The real reason Vance’s ‘childless cat ladies’ comment is so outrageous

By Catherine Rampell,

The real reason to be furious about JD Vance’s “childless cat ladies” comments is not his rhetorical cruelty. It’s his attempt to hide the actual cruelty his party’s policies have inflicted upon American families and children.
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By now, you’ve probably heard that the Ohio senator and Republican vice-presidential nominee has described Democrats as “childless cat ladies” who, by virtue of their having no biological children, supposedly lack a “direct stake” in America’s future. The remark has infuriated and energized women across the country. Here in western Massachusetts, where Vice President Harris held the first fundraiser of her presidential campaign on Saturday, homemade “Cat Ladies For Kamala” signs dotted the crowd.

Mostly lost in this culture-war brouhaha, however, is the more substantive claim Vance was making. Vance said his point was that Democrats are “anti-child” and that Republicans are the “pro-family party.”

“Our country has become particularly hard for parents, especially under the policies of Kamala Harris,” Vance said Sunday on Fox News, adding: “The left has increasingly become explicitly anti-child and anti-family.”

Words like “Orwellian” and “disinformation” are often overused, but such descriptors seem apt here. Just look at the two major parties’ records on family-related issues.

Americans who have experienced challenges with fertility, or know someone who has, have (understandably) bristled at the insensitivity of Vance’s remarks. But more consequential than his insensitivity are the things he and his party have done to compromise access to fertility care.

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