Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced a bill aimed at pushing back against abortion-related information being openly accessible in public school settings.
The School Health and Instructional Environment Limits and Disclosure (SHIELD) Act aims to bar abortion providers and their subsidiaries from distributing or disseminating information related to those services to students on K-12 school property or on a local educational agency's virtual platform.
The legislation also seeks to amend the General Education Provisions Act by requiring local educational agencies to notify parents before distributing or disseminating abortion-related information to students.
“I’m fighting for the unborn and I’m fighting for parents, because those two fights are the same fight,” Rep. Steube said. “The SHIELD Act keeps abortion providers out of our classrooms and puts parents back in charge of these conversations with their kids.”
Incidents of Public Schools Influencing Abortions
Congressman Steube’s effort comes in response to “the need for greater parental transparency” in relation to public schools’ role in informing students about abortion-related services.
Rep. Steube cited the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) enforcement action against a Fairfax County, Virginia public school after reports indicated that a High School social worker helped facilitate a minor’s abortion.
According to the ED, the social worker scheduled the appointment, paid the clinic fees, and agreed with the 17-year-old student to keep it a secret from the student’s parents.
The social worker also attempted to pressure another student to perform the same procedure, telling her she “had no other choice.” The second student, however, did not move forward with the procedure.
Steube Argues That Schools Should Not Be Pipelines For Abortions
“Taxpayer-funded schools should NEVER be a pipeline for abortion providers or distribute abortion-related information to minors behind parents’ backs,” Congressman Steube argued. “Parents have the right to know what their children are being taught or advised in school.”
