A new bill passed in Utah, U.S. will require biological fathers in the state to pay for half of the out-of-pocket costs of pregnancy.
The bill, sponsored by Republican state Representative Brady Brammer was signed by Governor Spencer Cox after receiving widespread support from lawmakers in the state.
The bill now requires fathers to pay 50% of a mother’s insurance premiums while she is pregnant and pregnancy-related medical costs, including the hospital birth of the child.
According to the legislation, if paternity is disputed, the father of the child owes no money until paternity is established.
The bill also states that if a mother receives an abortion without the biological father’s consent, the biological father owes no money, unless the abortion is necessary to avert the death of the mother or if the mother was pregnant as a result of rape or incest.
Utah appears to be the only state to mandate pre-birth support, according to Brammer and the state’s Planned Parenthood association
