Latest news with #AbortionForward
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers want to allow parents to claim ‘conceived children' on income taxes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio lawmakers are reviving an effort to allow parents to claim 'conceived children' as dependents on their state income taxes. Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) introduced House Bill 87, named the Strategic Tax Options for Raising Kids (STORK) Act, last week. The legislation would allow Ohioans to include embryos or fetuses conceived during the taxable year as dependents, starting on Jan. 1, 2026. If a taxpayer and their spouse were to file separate returns, only the expecting mother could claim the embryo or fetus. Lawmaker: 'Trust me' property tax relief on the way 'The costs of starting and raising a family begin before childbirth,' Click said in a news release. 'This bill will provide young, working middle-income families with a tax break they need and deserve.' HB 87 is similar to a bill Click introduced last year under the same name, which ultimately did not pass by the end of the legislative session. The new bill features a few changes, including clarifying that embryos or fetuses lost to miscarriage could still be claimed as dependents, but those that are aborted could not. It also specifies children conceived by 'assisted reproduction,' such as IVF, would count as dependents. Click said he got the idea for the bill when he introduced the Personhood Act in July 2022, which would have added to the Ohio Revised Code that personhood of an individual is declared from the moment of conception. The Personhood Act did not pass. 'In the midst of the conversation, somebody was really being a smart aleck, and they said 'Well, can we claim them on our taxes?'' Click previously told NBC4. 'And I thought, 'Well, you know, that actually does make sense.'' Inside the Whitehall police division that current and former officers have called toxic While Klopfenstein said the legislation is a step toward ensuring Ohio is 'the best place to raise a family,' critics of the bill have stated it is an attempt to classify fetuses as people and undermine abortion rights in the state. Abortion Forward Deputy Director Jaime Miracle called the bill a 'sneak attack' on reproductive rights and said there are numerous other ways legislators could help local families, such as addressing paid family leave and childcare deserts. 'Rep. Click's true agenda is clear,' Miracle said. 'His goal is to undermine reproductive healthcare access. He doesn't actually care about Ohio families.' Click said last year that the effort is not an attempt to recognize legal personhood for fetuses, and that a bill cannot undo the state's constitutional amendment that codifies Ohioans' right to abortion. 'This could be pro-life or pro-choice,' he said in August. 'Either way, people on both sides have babies, and to recognize that parents have expenses for those babies before the baby comes just seems logical to me.' Thousands of IRS employees fired as federal layoffs continue The lawmakers cited statistics from the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation, which state the average cost of having a baby including pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in the U.S. was $18,865 in 2022, and for those enrolled in healthcare plans, the average out-of-pocket cost was $2,854. The STORK Act was referred to the House's Ways and Means Committee, where it awaits its first hearing. The bill currently has 11 Republican cosponsors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Governor proposes millions more for pregnancy centers in state budget
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Gov. Mike DeWine's proposed state budget for the next two fiscal years includes an over 40% increase in funding for pregnancy centers, which promote childbirth over abortion. In Ohio, the governor makes budget recommendations early into each new General Assembly using insight from state agencies and knowledge of upcoming federal funding. DeWine submitted his draft to the legislature on Feb. 3, detailing a spending plan for 2026 and 2027. Seven items in DeWine's proposed Ohio budget you may not know about In DeWine's suggested budget, he proposed increasing support for the Parenting and Pregnancy Program by 42.9%, which would raise annual funding from $7 million to $10 million. The program was established in 2013 and allows the department to award taxpayer dollars, issued in grants, to select nonprofits that encourage childbirth rather than abortion. Under Ohio law, eligible organizations must be entirely separate from any entity that refers patients to abortion clinics or advertises abortion. This money is commonly awarded to pregnancy centers, which are typically operated by faith-based groups that provide free services to women including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and infant supplies. Emma Martinez, director of legislative and external affairs at Ohio Right to Life, called the proposed funding increase a 'fantastic move,' claiming the state has seen a growing need for pregnancy centers in recent years. 'We are seeing the need for them just increase,' Martinez said. 'There are so many women that are saying, 'We need help, we need assistance,' many of whom want to keep their children.' However, reproductive rights groups such as Abortion Forward have spoken out against these centers, calling them 'fake clinics' that are 'anti-abortion' and not upfront about the services they provide. Lack of funds ends program sheltering the homeless 'They use deceptive tactics, people may think that they're at a healthcare facility when they're not,' said Kellie Copeland, executive director at Abortion Forward. 'They may or may not be staffed with people with healthcare backgrounds, they may offer ultrasounds, but they're not diagnostic and the client does not know that. … They think that they might be at a place that's offering them unbiased care, and they're not.' If the legislature approves DeWine's proposed allocation for pregnancy centers, this will not be the first time the centers have seen a boost in funding in recent years. In 2023, lawmakers approved a state budget that directed $14 million to the state program, up from $6 million the previous two-year budget. Abortion Forward estimates the state has given over $40 million to pregnancy centers since 2015. 'When they get taxpayer funding and that funding is supposed to be helping people with unexpected pregnancies, we find that the funds are not really well used by these centers, certainly not up to the standard of other taxpayer dollars,' Copeland said. 'A lot of the funds that go to these anti-abortion centers actually go to social media, ads and billboards.' However, Martinez said these funds can help give women in crisis the additional support they need. One example of services pregnancy centers may offer include parenting classes where expectant mothers can earn points to get free clothes, cribs or other necessities, Martinez said. 'These centers are providing care throughout not only pregnancy but support after,' Martinez said. '[Abortion clinics are] not offering parenting classes, they're not offering car seats. These are things only pregnancy centers are offering throughout our state. … That is so much more effort into helping a woman than just offering her an abortion, which says 'Oh you're scared about a pregnancy, we'll get rid of it for you and that's all we're going to offer you.'' Ohio GOP makes good on plan to fasttrack higher ed bill Copeland believes the state funds could be used to support pregnant women in better ways, such as through SNAP benefits and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides personalized guidance on healthy eating, lactation resources, and allows participants to receive vouchers to purchase baby formula. 'Representatives from these clinics, they come to the Statehouse, they advocate against abortion access, against family planning centers and things like that,' Copeland said. 'It's really troubling the way these centers operate and the amount of money that they've been given with no material oversight or regulation.' To receive funding through the Parenting and Pregnancy Program, organizations must fill out a form through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to apply for funding and specify what it is needed for. 'You really have to explain what you're doing with these funds, be upfront about what, what the use is and what services you're providing,' Martinez said. About one in seven women in the state have visited a crisis pregnancy center, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University in 2021. Copeland estimated the state is home to about 110 centers, while Martinez estimated the number is close to 150. In Columbus, there were 10 pregnancy centers in the city compared with two abortion providers in 2023, according to a report by Abortion Forward. Throughout the spring, the Ohio House and Senate will consider items in the draft and have the opportunity to make changes. The budget will be formed into a bill before it is enacted on July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
