Vice Speaker Tina Rose Muña Barnes has introduced legislation that would hold the would-be father of an unborn child responsible for financial support before the infant is born.

The proposal is in Bill 293, also known as the Pregnancy Support Act of 2022.

“The Pregnancy Support Act of 2022 would allow a court, in consultation with the mother, to award child support payments while the child is still in the womb and retroactively up to the sixth week of gestational age,” according to a press release from Muna barnes

The bill would further require expectant fathers to share the costs of pregnancy expenses. If paternity is disputed, child support payments and shared costs of pregnancy expenses would be paid retroactively once paternity is established the press release stated.

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“The health of the mother is essential to a successful pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby. By ensuring fathers take responsibility for the life they helped create, the Pregnancy Support Act of 2022 helps expectant mothers throughout pregnancy,” said Vice Speaker Muña Barnes. “If we as a community decide that a woman must carry a baby to term, we need to have their back. That means ensuring that men step up and pay their fair share.”

Sens. Frank F. Blas Jr., Mary Camacho Torres, Jose Terlaje, Telena Nelson, Amanda L. Shelton, V. Anthony Ada, and Joe S. San Agustin are co-sponsors.

(Daily Post Staff)