Vance Could Not Care Less About Children’s Futures,” Argues Columnist
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/ via JTA)
During the recent CBS News-hosted debate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) faced sharp criticism from Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte, who argued that Vance’s views reveal a disturbing disregard for the future of children. Marcotte pointed out that despite Vance’s self-proclaimed “pro-baby” stance, his policies would cause harm to children in various ways.
“Vance sneered that climate change is ‘weird science,'” Marcotte wrote, highlighting one of the key moments in the debate. According to her, with this dismissal of climate concerns, “pro-baby Vance showed he will wreak havoc on the futures of all children for his political ambitions.”
Marcotte contended that Vance’s stance on climate change, combined with his views on other critical issues, paints a troubling picture of his priorities. Vance, who has previously made controversial remarks about parents and parenting, also came under fire for his comments on Haitian immigrants and his attempts to moderate his anti-abortion stance.
Marcotte argued that these positions reveal an underlying hostility towards children, noting that Vance’s policies would expose them to “deadly natural disasters, violent threats at school, and more violence at home.” In her column, Marcotte also touched on Vance’s views on women’s rights, particularly his stance on domestic violence and abortion.
“Research shows that when women are forced to carry pregnancies they don’t want to term, they are more likely to stay in contact with men who abuse them and often their children,” Marcotte explained. She further criticized Vance for suggesting that women should remain in abusive marriages, quoting his controversial remark that women should not “shift spouses like they change their underwear.”
Marcotte concluded that Vance’s so-called “pro-baby” position masks a deeper desire to dominate women, while his actual concern for children’s lives remains questionable. She pointed to past instances where Vance’s attitude toward childcare and parenting surfaced, including an incident where he admitted telling his 7-year-old son to “shut the hell up.”
“Vance made it very clear last night that children are only valuable to him if they can be used to derail women’s futures,” Marcotte wrote. “But when it comes to the futures of children themselves, Vance could not care less.” Marcotte’s column offered a scathing critique of Vance’s policies, suggesting that his disregard for climate change, reproductive rights, and domestic violence will ultimately endanger the well-being of children.
