The Kentucky Senate, which is majority Republican, voted on Tuesday, March 12, for the right to collect child support before the child is born.
According to AP News, Republican state Senators Whitney Westerfield and Stephen Meridith sponsored Senate Bill 110, which effortlessly passed 36-2 with little discussion and advanced to the House.
The bill grants a parent the right to seek child support up to a year after the child’s birth to cover pregnancy expenses. SB 110 recognizes the other parent’s obligation to act on their parental responsibilities before birth by assisting with costs incurred during the nine months.
The bill only applies up to a year after the child is born. Therefore, it will be ineffective for any time after that.
“I believe that life begins at conception,” Westerfield explained to his colleagues. “But even if you don’t, there’s no question that there are obligations and costs involved with having a child before that child is born.”
He continued, “So if there’s not a child support order until the child’s 8, this isn’t going to apply. Even at a year and a day, this doesn’t apply. It’s only for orders that are in place within a year of the child’s birth.”
The bill underwent revisions due to the original bill proposing that parents can request child support any time after conception, but elected officials put a time limit on it.
So, what does this mean for Kentucky’s 8.05% of Black folks?
Well, if the bill is wholly passed, Black mothers or soon-to-be mothers in Kentucky can request child support from their offspring’s father to help cover any prenatal expenses.
It’s known that the risk of infant mortality is about four times higher in Black families than in white families. Black mothers are also more likely to experience poor maternal mental health, which could lead to more severe issues with the pregnancy. However, studies showed that greater father involvement could benefit the baby’s health, from attending prenatal courses to paying for prenatal necessities. Yet only 8% of Black fathers were included in prenatal care services.
Hence, it’s why Black mothers seek child support payments because they know the burden shouldn’t only be on them, which is why SB 110 could be beneficial.
But America has a lot of work to do. This nation has a history of ensuring Black families fail.
According to USA Facts, a 2017 study showed that Black children were over twice as likely as white children to live with one custodial parent, but they’re less likely to have a child support agreement.
One of the possible reasons for the low numbers of child support orders for Black people is the disproportionately high rate of Black men in prisons.
For custodial Black moms who have a child support agreement with the noncustodial father, it’s not guaranteed they will receive the mandated child support money. According to the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP), the majority of the $115 billion child support arrears in the U.S. stemmed from a majority of low-income Black fathers (a reported income of under $20,0000), leaving many Black mothers to carry the financial burden of nurturing their children during pregnancy to after.
One of the reasons behind Black noncustodial fathers being unable to pay their child support is the difficulty in finding a job that would provide them the means to pay due to systemic discrimination in the labor market and education.
Another reason is the disproportionate rates of Black men in prison. According to Pew Trusts, the rate of Black men admitted into jails in 2019 was six times higher than any other group. Additionally, Black adults being imprisoned were five times higher in 2020 than white adults.
