New legislation would allow mothers to get child support while they are pregnant
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - Senate Republicans are looking to pass legislation that would allow mothers to get child support while they are still pregnant, WLBT reports.
According to a press release by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), the Unborn Child Support Act would allow a court to award child support payments while the child is still in the womb and, retroactively, up to the point of conception.
The legislation comes nearly a month after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Mississippi’s only abortion provider closed as a result of the ruling.
“I hope good legislation, like the Unborn Child Support Act, gets more support now that the Dobbs decision encourages us to look more seriously at supporting mothers and their unborn children,” Hyde-Smith said.
Senator Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., introduced the legislation in the Senate, with Republican senators Steve Daines of Montana, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Rick Scott of Florida, Roger Marshall of Kansas and James Lankford of Oklahoma as additional original co-sponsors.
The Unborn Child Support Act would also:
- provide flexibility for mothers, who do not want the involvement of the father, by not requiring those mothers to receive child support.
- require judges to consult with mothers on payment plans and gives mothers discretion as to whether or not child support payments will be awarded retroactively.
- mandate that all paternity tests be at the discretion of the mother and not be conducted if the test would put the child at risk.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade could potentially lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
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