In an unprecedented move Alabama Senator Katie Britt and Florida Senator Marco Rubio have introduced the MOMS Act “More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed,” which seeks to extend child support to cover the entirety of pregnancy, potentially enhancing prenatal care and maternal health. However, this introduces the creation of a national database of pregnant women, raising significant privacy concerns. Alabama has some of the nation’s strictest abortion bans, currently barring women from seeking any termination except in the case of saving a mother’s life.
“Being pro-life means being pro-mother. We need to work towards passing legislation that helps mothers before, during, and after pregnancy,” said Senator Rubio.
The Prenatal Child Support Initiative: Under the MOMS Act, child support payments would commence as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. I would change the mechanics of child support at a federal level to enable women to seek support from sexual partners upon conception, swapping out existing language from “child” to “unborn child.” This legislative shift aims to ensure that expecting mothers have the financial resources necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Advocates argue this could reduce economic disparities and improve outcomes for both mothers and their babies.
Establishing a National Database: The implementation of prenatal child support necessitates a system to track and manage these payments, leading to the creation of a national database. This database would log detailed information about pregnant women across the country, a tool seen as vital for administration and enforcement of the new law.
