Georgia to Protect Preborn Babies

During this month of August, the state of Georgia announced new legislation to protect preborn babies. This legislation will allow parents with preborn babies with detectable heartbeats in the year 2022 to be considered dependents on Georgia state income taxes. The state will require supporting documentation such as medical records. The legislation did not directly address if the dependency claim depended on a later live birth. Georgia a state that has led by example with legislation for embryo adoption, is again leading the way for states to support the dignity and value of life. Georgia does this by financially supporting parents of preborn babies.

This type of legislation, written to protect preborn babies, supports the culture of life and allows financial benefits for parents open to giving life. It is one step in the direction of recognizing the value of human life, even if preborn, and the need to support the value of human life at all stages of development.

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International Efforts to Protect Preborn Babies:

• Russia had started a maternity capital benefit in 2007 for families to have a second child or to adopt a second child.
• Australia has programs for financial benefits for delivering a child even if stillborn, and even if there are other stillborn births.
• Italy has a voucher for future mothers who complete the 7th month of pregnancy or delivery, and also a voucher for adoption or pre-adoptive foster parenting.
• In Japan a mother pregnant for more than 85 days who is enrolled in a government health plan, or an employer health plan is eligible to receive funds. Certain cities in Japan such as Tokyo offer financial incentives for those who live there and give birth.
• Estonia, a country that had a year of parental leave in 2004, and then a year and a half by 2008, had seen its population increase due to their rising birth rate.

Changing the Culture in America

Now is the time for State action. The State must have good conversation with its citizens and legislatures to pass legislation to promote the value of human life. Lawmakers must encourage paid parental leave, and financial support for foster care parenting and programs. This is the next step in the post-Dobbs pro-life movement.

History will tell if those states offering more services to destroy life will fare better than those states investing more in seeking to protect the life of the preborn. It will also tell which humans exist, such as lawyer Rebecca Kiessling of Save the One, because a state law protected her right to life. May we not forget the duty of government as reflected in the Declaration of Independence is to secure and protect unalienable rights. May more states follow Georgia’s lead and declare preborn babies humans too. May we continue to celebrate more birthdays in this new post-Roe era of valuing human life!

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