Utah has become the first state to mandate prenatal child support, AP reports. Gov. Spencer Cox recently signed a measure that would require biological fathers to pay for half of out-of-pocket pregnancy costs.
Some have argued that this proposal falls short in addressing the wide array of maternal health care needs, but the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Brady Brammer, believes this law calls upon biological fathers to be more responsible while effectively reducing the financial burden placed upon expecting mothers. Brammer’s motivation for pushing the bill was due to his desire to create a path for people who share his pro-life views in light of his admitted frustration over what he sees as an increasing number of anti-abortion legislature over the years.
“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 help the burden of pregnancy be decreased.”
If the alleged biological father disputes the pregnancy, he will not be required to pay until it can be confirmed. The father will not be responsible for covering the financial costs of an abortion if it is done without his consent. However, there are certain exceptions made regarding the well-being of the child’s mother or if the pregnancy was the result of rape.
This latest bill comes after Gov. Cox signed a proposal late last month that would force every manufacturer selling a phone or tablet in the state to include a porn filter.
