It is absolutely incredible, that so many of those who claim they love the unborn do so much damage to those who are already born. In fact, the following atrocities seem like they have an outright war against children who are already out of the birth canal. They seem to have no clue what family values are all about.
1. Health Care: When the Affordable Care Act, aka Obama Care, which created coverage for 20 million people, including protection for 100 million others who had pre-existing issues, was passed, 49 Republicans voted against it. Later, they voted nearly 70 times to defund it. They also opposed expanding Medicaid to help ensure poorer families receive necessary medical care, leading to better health while preventing long-term issues. The only states that have not expanded Medicaid, are some red states that voted for Trump.
2. Expanded Child Care Tax Credit: Expansions, such as those in the American Rescue Plan, have been credited with reducing child poverty by almost half. Due to the 60 filibuster rule, the Republicans were able to block its renewal. Not one single Republican voted to renew it.
3. Universal Pre-K Education: Pre-kindergarten education aims to give all children a strong start in their educational journey, improving long-term academic and social outcomes. President Biden's "Build Back Better" bill would have accomplished this, but had the support of only one Republican and could not pass.
4. Paid Family Leave: Policies that provide paid leave for parents after the birth or adoption of a child support early child development and family bonding. Despite many attempts by the Democrats, we remain the only developed country without this very important right.
5. School Lunch Programs: Initiatives to expand free or reduced-price school meals to ensure that children receive nutritious food, have been a struggle to reach the remaining millions of needed children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this was expanded, but Republicans refused to make it permanent. Their "logic" was cost and "federal overreach", which they deem more important than children. This program is crucial for children's growth and learning and has nothing to do with a lack of desire or will power. You try doing an important mental task while starving.
6. Gun Control Measures: Policies aimed at reducing gun violence, such as universal background checks and restrictions on certain firearms, will create a safer environment for children. Even though over 80% of the public favor common-sense gun control, the vast majority of Republicans dare not buck the NRA's money.
7. Climate Change Legislation: Efforts to combat climate change address environmental issues that disproportionately affect children, such as air and water quality, have been declared a hoax, despite the fact that 99% of climate scientists have proven otherwise.
8. Affordable Housing Initiatives: Programs that increase access to affordable housing help ensure that children have stable living environments, which is critical for their development and well-being. Again, the "federal overreach" argument trumps (pun intended) the need of millions of children for this vital need.
9. Affordable Universal Child Care: Subsidizing child care costs helps working parents afford quality child care, ensuring that children receive proper care and early education, which is crucial for their development. Increased funding for programs like Head Start, that support early education and development for children from low-income families, always receive stiff oppositions from the group that only care about children that have not yet been born.
10. Higher Minimum Wage: Raising the minimum wage increases the income of low-wage workers, many of whom are parents, thereby obviously reducing child poverty and improving children's living conditions. Despite numerous attempts by Democrats, the Republicans continue to keep the federal minimum wage at $7.25 an hour, the same rate it has been since 2009. Please read that again. Fifteen years without an increase.
11. Terrible Role Model: If setting a good example for your children to follow is something good parents and grandparents should do, is it not a sign of insanity to support a confirmed pathological liar, a person who brags about his adulterous affairs, and one who has been convicted of 34 felonies with many more charges still pending? That question is NOT a rhetorical one! What are they to think? And, what will you think when they follow your example?
12. Anti-Discrimination Protections: Legislation to protect children from discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation aims to create inclusive and supportive environments for all children. Yet those fighting for these protections and rights find stiff opposition every step of the way.
13. After-School Programs: Funding for after-school programs offers safe and constructive environments for children outside of school hours, promoting academic achievement and reducing juvenile delinquency. In addition, it is a great help to working parents, providing their children with adult supervision. Trump attempted to eliminate the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program that provide federal grants, but by a very thin margin, it survived. It will for sure be back on the chopping block if he is reelected.
14. Nutrition Assistance Programs: Expanding programs like Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutritional support to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and young children, promoting healthy development. Republican lawmakers have often sought to scale these back, including SNAP benefits, by imposing work requirements for recipients, or reducing the overall budget of the program.
15. Comprehensive Sex Education: Most Republicans in Congress resist any policies that promote comprehensive sex education in schools that aim to provide children and teenagers with accurate information about sexual health, helping to reduce rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Add in free contraceptives, and many ruined lives will be saved. Studies have found that adolescents who receive comprehensive sex education are more likely to delay the initiation of sexual activity compared to those who receive no sex education or abstinence-only education.
16. Parental Leave for Foster and Adoptive Parents: Extending paid parental leave to foster and adoptive parents supports family bonding and stability, crucial for the well-being of children in foster care or newly adopted. Democrats have to fight like hell to even fund Family Planning Services that supports family planning services and education that helps parents plan and space pregnancies, leading to better health outcomes for both mothers and children, with many fewer abortions.
17. Public Transportation Funding: Increased funding for public transportation makes it easier for families to access jobs, schools, and healthcare, improving overall quality of life for children and their families. Most families cannot afford Ubers or taxis and many not even cars, especially with the high insurance rates in poorer zip codes.
18. Mental Health Services in Schools: Increasing funding for mental health services in schools provides children with access to counselors and psychologists, addressing mental health issues early and supporting emotional and psychological well-being. Even though there is a direct correlation that the more stress and anxiety a person has, the more mental health problems occur, these facts are almost meaningless in the far right circle of politicians.
19. Clean Water and Air Regulations: Strengthening environmental regulations to reduce pollution ensures cleaner air and water, which is essential for children's health and prevents conditions like asthma and lead poisoning. Yet, the necessary cost and "federal overreach" to businesses through common-sense regulations is often the tipping point.
20. Increase Funding for Public Schools: Enhancing funding for public schools, particularly in underfunded districts, improves educational resources, infrastructure, and opportunities for children, leading to better educational outcomes. Incredibly, many Republicans advocate the elimination of the Department of Education. In fact, when Trump was president, he appointed Betsy DeVos, who did not even believe in public schools, as its Secretary. Much of its budget went to private schools, many operated by churches that allow many unscientific things to be taught as fact (indoctrination), often with substandard requirements for their teachers.
21. Student Loan Forgiveness: Programs to forgive student loan debt or make higher education more affordable can relieve financial burdens on families, allowing them to invest more in their children's futures. Many of these loans were made to students by fraudulent schools with little or no regulations to prevent them.
22. Workforce Development Programs: Investing in workforce development and job training programs helps parents secure stable, well-paying jobs, reducing economic stress on families and improving children's living conditions. These also benefit many children entering the workforce, who do not attend college.
23. Foreign Aid, including Ukraine: America is a very rich country. We have a duty to do our fair share of assisting the less fortunate. Yet, the vast majority of Republicans fight against doing more, while tens of millions of children suffer. Obviously, we cannot help them all, but we sure can help a lot more. Worse yet, Trump is even an advocate of Putin's invasion, that has killed, maimed, and orphaned many children in Ukraine. You will recall that their president refused Trump's demand to falsely accuse Biden of wrong doing during the last campaign.
24. The Dreamers: Yes, even children who were brought into this country at an early age, many who can only speak English, having been here for 20 years or more, find themselves at risk by the cold-hearted Republicans. Mass deportation is a key platform of Trump.
25. Unions provide great protection to families: They ensure higher wages, better benefits, often including funded retirement accounts, paid family sick leave, paid sick days, and among other things, a safer work place and job security.
These policies, if implemented and/or expanded, could provide a broad range of benefits for children's health, education, and overall well-being, supporting their development into healthy, well-adjusted adults. The reason children from rich families statistically do so much better is that they have almost all of the above benefits as a matter of course. All other developed countries do better than the United States, and their positive results are proof that they work. Yet, Trump and most Republicans do not fight for any of the above children friendly items, except on a few isolated occasions.
Most of the time, they do not show an ounce of compassion to living children. It is not the words they say, but their actions by almost always voting no. THEY MAY CALL THEMSELVES PRO-LIFE, BUT THEY CERTAINLY ARE NOT PRO-LIVING.
