3/26/2011

Should a baby conceived after a father's death be given Social Security survivor benefits?

While this is a cute baby, it seems very clear to me that a child shouldn't be eligible for Social Security benefits if it is conceived of after the parent's death. The point of insurance is to protect one against unforeseen events. You conceive the child and then have the parent die unexpectedly. In that case, it makes sense to get insurance. But having the baby after the child is born is not the same.

Melissa Amen conceived her 3-year-old daughter, Kayah, seven days after Kayah's father died of cancer.
"It's my miracle," the 28-year-old Nebraska resident told FoxNews.com. Melissa and her husband, Joshua, struggled for two years to have a child before she conceived through intrauterine insemination. Joshua had stored his sperm in a bank in case treatments for his cancer rendered him sterile. They were planning to raise a family together despite his three-year battle with cancer.
Now Amen faces her own battle: Winning Social Security benefits for Kayah from a federal government that, in essence, doesn't recognize Joshua as the father.
The Social Security Administration denied Melissa's application seeking survivor benefits for Kayah because she was conceived after the death of her father.
"I was so frustrated. I didn't know what to do," Amen said. "I knew I had to fight for her benefits." . . .

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1 Comments:

Blogger Chas said...

Markie Marxist sez: "Dead people can already vote, so why can't they do parenting too? Anything that spends more of the taxpayers' money is a good idea because it helps get America further towards the 100% taxation that defines communism. Why not have death benefits for the dead too? Let them live a little!"

3/27/2011 8:27 AM  

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