quotes are verbatim excerpts, verified against the cited submission before publication. Summaries are AI interpretation of the record, not part of it.
I oppose this bill. As a parent, I want my child to receive medically accurate and age appropriate materials. It is important that she has accurate information to use in making decisions about her health now and in the future.
NH student deserve fact based information in order to make decisions about their lives. This bill would force them to watch medically inaccurate reproductive health videos, which is unacceptable. Our students deserve better.
I am opposed to showing students medically inaccurate information and passing it off as truth. This will be detrimental to the students. We need to teach facts and not rewrite them to match a certain segment of the population’s agenda
Abortion is healthcare. I have found myself pregnant twice in my life and needed an abolition, and was very fortunate to easily access the care that I needed. It is never a choice that someone makes lightly but their reasons are valid and they are their own. Abortion MUST remain protected. A fetus is not a person.
Students deserve to have scientifically, medically accurate educations. Personal biases have no place in a classroom where students are meant to learn facts. We must support our youth now so that we have good doctors, nurses, parents, lawmakers, and humans, tomorrow. I oppose this bill.
I oppose requiring students to view a medically inaccurate video in health classes. Young people deserve accurate and thorough fact-based information to make reasonable decisions about their bodies and lives. Please vote against this bill.
Unacceptable.
Sensationalism and lying to a group of people in order to control them is the opposite of what this country should stand for. Our children deserve only truthful education
Vaccines are important! Do not limit people's access to information about their availability.
This bill supports a religious and one sided view of abortion. It masks its intention of anti-abortion propaganda as science and education. Please vote NO.
AFT-NH opposes this bill. This bill would have the State Legislature require the inclusion of specific kinds of materials within the Health curriculum. This is not where these decisions belong. Local school boards, with advice from the certified teachers in their schools who have subject area knowledge, are best at determining which curricula and materials will allow them to meet the state's academic frameworks, as well as students' learning needs.
Abortion is legal. This bill would affect women's ability to access one. I needed one and I'm alive because I had access to one in a hospital setting. Please do more to protect women's health and less to control women's lives.
I think this is an anti abortion bill and I don't support it. I don't think all students should be required to watch this video.
In the spirit ofHonesty
I believe NH Dept of Education should have input into the curriculum used for health classes in our educational system. I oppose this bill.
Government should stay out of medical decisions.
Testimony in Opposition to HB 1493 I strongly oppose HB 1493, which mandates gestational development videos as part of health education in our schools. While the bill is presented as a step toward medically accurate health education, its prescriptive nature and visual-focused approach could create significant harm, particularly for trauma-exposed and marginalized students. The emphasis on gestational development risks ignoring the complexities of sexual health education while prioritizing an ideological agenda over the well-being of students. This one-dimensional focus can exacerbate feelings of isolation and trauma for those who have experienced sexual violence or who come from backgrounds where reproductive topics are stigmatized or misunderstood. Moreover, the proposed law restricts parental rights and undermines the existing framework that allows parents to opt their children out of certain educational content, such as sex education. This inconsistency raises important questions about the intention behind the bill: why are we mandating this type of education while simultaneously dismissing the importance of comprehensive sex education? By framing sex solely in terms of reproduction, HB 1493 negates the emotional, relational, and health-related dimensions of sexual education, leaving a vast majority of students without critical information about safe practices, relationships, and consent. Such a narrow focus not only fails to serve the diverse needs of students but also risks perpetuating misunderstanding and victimization. In place of this bill, we need inclusive, trauma-informed educational practices that truly address the complexities of health and relationships, rather than imposing a singular narrative that marginalizes so many.
Please remember those teaching were required to take classes around psychology and age appropriateness. We know children are seeing videos or images around sexual things at a younger age. The best protection for anyone is to have facts and know how things work. Children must understand how the body works. This is nothing new, 30 plus years ago when I was in 4th grade and then middle school, and high school there were discussions that were age appropriate. And because of this stigma those conversations were not happening at home which left many completely clueless. It is science, let children and adults watch factual and accurate information so they can make the best decision. Do not pass this bill and take away the ability for students to make informed decisions.
Incorrect information can cost real lives of teen and adult women. People have the right to factual information otherwise it's just propaganda to control others. What happened to Live Free or Die?!?
As a constituent who has 2 elementary school age daughters I oppose showing children this type of video in health class. Stick to basic facts and leave the parents to guide their children.
I strongly oppose this bill and any effort to give medically inaccurate information to students or anyone else. Disinformation has no place in educational settings and efforts to require viewing these materials is wrong.
It is not the state's place to mandate this content and show it to children. New Hampshire is live free or die, keep your politics out of women's Healthcare. How many times does the public have to convey that we do not want this.
Dear Committee Members, I am pleading that you vote Hb1493 Inexpedient to Legislate. The only thing more grotesque and gorey than the photos typically chosen by anti-abortion/pro-life groups are the videos of these horrific subjects moving! Please don’t subject NH students to these horror films, unless you’re prepared to also show them the tragically slow and painful death experienced by women who are denied treatment after experiencing a partial miscarriage of their cherished pregnancies just because this life-saving procedure is the same. Our public school children are already subject to enough stress and trauma from regular active shooter drills that start at the earliest grades - however these might possibly save lives, while horror movies do no such thing. Leave these inflammatory and monstrous videos out of our schools, away from they eyes of our innocent children, and contained to the ideological partisan battles you fight at the State House in Concord. Respectfully, Jennifer Siegrist
This bill (or something quite similar) was vetoed by Governor Ayotte. The material in these videos is medically inaccurate. The Department of Education should not have control over what materials are viewed in health classes. Vote no on this bill.
I am opposed to giving children medically incorrect information on their reproductive health.