On Tuesday, the Kentucky Senate voted to allow the right to collect child support for fetuses.
Now, a parent in that state can ask for child support for up to a year after a baby is born to pay back pregnancy costs. The law, Senate Bill 110, passed in the Senate with a 36-2 vote with minimal conversation to head to the House. Republicans are the major parties in both chambers.
One advocate and sponsor of the bill, Republican state Sen. Whitney Westerfield, stated that the fact that the bill passed the state Senate shows that pregnancy comes with responsibilities for the other parent to help with the costs during that time period.
The Kentucky bill had to be revised prior to winning the Senate. Initially, the bill read that child support could be collected anytime after a child is born. However, it was later changed to a parent only being able to retroactively ask for child support for pregnancy expenses up to 12 months after the birth of a baby.
The measure will still have to go to a House committee and the entire House. Any House modifications to the bill will result in the measure going back to the Senate.
