New Virginia legislation will help expecting mothers with pregnancy costs

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Last week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law that is meant to lend a hand to expecting mothers by helping cover pregnancy and delivery-related costs.

“I’m very excited about the signing of the bill, I think it’s going to give a great opportunity for people to experience their pregnancy and take a whole load of stress off of them. There are a lot of expenses that add up and these can be especially difficult for single mothers,” said Dr. Cathy Slusher of Harrisonburg OBGYN.

House Bill 2290 and the identical Senate Bill 1314 will allow single expecting mothers to petition the court for monthly child support and reimbursement for Pregnancy and Delivery related costs from noncustodial fathers.

Dr. Slusher said that this will help lift some of the burden that women experience during pregnancy.

“I think it will offer some financial security, I think it will offer emotional security and most of all I think it will offer the opportunity to seek prenatal care earlier and in an environment that is very healthy and safe,” she said.

Dr. Slusher said that this will be especially important for mothers with high risk pregnancies which are more expensive because of the need for more testing.

“If you end up with a high risk pregnancy and you need a lot of anti-natal or before birth testing such as non-stress tests, multiple ultrasounds, you can see that things start adding up and those tests are very important to assure the well being of the baby and the health of the mother,” she said.

Dr. Slusher said that the most significant part of the bill is that it will allow more women to have access to better prenatal care than they otherwise may be able to afford which can make a huge difference during pregnancy.