J.D. Vance and ‘Childless Cat Ladies’

Nick Catoggio: “There’s a lot that’s irksome about Vance’s attempt to divide America into tribes of parents and ‘cat ladies’ but we can start with the obvious: It’s shockingly callous, even by the gutter standards of populist-nationalist chuds.”

“After all, not everyone is childless by choice. Social media is filled this week with stories from hopeful parents who had their dreams dashed by tragedy. Some suffered miscarriages; some had bad luck with IVF; some didn’t meet the right person before their window for having children closed. Last year, in a piece for the Institute for Family Studies, one author recalled being told by a CDC researcher that no less than 80 percent of women of childbearing age plan or hope to have children someday. Many won’t get their wish.”

“Should we treat them as unfit for office because of it? What about parents whose children died in childhood, leaving them untethered to America’s future?”