Missouri legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Missouri HB2338: Establishes provisions relating to child support obligations for unborn children
Status: In committee, May 15, 2026
What the bill says
To amend chapter 454, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to child support obligations for unborn children. Section A. Chapter 454, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 454.488, to read as follows: 454.488. 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean: (1) "Putative father", the alleged or presumed father of a child, including a person who has filed a notice of intent to claim paternity with the putative father registry established under section 192.016 and a person who has filed a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity under section 19.
From the introduced text:
To amend chapter 454, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to child support obligations for unborn children. Section A. Chapter 454, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 454.488, to read as follows: 454.488. 1. As used in this section, the following terms mean: (1) "Putative father", the alleged or presumed father of a child, including a person who has filed a notice of intent to claim paternity with the putative father registry established under section 192.016 and a person who has filed a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity under section 193.087; (2) "Unborn child", the offspring of human beings from the moment of conception until birth and at every stage of biological development, including the human conceptus, zygote, morula, blastocyst, embryo, and fetus. 2. A putative father, or a biological father if paternity has been established, may be obligated to make child support payments for an unborn child if the mother of the child petitions the court for child support within two years of the child's birth and requests that support payments include the months the mother was pregnant with the child. If paternity is disputed, a biological father owes no duty under this section until the biological father's paternity is established. 3. Child support obligations shall begin six weeks from …