Inside The Unborn Child Protection Act: Your Questions Answered
From the real-life laws that inspired the story to the choices behind Sam and Rylee’s journey, here are the top questions readers are asking—and the answers you won’t want to miss.
Q: Where did you get the idea for The Unborn Child Protection Act?
A: Interesting question. I grew up with the mantra of 'my body, my decision' because, according to the Supreme Court, I had the right to make my own decisions about my body. After all, abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973.
As I grew up, though, that right to bodily autonomy was systematically eroded. SCOTUS agreed that the anti-abortion protesters had a right to block access to clinics, even if abortion was not performed at that location. Parental notification and waiting periods were introduced.
And then there was the Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling in 1992. This created an “undue burden” framework, making it more difficult to challenge laws that were less than absolute prohibitions on abortion.
By 2007, the high court allowed Congress to ban specific second-trimester abortion procedures, even if this would protect a woman's health. And in 2020, the state of Texas implemented a six-week abortion ban, a time before many people even knew they were pregnant. The interesting twist: there is no criminal penalty. Instead, it allows any private citizen to sue for the $10,000, court costs, and attorney fees.
After that came the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned more than nearly five decades of legal precedent.
What was missing from the national conversation was something simple: If conservatives were so interested in the health and well-being of an unborn child, what were they willing to do about the men who had caused the pregnancy? And, what would they do if given the right motivation?
Q: Why is the first book from Sam’s viewpoint?
A: I feel that we need to look at the impact that an unplanned pregnancy might have on men, especially if men are held equally accountable for raising that baby.
When it comes to sex, our society focuses all of its collective condemnation on women. An unexpected pregnancy? Well, she should have thought about the consequences before she had unprotected sex.
She says that she was raped? Pfft! Society tells use that everyone knows that most rapes don’t result in pregnancy. “If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
Tell that to the 64,565 pregnancies that resulted from rape in 14 states with abortion bans in place.
We even have cognitive dissonance when men step up. We worry that there may be something wrong with being a stay-at-home dad. We celebrate dads who are actively involved in raising their children even though 2023 time studies show married fathers' time with their children increased from 6.8 hours a week to 8 hours a week in 2020-2021. Cohabiting fathers' time rose to 6.7 hours a week from an average of 5.1 hours in that time.
Q: Why didn’t Sam and Rylee know about the Wisconsin Individual Family Education program?
A: Our society leans into the myth that banning abortion will more heavily impact the working class and poor community and, therefore, isn’t really their problem. So even if Sam and Rylee were aware of the program, they would have assumed that it wasn’t something that they would have to worry about. After all, they have their family and community to help out.
Q: This seems so real. As of January 2025, 12 U.S. states have enacted total abortion bans, while an additional four states prohibit abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy.
Do you really see the events in the series actually happening in our country?
A: It’s possible. Unfortunately, our society has not yet decided to hold men equally accountable for their children’s lives.
Walk this road with me: You’re married. Both of you have good-paying jobs, so you’re able to cover daycare/after-school programs, sports, clothes, and vacations. Your child doesn’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
You get a divorce. The custodial parent automatically shoulders much of the financial burden. According to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, the child support guidelines for a non-custodial parent making less than $7,000 per month are:
17% of income for 1 child
25% of income for 2 children
29% of income for 3 children
31% of income for 4 children
That’s not fair to the kids or to society, who may have to take up the slack for the loss of support.
Q: Does Wisconsin really have a law that prohibits having sex with someone who’s drunk?
A: Yup.
Statute 940.225 states that a second-degree sexual assault includes either sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a person who is under the influence of an intoxicant to a degree that renders that person incapable of giving consent. Doesn’t matter if the victim knows the perp or even if they’ve agreed to sex in the past.
And, subsection 940.225(5)(ai) defines an “intoxicant" means any alcoholic beverage, hazardous inhalant, controlled substance, controlled substance analog, another drug, or any other combination.
Q: Why are Sam and Rylee Lutheran?
A: The story is set in the wealthier parts of the Milwaukee metro area, although technically, Mequon is a part of southeast Ozaukee County.
Part of my research into the Mequon and Riverhills area included a historical look at how these cities were founded. The Lutheran faith played a strong part in the founding of Mequon. Trinity Lutheran Church, the first Lutheran church in Wisconsin, was built in 1840.
I also wanted to include faith as a part of their lives because I feel that this is an important part of our nation’s current landscape.
Q: When Rylee calls the baby a ‘gift from God’ that seemed a bit over the top. We don’t see Rylee as being overly religious in The Fatherhood Mandate.
A: I wouldn’t say that she is overly religious. Her faith is a natural part of who she is. Her mother strongly believes in the Prosperity Doctrine. God rewards those of the true faith with health, wealth, and whole-life abundance.
Of course, it was Rylee’s grandfather who created the businesses and investments that made the Williams family wealthy.
As for the idea that the baby is a gift from God? Pastor Chapman told her this and Rylee has come to believe it because it made it easier to accept her pregnancy.
That’s it for now. Keep the questions coming!!