Alabama IVF ruling puts spotlight on state plans for tax breaks and child support for fetuses

The recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally protected children is highlighting how support for the idea that a fetus should have the same rights as a person underpins far less dramatic laws and proposals from abortion foes across the U.S.

Lawmakers in at least six states have proposed measures similar to a Georgia law that allows women to seek child support back to conception to cover expenses from a pregnancy. Georgia also allows prospective parents to claim its income tax deduction for dependent children before birth, enacted a pregnancy tax break last year, and variations of those measures are before lawmakers in at least four other states.