Georgia governor Brian Kemp (R.) and the state's Department of Revenue unveiled policies this week aimed at supporting pregnant women and children in the foster care system. The move comes amid accusations from Democrats in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade that Republicans d0 not prioritize the well-being of mothers or children after they are born.
Georgia’s Department of Revenue updated its guidance Monday to allow women to claim their unborn children as dependents on their tax returns. Per Georgia state law, this entitles pregnant women to a $3,000 tax exemption for each additional dependent. Georgia defines an unborn child as a fetus that is at least six weeks old and has a heartbeat.
The next day, Kemp announced that the state would pay for a marketing campaign "to help recruit and retain more foster parents" in Georgia.
"Our state believes in protecting life at all stages," Kemp said in a statement. "And we're committed to achieving this goal. We hope this new campaign reaches more who are ready to answer this call."
Georgia’s new slate of pro-family policies comes following criticism from progressives alleging that Republicans who support regulation of abortion do not care to support pregnant mothers or children in the foster care system.
"Not only do [Republicans] want to force women to have children if they are pregnant," Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) said, "but when they do have them, they don’t want to provide any support for them."
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) similarly argued that "Republicans don’t care about helping children after they’re born with child tax credits, affordable education, or removing guns that kill kids in schools. They're more focused on controlling women’s health care choices through government mandated pregnancies."
Nationally, the GOP has advocated measures that would extend benefits to pregnant mothers. Congressional Republicans introduced a bill in July, for instance, that would require men to pay child support starting at conception.