Changing Pregnancy Bills

A new bill in Utah, recently passed and effective May 5th, 2021, will require biological fathers to pay half the maternity expenses, including all pregnancy and birth medical bills. This bill makes Utah the first state in the country to have a stand-alone mandate on prenatal child support.

While the bill does not directly address abortion, it does bring up questions and implications regarding the reasons for ending a pregnancy. Lawmakers who supported the bill argued that by requiring biological fathers to pay half of all pregnancy and birth related expenses, it might incentivize people who would have considered an abortion to continue with the pregnancy. 

As most of us know, however, the fiscal burden of having a child does not end after birth. Although the bill will potentially alleviate some financial stress during pregnancy, it does not go far enough in addressing the exorbitant cost of raising a child.

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