A Republican-led bill in Kansas would recognize the personhood of a fetus and allow pregnant women to claim child support for medical and pregnancy-related expenses after the date of conception.
called a bill Senate Bill 425change State Law Kansas Reflector includes fetus in legal definition of child report Monday.
According to the report:
Any embryo that is “in the uterus at any stage of pregnancy” starting from the moment of fertilization is considered a fetus. Courts would be required to add medical expenses and pregnancy-related expenses to the list of factors they consider when adopting child support rules. The law also provides that these costs cannot include costs associated with “elective abortion.”
Sen. Lenny Erickson (R-Kansas) introduced the bill, which received a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. According to the report, pro-life organizations expressed support for the bill during the public hearing.
“We believe that every life has value and that every woman should be surrounded by a support system during pregnancy,” said Brittany, director of policy and outreach for the anti-abortion organization Kansas Family Voices.・Mr. Jones stated.
Mackenzie Haddix, a spokeswoman for Kansasns for Life, said the bill could lead to fewer abortions by providing financial support to pregnant women.
“Overall, a woman should never feel that abortion is her only option,” Haddix said.
Abortion activists oppose the bill, calling it an attempt to incorporate “fetal personhood” into state law.
“This is a tactic used to make it easier to pass anti-abortion laws in the future,” said Taylor Morton of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Vote. “This goes directly against widespread public support for abortion access in Kansas. Moreover, as you know, the lack of clarity in this bill makes it virtually unworkable. It has become.”
It is notable that Kansas is one of the few states in the region that allows abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy or if the mother’s life is at risk. In August 2022, Kansan rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to outlaw abortion.
