J.D. Vance said parents should ‘have more power’ than people without children

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio said in a newly unearthed speech that parents should have more of a say in American politics than those without children. Vance said that children are not fairly represented in the democratic process and suggested that parents should get to cast an extra vote on behalf of each kid they have.

“Let’s give votes to all children in this country, but let’s give control over the votes to the parents of those children. When you go to the polls in this country as a parent, you should have more power,” Vance said in a 2021 speech at a conference of the right-wing Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which promotes conservative policies on college campuses. “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.”

While Vance thinks people without children should not have as much of a say in the future of the country as those who do, he has consistently voted against policies that would make it easier for people to have and raise children.

In June, Vance voted in the Senate against the Right to IVF Act, a bill that would have protected and expanded access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments nationwide. Aside from ensuring access to IVF, the legislation would have also required that health insurance plans cover fertility treatments, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket and are often out of reach for many people. 

“Reminder: JD Vance voted against legislation to protect access to IVF. For a man who thinks ‘childless cat women’ are worth less than women who are mothers, you’d think he would want to expand accessibility and affordability for fertility treatments,” Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) said in a post on X.

Vance posted on Twitter in April 2021, “‘Universal day care’ is class war against normal people.”
A survey published in February by NerdWallet found that 27% of people under age 60 said that they did not plan to have children because the cost of child care is too high.

In Wisconsin, the average annual cost of child care per child is $12,567, according to a study from the Economic Policy Institute.

Harris supports protecting access to IVF, wants to implement paid leave for working parents, and has spearheaded the Biden administration’s efforts to lower child care costs. 

In February, Harris announced that the White House was issuing a new rule to reduce child care and preschool costs.

“President Biden and I believe that every family in our nation should be able to access affordable child care,” Harris said in a news release. “Today, we are taking another important step forward by lowering the cost of child care for more than 100,000 working families that receive federal child care assistance. President Biden and I will continue fighting to cap child care costs at $10 a day for millions of American families and make preschool free for all four-year-olds as we once again call on Congress to get it done.”