Bill for Expectant Mothers Will Require Fathers to Pay Half of Pregnancy Costs
Utah | April 9, 2021
A Utah bill is being praised as a win for expectant mothers, including by pro-life groups. HB113, which was recently signed into law by the governor, passed with bipartisan support and requires the biological father of a preborn child to pay for half of the mother’s medical expenses during pregnancy.
Costs for prenatal care can be substantial, and according to the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, finances are a major factor in a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Giving birth costs, on average, $4,500 out of pocket, although the cost can more than double for those without health insurance. HB113 can help to ensure that fathers are responsible for their children, and that women who fear they can’t afford a pregnancy do not feel forced into an abortion.
According to Utah lawmakers, this was exactly why the bill was introduced — to save lives. Sen. Dan McCray told the Salt Lake Tribune the goal was “to try and bring some equity to the funding of pregnancies and share in that burden and [to recognize] the important role that the mother and the father play in the pregnancy.”
Rep. Brady Brammer, who sponsored the bill in the Utah House, specifically framed it as a pro-life effort. “You can support pregnant moms and new babies and it doesn’t have to be about abortion,” he told the BBC, adding that at the core of the abortion issue is “someone in a really tough position in life, making a real tough decision in life. Perhaps we could make that situation a little bit easier.”…
(Excerpts from LIVEACTION)