Vance’s “Childless Cat Ladies” Proposal is UnChristian & Dangerous

The Bible makes it clear that every human being has equal worth and value in God’s eyes—and that includes people with or without biological children.  Since 1868, the U.S. has said all citizens should be counted the same.

 

But J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s VP choice, disagrees. He not only mocked people without children, but stated that they don’t have a stake in the future of our nation and shouldn’t be able to lead it. Perhaps most dangerously of all, he argued the votes of Americans without children should count for less, and they should have less of a voice in our democracy and society.

In a 2021 speech, Vance said:

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“Let’s give votes to all children in this country, but let’s give control over those votes to the parents of those children. When you go to the polls in this country as a parent, you should have more power — you should have more of an ability to speak your voice in our democratic republic — than people who don’t have kids. 

 

Let’s face the consequences and the reality: If you don’t have as much of an investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn’t get nearly the same voice.”

 

As a Catholic himself, does Vance not believe that childless priests and nuns have a stake in the future? If child-bearing is so critical, why did he vote against the “Right to IVF Act” in July 2024 that would have guaranteed access to the treatment for Americans facing infertility? 

 

When you define yourself and your beliefs by who your enemy is, your arguments quickly lose ethical or intellectual coherence, and you have abandoned the model and teaching of Christ.

 

Thus, Vance’s comments show a complete lack of Christian compassion and are out of touch with the infertility struggles 1-in-10 Americans face while trying to conceive. They mock, rather than comfort, the heartbreaking loss felt by parents of the 10-20% of all pregnancies that end in miscarriage.  

 

To suggest that Americans facing infertility are any less valuable in society andless worthy of basic rights because they don’t have biological children is not only despicable and cruel—it is deeply unAmerican and dangerous. 

 

The U.S. already tried a 3/5ths Rule for voting.  It was wrong when it was used to discount the value of humans held as slaves, and it is an abhorrent idea to suggest we should apply now to childless adults.  

Vance has recently tried to justify his statements by saying they should be meant as an affirmation of parenting.  He could have done that.  He could have affirmed parenting or talked about the need for our society to do more to support parents and nurture the next generation.  Instead, he followed the Trump playbook of demeaning and attacking a group of Americans to create a bogeyman to justify the deeply unAmerican and dangerous concept that some citizens should have more of a vote than others.

 

We need better.  Jesus would have hung out with the cat ladies, not mocked them.  Jesus would have comforted parents struggling with infertility, not tried to take away their voting power.  

 

The lack of compassion and empathy Vance has displayed does much more than model the worst of behavior to our children.  It allows for deeply unAmerican and dangerous ideas to be normalized.