Key Points:

• Tax break would only apply based on financial need 

• Proposal does not conflict with the legal right to an abortion

• Democrats indicate support

A Republican lawmaker wants to provide financial help to women who choose to give birth, saying it could provide enough incentive to deter them from having an abortion.

Rep. Nick Kupper is sponsoring House Bill 2004 that would provide a new tax credit — an actual deduction of state taxes owed up to $4,000 — in the year there is a birth. And he crafted it with the specific aim, built right into the legislation, to “encourage women in this state to carry their unborn children to full term.”

What makes the measure by the Surprise Republican notable is that it is written in a way that doesn’t wade into the legal or moral questions surrounding the practice and regulation of abortion. Even House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos, a staunch Democrat, said his party could get behind it.

Kupper noted the perennial debates at the Capitol about abortion, and acknowledged the legal right of women to terminate a pregnancy.

What’s missing from the conversation, he said, is a discussion of the reasons behind that.

“I looked at the stats,” Kupper said. “And from what I was able to see, it appears that 93% of women choosing to abort, if it’s an elective abortion, they say it’s a lack of finances, security or support. And a lot of that falls on men sucking.”

Data produced by the state Department of Health Services, however, paints a murkier picture.

The agency, which is required to keep track of medical data, reports that there were 12,888 abortions in Arizona in 2023, the most recent year for which statistics are available. 

In more than 9,300 abortion cases, the procedure was elective, and in more than 4,100, the patient declined to specify a reason.

And most of what remains fall into the “other” category, which includes everything from not wanting to have children, to financial impact, to being unprepared for the associated emotional and mental health challenges of childbirth. 

But Kupper said that, whatever the reason, there is more the state can — and should — do to take care of women.

“If we can help support women in a financial way somewhat, why would we not?” he said.

And he’s structured his HB2004 to help only those most in need.

As crafted, it would provide a $2,000 credit in the year a child is born to single individuals or $4,000 to married couples filing jointly.

But that full credit would be available only to those below the federal poverty level. That’s $21,150 for a two-person household and $26,650 for a family of three, with higher figures for larger families.

That credit would be reduced above that level, to the point it would disappear at 145% of the federal poverty level.

“Obviously, it’s not for every pregnancy because if you’re wealthy, then finances aren’t an issue,” Kupper said.

Most significantly, this would be a refundable tax credit.

Individuals and couples would get an actual check from the state if the credit exceeds their tax liability. Kupper said that makes the most sense, as many who are at or below the federal poverty level may owe little or no state income tax.

What his legislation also does is avoid the whole hot-button issue of abortion.

“In no way, shape, or form does it force anybody to give birth,” he said. “I just want to give an option.”

Kupper said he does not yet have any estimate of how much that would reduce state taxes. But he said that, whatever the cost, this is a good cause.

“We spend a lot of money on a lot of stupid things as governments, and not just Arizona,” Kupper said. “But I think if we can spend some money on taking care of our people, that’s one of the things we can agree across the aisle on.”

De Los Santos agreed.

“Democrats invented the child tax credit,” he said. “We are always looking for ways to make life more affordable for working families and working moms.”

Still, De Los Santos said there’s that unanswered question of the price tag, with legislative budget analysts saying the state could be headed for a budget deficit.

“If we can find a way to pay for this that doesn’t cut health care programs or doesn’t cut education, we’re very open,” he said.