SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Biological fathers in Utah have to pay half a woman’s pregnancy costs out of pocket under a new law. At least for the time being, this is only the case in the state of Utah.
The bill sponsor presented the measure as an attempt to reduce pregnancy weight in women and is an attempt to give more responsibility to the men who help conceive children.
There are critics who argue that this new legislation will not help the most vulnerable women, and if she does not chat, abusive situations could become even more dangerous and further adversely affect pregnant women in those situations.
Utah appears to be the first state to require prenatal child support, according to the state’s Planned Parenthood Association and sponsor of the law.
There are several states, including both Wisconsin and New York, that have unique triggers that, in turn, can result in fathers being financially responsible for some or all of the pre-birth expenses.
Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, recently signed the proposal, which received widespread support in the GOP-controlled legislature. The bill would cover a pregnant woman’s health insurance premiums and any pregnancy-related medical expenses, Brammer said.
If the child’s paternity is controversial or unclear, the father does not have to pay until paternity has been established. The father would not be financially responsible for the cost of an abortion even without his consent unless it is essential to prevent the mother’s death or when the pregnancy is the product of rape.
This law could set an early precedent. Many states must care to better serve the mothers involved in being single mothers before the pregnancy is even completed.
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