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Michigan Law Would Give Pregnancy Tax Break

It’s about tax credits for young families who are struggling to make ends meet.

-Dan Jarvis, Michigan Family Forum

Michigan lawmakers are considering allowing expecting parents to get a tax credit on their fetus if it is at least 12 weeks old by the end of a given year.

Currently, a parent can claim a $3,700 tax deduction per dependent, according to CBS station WWJ in Detroit. If the law is passed, pregnant women can declare their fetus as a dependent.

The legislation would treat a fetus the same as a child for purposes of a tax deduction. The bills got a hearing Tuesday in a House committee and could come up for votes before lawmakers close their session in December.

Republican Rep. Jud Gilbert of Algonac said that it’s an attempt to recognize that a pregnancy brings expenses. The tax break could cost the state $5 million to $10 million a year in revenue.

The Michigan branch of the National Organization for Women is criticizing the legislation, saying it’s an attempt to extend legal rights to the unborn. ”These bills would be a first step toward establishing fetal personhood and banning abortion,” Mary Pollock from Michigan NOW told WWJ. “They want fetal personhood and they want to put a fetus’ rights above a mother’s rights.”

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