Mississippi sees spike in child care enrollment after abortion ban and child support policy change
Mississippi's human services director says the state has seen a consistent increase in the number of families accepting public assistance for child care since lawmakers banned abortion in almost all circumstances
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has seen a consistent rise in the number of families accepting public assistance for child care since lawmakers banned abortion in almost all circumstances, with the sharpest increase coming after a child support policy change in May, the state human services director said Friday.
Speaking at a legislative hearing on funding requests for the upcoming budget cycle, Bob Anderson, who leads the Mississippi Department of Human Services, said the upward trend in voucher enrollment means the agency might “hit a wall with state and federal money,” forcing parents to undergo a waiting period for child care assistance.
The department counted 31,532 families receiving those vouchers as of this month, up from 24,500 last October.
“That is on track with what we were told to expect when Dobbs happened,” Anderson said, referring to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Mississippi case in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the five-decade-old protection of abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade.
