Mothers and their preborn babies deserve financial support from the moment of conception, but the governor of Kansas is concerned that putting this into law might interfere with her support for abortion.
Gov. Laura Kelly (D-KS) vetoed legislation this month to require child support payments to begin at the start of a pregnancy. The idea behind the bill is that mothers need money throughout pregnancy, not just after childbirth, and fathers should contribute.
“Women facing an unexpected pregnancy need support long before the baby is born,” Republican leaders said, as reported by the Kansas Reflector.
“Between doctor’s appointment copays, sonograms, and other costs, prenatal expenses can get very pricey for women to handle simply on their own,” the legislative leaders said. “The governor’s veto of this bill has failed Kansas women by dismissing financial accountability for the father.”
About 33% of births in Kansas are to unmarried mothers, according to a 2022 report from the Department of Health and Environment, though that does not mean all of those fathers were unsupportive.
But Kelly sees the bill as a way to undermine a decision by voters in August 2022 to reject a pro-life constitutional amendment. The bill, by affirming preborn babies are deserving of legal protection, would compromise Kelly’s support for abortion.
“This divisive legislation has broad and sweeping implications that undermine the will of the majority of Kansans who voted overwhelmingly in 2022 to protect the constitutional rights of women to make decisions about pregnancy,” she stated in her veto message.
“This is another blatant attempt by extreme politicians in the Legislature to take more control over women and their families’ personal, private medical decisions,” Kelly said. “Kansans already made it very clear that they don’t want lawmakers involved in personal matters.”
The state is already involved in insurance coverage for women, children, and families in need. KanCare “covers people with limited income, which may include pregnant women, children up to age 19, adult caretaker of children, persons aged out of foster care, persons with disabilities and senior citizens to list a few,” according to a state fact sheet.
Kansas also enforces child support payments, spending millions of dollars per year to do so.
This bill would have further assisted women in those difficult situations in which they are not being voluntarily supported by the father of their baby. The ideal situation is for a man and woman to be married and raise their children together. The next best situation is for the parents of the child, if not married, to work together to provide for their offspring.
But when neither situation occurs, it is proper for the state to step in and ensure mother and child get what they deserve, which is medical care and financial support. Because preborn babies are human beings.
Opponents “said allowing fetuses legal rights and protections would open the door to future restrictions on abortion in a state where the majority of residents support reproductive rights,” according to the Kansas Reflector.
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That logic should be a wake-up call to abortion supporters that what they support is the killing of human beings.
“Reproductive rights” should not include abortion, which is the opposite of reproduction, but it should include the right to proper medical care and remuneration so that the mother is safe and healthy and the baby gets what he or she needs to thrive from the beginning.
Matt Lamb is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an associate editor for the College Fix and has previously worked for Students for Life of America and Turning Point USA.