Welcome to the Thursday, July the 17th, 2025 edition of Denison Forum's Daily Article podcast.

I'm Chris Elkins, narrating today's daily article, authored by our senior editor for theology, Dr. Ryan Denison.

Last month, Iowa passed a new law that requires public schools to teach prenatal development

classes as part of their standard curriculum. Students in grades 5 through 12 will now learn about the process of fertilization, how and when organs develop, and the overall growth of the embryo. They'll also watch ultrasounds or computer

generated videos to see how babies develop in the womb. If all of that sounds like something

that should already be taught in basic biology class, you're not wrong. Sadly, it seldom is. While

other states may offer electives that do much the same, Iowa is only the sixth

state to make it a requirement. As the bill's authors describe, the hope is that these materials

will help to demonstrate the humanity of the unborn child by showing prenatal development starting

at fertilization. And that emphasis on the humanity of the baby from the

moment of fertilization is crucial if we're to change the narrative around the pro-life movement.

While much of the discussion and debate about abortion treats the concept as a binary choice

between the pro-life and pro-choice positions, the reality is that most people see the

subject with a far greater degree of nuance. For example, the latest polling shows that 55% of

Americans believe that abortion should be legal under certain circumstances, while 30% believe

it should be legal in all circumstances. However, when researchers ask the same question,

but with the added context of where the baby is in its development, they found that while

69% of Americans think abortion should be legal during the first trimester, only 37% support it

during the second trimester. And that number falls further to 22% during the last

three months of pregnancy. Clearly, most Americans have different views on the humanity, or at least

the value, of the unborn child based on how far it has developed. But would that change if people

believe that life begins at fertilization?

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