Brooke Stanton and Christiane West, founders of Contend Projects—a nonpartisan science education nonprofit organization—have been working tirelessly with several states throughout the country advocating for a change in science education standards in school textbooks. They want children of all ages to learn the correct science of embryology.
And it looks like their efforts may have borne fruit in Nebraska. State Senator Rick Holdcroft recently introduced Legislative Bill 213, which proposes the following changes to Nebraska’s science education standards:
On or before March 1, 2026, the board shall adopt measurable academic content standards for human embryology under the science education standards. Such standards shall be integrated into each school’s curriculum no later than the start of the 2026-27 school year and shall include:
(A) Instruction on human development that accurately portrays the biological science of human embryology, including the Carnegie Stages of Human Embryonic Development, in the curriculum of elementary, middle school, and high school students; and (B) High-definition visual recordings which are of at least four-dimensional quality, commonly referred to as 4D. The visual recordings shall show the development of the brain, heart, sex organs, and other vital organs throughout fetal development.
We hope and pray that Nebraska’s legislature passes this bill and that the other 49 states will eventually follow suit. This is, of course, a tall order, especially in the more liberal states run by those who deny the sanctity of preborn life.
But Nebraska is a start, and we know that others will follow. Stanton and West rightly understand the importance of teaching kids the truth about the preborn baby. They understand that we cannot build a culture where all human beings are respected and cherished if we allow our kids to live in ignorance of scientific facts.
A new and unique human being comes into existence from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg. This is scientific fact, and when students are taught this from the time they are small, they grow up with a different mindset about the preborn. They start to see the baby’s humanity. Their eyes are opened, and they then want to protect the baby.
This lesson must be the goal of all educators, regardless of where they teach, for the truth about a human being’s existence is not merely a religious fact. It’s also a scientific fact.
But as parents and educators, we don’t have to wait until states adopt a new curriculum or change the science standards. It is incumbent on each of us to teach these truths at home, on social media, in our workplace, and among our friends.
When we speak and attest to the truth, we plant the seeds that will eventually bear fruit. It may take weeks or even years, but the truth is powerful.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and in guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy. ‘Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that they were being truthful to one another.’”
Indeed, men cannot live without the truth, and we must guard our souls and the souls of our children against the duplicity we hear on a daily basis. For too long, we have allowed pro-abortion politicians, Hollywood stars, and TV talking heads to sway our opinions and those of our children. Many of us have remained silent, afraid to speak the truth, too timid and unsure about our own stance to vocalize the truth, and we have allowed those shouting “my body, my choice” to dictate our culture.
We finally have a president who is beginning to right some of the past wrongs and who is putting laws into effect that will protect the vulnerable. Now is the time to courageously speak the truth, to teach our children about the humanity of the preborn baby, and to stand up in defense of those who cannot speak for themselves.
This is our responsibility not only as Christians but as human beings.
And Jesus’ words to His disciples should fortify us and give us strength, for as He taught, “Do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.”
As Stanton and West know all too well, it takes courage to stand up for our faith and to teach the truth, especially when others are shouting at us. But God and science are on our side. So let us heed Christ’s command and speak words of truth, never fearing what those on earth will do to us and fearing only the loss of our souls if we remain quiet.
This article first appeared in LifeNews at lifenews.com/2025/02/04/children-should-learn-scientific-fact-that-human-life-begins-at-conception.
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