On Tuesday, Kentucky senators voted to advance a bill to allow the right to request child support to cover pregnancy-related expenses before the child is born. The bill also allows parents to request child support retroactively, up to a year after giving birth according to the Associated Press.

State sen. Whitney Westerfield sponsored the bill.

“I believe that life begins at conception, but even if you don’t, there’s no question that there are obligations and costs involved with having a child before that child is born,” he said on Tuesday before the vote. Pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in the United States costs an average of $18,865 in the U.S. this year, according to Forbes.

Westerfield is a self-proclaimed “pro-life Republican” with a history of proposing state constitutional amendments to condemn abortion protection. In January, he filed a bill to pump $551 million into family services such as child care, food assistance, and college tuition.

“While Kentucky has done good work to limit abortion, we haven’t done enough to make child bearing and life easier for moms and babies (unborn and born), and to make the decision to choose life rather than abortion the easier, preferable choice. We need to fix that deficit,” his blog states.

The Kentucky bill on pregnancy-related child support has the potential to significantly impact families in the state, with both potential benefits and drawbacks to consider.

On the positive side, the bill could offer much-needed financial relief to expecting parents, particularly those facing financial hardship. Pregnancy and childbirth come with a hefty price tag, as Forbes mentioned. This support could help cover prenatal care, maternity expenses, and lost wages during pregnancy or after birth. This financial security might ease stress for expecting mothers and potentially improve pregnancy outcomes.

However, the impact on decisions around pregnancy and childbirth is less clear. While some might see this as an incentive to choose parenthood due to the financial assistance, the bill doesn’t address the social and emotional aspects of raising a child. There’s also the question of how paternity will be established, especially in situations where the biological father is not involved in the pregnancy. This could lead to complex legal battles that might discourage some from seeking support.

Ultimately, the bill’s true impact on Kentucky families will depend on its implementation and how effectively it addresses the logistical and legal challenges associated with establishing paternity and enforcing support orders before a child is born.

This isn’t first-of-its-kind legislation, according to the Associated Press, six other states have attempted to implement similar policies. In Georgia, you can collect child support from the point of conception and can claim an “unborn child with a detectable heartbeat” as a dependent on income taxes.

Senate Bill 110 was supported bipartisanly, with a 36-2 vote and will move on to the House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press.

This Kentucky bill adds fuel to the national debate on child support and abortion. While not explicitly restricting abortion rights, it grants financial personhood to a fetus, potentially paving the way for further legislation that could blur the lines between fetal rights and abortion access.

This is the latest post-Roe policy seeking to codify the belief that life begins at conception. Last month, Alabama made headlines for granting personhood to frozen embryos, resulting in local IVF clinics from halting operations, foreshadowing how states might continue to restrict how Americans build families.