• 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

See Full Page