SALT LAKE CITY – Biological fathers in Utah will be legally obligated to pay half of a woman’s costs from their own pregnancy under a new state-owned law, which critics say is not doing enough to meet the needs of mothers to adequately handle healthcare.
The sponsor’s bill proposed the measure as an attempt to reduce pregnancy on women and increase responsibility for men who have children. However, some critics believe that the new legislation will not help the most vulnerable for women, and could make the abusive situations for pregnant women even more dangerous.
Utah appears to be the first state to provide antenatal child support, according to the state’s planned parenting association and the sponsor’s bill. But a few states, including Wisconsin and New York, have provisions that could make fathers financially responsible for expenses before birth.
Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, recently signed the proposal, which received widespread support in the IDP-controlled legislature
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The Republican Rep. Brady Brammer said he decided to sponsor the measure because he became frustrated with the number of anti-abortion measures being pursued by the legislature and wanted to enforce legislation that would make it easier to bring life into the world.
“We want to help people and actually be pro-life in how we do it as opposed to anti-abortion,” Brammer said. “One of the ways to help with that was to reduce the burden of pregnancy.”
The bill applies to a pregnant woman’s health insurance premiums and any medical expenses associated with pregnancy, Brammer said.
If the paternity of the child is disputed, fathers will only have to be paid after the paternity has been established. The father would also not be financially responsible for the cost of an abortion received without his consent unless it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother or if the pregnancy was the result of rape.
In Utah, mothers already have the option of seeking support through the courts regarding maternity expenses, but few do, says Liesa Stockdale, director of the state’s Office of Repair Services, which usually collects child support. She said mothers will now have the option to also request pregnancy-related payments through the legal system, but it is unclear how often they will follow up.
“I do not know how often it will be used,” Stockdale said. It remains to be seen how often parents will choose to bear these costs. But if they do, we’re here to gather. ‘
The bill is not intended to lower the frequency of abortions, but Brammer said it could be a possible outcome.
Anti-abortion activists praised the bill, saying it would protect the lives of unborn children by supporting women during their pregnancies. Merrilee Boyack, chairwoman of the Abortion-Free Utah Coalition, said she hoped this bill would reduce abortions in the state by reducing the economic pressure on new moms.
“Anything we can do to support women in these circumstances will help them give birth to their babies, feel good about the choice and along the way feel supported,” Boyack said.
The new legislation comes at the top of a long list of restrictions that Utah has placed on abortion. Last year, the state approved a measure that would make abortions illegal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decades-old ruling that made it legal nationwide. The Utah measure would be an offense to carry out the procedure, except in cases where rape, incest and serious threat to a mother’s life were involved.
Other Republican-run states are considering a series of strict anti-abortion restrictions this year. Heavy abortion bans have already been signed in South Carolina and Arkansas.
Democratic lawmakers and women’s activists have questioned whether the new legislation on fathers that will help cover costs will meet the needs of women.
Katrina Barker, spokeswoman for the planned parenting, said she supports more financial support for women, but that there are better ways to help women, such as expanding Medicaid, accessing contraception and providing paid parental leave.
Barker also said she does not believe this legislation will result in fewer women having abortions because the cost of pregnancy is usually small compared to the cost of raising a child.
“In the big plan, it will have a lot more money to have a child and raise them,” Barker said.
According to a 2015 report by the US Department of Agriculture, the average cost of raising a child is $ 233,610, excluding the university costs, for a middle-income family. The cost of an abortion can range from free to $ 1,000, depending on the location and whether the mother has health insurance, according to Planned Parenthood.
Domestic abuse tends to increase during pregnancy, and charging these costs can further increase tensions over a baby’s financial support, says Gabriella Archuleta, a YWCA Utah public policy analyst who provides services to survivors. of domestic violence. About 324,000 pregnant women are abused annually in the United States, according to data from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Archuleta also noted that this measure does not justify the high cost of the legal system, and that it is likely to serve only women who are richer or have affluent partners.
“At first glance, that sounds like a good idea,” Archuleta said. “But what we need to do here is look at some of the nuances and how it affects women, and I don’t think the nuances were really explored to the extent that it should have been.”