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mothers
Don’t Let Republicans Slash Fruit-and-Veggies Aid for Kids and Families
Losing the critical WIC benefit would put a huge strain on our budget, not to mention increase my stress level as a busy working parent. And I know I’m not alone.
Jul 26, 2023
On Wednesday, Republicans in Congress are attempting to pass a bill that would make staggering cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. WIC gives expecting and new parents, babies, and children essential access to fresh fruits and vegetables, staple foods, breastfeeding support, formula, and health screenings. The Republicans’ proposal would slash the fruit and vegetable cash value benefit by 56% for kids and 70% for adults. I know firsthand how devastating these cuts would be to millions of families.
When I first became pregnant, it felt like I was screaming into a void. It was unplanned, I couldn’t get a solid job with benefits, and my husband was going through the immigration system. We spent months living in our friend’s basement. During this roller coaster of pregnancy, I spent every day physically ill, confused, anxious, and hopeless. I didn’t know how to find high-quality, respectful perinatal care and ended up having a traumatic birth.
This acute stress was sadly normal. Mental health challenges are the No. 1 complication of pregnancy and childbirth—not surprising, considering the harmful absence of paid leave, affordable childcare, and healthcare in the U.S. Luckily, a social worker got me signed up for Medicaid and WIC—true lifelines to get my family back on our feet.
This amounts to more than a 50% cut for children and an approximately 70% cut for adult participants—that’s barely enough to buy a carton of strawberries or blueberries!
That’s why I was appalled to hear that there’s a Republican spending bill being considered Wednesday in the House of Representatives that would massively cut the WIC cash value benefit for fruits and vegetables to only $11 per month for child participants, $13 per month for pregnant and postpartum participants, and $15 per month for breastfeeding participants. This amounts to more than a 50% cut for children and an approximately 70% cut for adult participants—that’s barely enough to buy a carton of strawberries or blueberries!
Over 34 million Americans face hunger each and every day, including 9 million children. These shocking numbers are even more concerning when we consider the increased nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating people, who need 300 to 400 additional calories per day to meet their energy needs and support the healthy growth of their baby. That’s why it’s so vital that nearly HALF of all babies in the United States receive crucial WIC support—that’s 6.6 million participants in total! Yet could be much greater–50% of parents, infants, and children eligible for WIC are not receiving it. There are many systematic barriers to parents signing up including lack of awareness, stigma, bureaucracy, and lack of time or funds to get to a clinic. Thankfully, remote services implemented during the pandemic have helped mitigate this, tangibly increasing WIC participation by 17% from 2022-2023.
In 2021, Congress increased WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits to cover 50% of recommended intake under the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is hands down the most valuable part of WIC for my family. Between my always on-the-move baby, my 4 year old, and my appetite as a breastfeeding mom, we devour fresh fruits and veggies as fast as we buy them. But they’re incredibly expensive—I see grocery prices skyrocketing and I’m not just imagining things. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the price of food rose by 11.4% last year. At the same time, greedy corporate giants like Kroger, Walmart, and Tyson are making record profits and shareholder payouts.
Losing the critical fruits and veggies benefit would put a huge strain on our budget, not to mention increase my stress level as a busy working parent. And I know I’m not alone. After years struggling for stability, I’m now a parent advocate with ParentsTogether, a family advocacy nonprofit with more than 3 million members nationwide. Everyday I hear from parents who confirm what I know firsthand—without WIC, pregnancy and those rough first years postpartum would be almost impossible. A recent survey of ParentsTogether members revealed that without this vital program, 64% of WIC recipients would have been unable to afford necessary formula to feed their infants, 52% would have been unable to afford enough food for themselves, and 75% of would not have been able to purchase the nutritious foods they needed.
The Republican proposal would slash a program we know is working. Enhanced fruit and vegetable benefits led to quick results: Within a few months of increased access, WIC children reported higher rates of fruit and vegetable consumption. In fact, a 2022 study from the National WIC Association and the Nutrition Policy Institute measured a ¼ cup per day increase in fruit and vegetable consumption for WIC-enrolled toddlers, helping young children get closer to federal recommendations, following the increase to WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit.
If the Republican budget proposal passes, not only would 5 million pregnant people, babies, and toddlers experience dramatic reductions to their benefit, but experts say there could be waitlists for moms and kids to get on WIC for the first time in nearly 30 years. We can’t go back in time by letting even more families and babies in need go hungry! As a grateful WIC mom, I implore Congress to act now to ensure WIC receives the full funding it needs to continue being a safety net to millions of struggling parents, babies, and children.
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Mothers on Six Continents Demand Action to Protect Children From Climate Crisis
"If we don't act now, it will be too late," one mom warned. "I could not live with myself, as a mother, as a doctor, and as a human being, if we didn't do all we can to try and bring about the much-needed systemic change."
May 14, 2023
From Australia to Zimbabwe, mothers on Saturday peacefully occupied public spaces and called for urgent societal transformation to avert the worst impacts of the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency.
Joined by loved ones on the eve of Mother's Day, moms across the globe sat down in protest circles, where they highlighted the deadly consequences of the status quo and demanded lifesaving climate action.
"With our circles we convey that we refuse to look away, that we refuse to give up, and that we will do everything we can," Mother's Rebellion for Climate Justice said in a statement.
Participants made clear that children and impoverished people who bear the least responsibility for the climate crisis face the most harm, and that failing to fundamentally reform the global political economy threatens to decimate younger and future generations.
"Children are feeling betrayed because they see that governments are not doing enough, or are actively delaying meaningful climate action."
"Children are feeling betrayed because they see that governments are not doing enough, or are actively delaying meaningful climate action," said Marion, a mother and member of Doctors for Extinction Rebellion (Health for XR). "Those that are meant to protect and safeguard them, are ignoring and turning their backs on the children in this country, and on the children in the Global South who are already facing the impacts of a heating climate, as well as the fallout from environmental destruction and exploitation of resources."
"If we don't act now, it will be too late," Marion warned. "I could not live with myself, as a mother, as a doctor, and as a human being, if we didn't do all we can to try and bring about the much-needed systemic change."
Mothers' Rebellion, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion launched last year in Sweden, describes itself as "a growing global community of women who want to be able to look our children in the eyes and say that we truly do all that we can." Fed up with "the lack of a powerful, transformative response from our politicians and leaders," the alliance "will not give up the fight for a sustainable present and future for the current and coming generations."
On Saturday, moms gathered in more than a dozen countries on every continent except Antarctica to build support for "the necessary changes to keep our planet healthy so that all its inhabitants can thrive," Extinction Rebellion Families (XR Families) explained.
Demonstrations took place in Australia, Costa Rica, Finland, Germany, India, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
\u201cGlobal #MothersDay "Mothers Rebellion"! Demands climate action across six continents. \nAll photos c/o @ExtinctionR \nhttps://t.co/yXO3mxm6lc\u201d— Antonia Juhasz (@Antonia Juhasz) 1684079271
"My heart aches when I think about the extreme heatwaves and devastating floods that my relatives in Malaysia have endured over the past few months," said Feng, a mother of two and member of XR Families. "It's not just about my family, but the countless others who are facing the brunt of climate change. That's why I will be at the Mothers' Rebellion, fighting for a livable planet for today’s children and all future generations. We owe it to them to take action now, before it's too late."
Kristine, a mother and member of Health for XR, said that "as healthcare professionals, it is our duty to identify and act on risks to children."
"As a mother and doctor, I cannot sit silently and watch this injustice to children across the world."
"Currently 85% of the burden of climate health impacts is falling on those under 5 years of age," said Kristine. "These health impacts include malnutrition, heat exposure, water scarcity, infectious diseases such as malaria and Lyme disease, and high levels of air pollution causing worsening asthma and childhood cancers."
"I am seeing these devastating impacts on children in my daily work, even in the U.K.," she continued. "As a mother and doctor, I cannot sit silently and watch this injustice to children across the world and that's why I will be at the Mothers' Rebellion and demand urgent climate action from world leaders."
According to XR Families:
Mothers' Rebellion wants a livable, socially just, inclusive world for all children. Almost all children on Earth are already exposed to at least one form of climate and environmental danger or stress. Mothers' Rebellion demand immediate action to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2025, starting with the phase-out of fossil fuels, and to protect and repair ecosystems whilst also addressing social inequality.
Approximately one billion children—nearly half the world’s 2.2 billion children—live in one of the 33 countries classified as [being at] "extremely high-risk" to the effects of climate change. These figures are likely to get worse as the impacts of climate change accelerate. The climate crisis is also affecting children's mental health. A global survey illustrates the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change. Nearly 60% of young people approached said they felt very worried or extremely worried. 83% think adults have failed to take care of the planet.
The Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health is calling for child health to be a central theme in all climate change policy decisions. All children should have the right to clean air, safe water, sanitation, affordable and nutritious food, and shelter. The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, and governments should mobilize and allocate resources to protect those rights and include a child rights risk assessment as part of all climate policy decisions.
"I consider the crowning glory of my life to be in the presence of my four grandchildren," said Valerie, a retired doctor and Health XR member. "How, in my late autumn years, can I justify my existence on this beautiful planet if it is not dedicated to whatever action I trust may play a part in preserving it and its glorious biodiversity—for them and all the world's children, born and yet to be?"
"Nothing else in my life can take precedence over this," Valerie continued. "Science does not lie. I call upon all grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts and friends, older siblings, and those who work with young people in this ultimate expression of love for them—and for their children."
"Without a habitable planet, what value has everything else we may wish to bequeath to them?" she asked.
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In Honor of Mother's Day, Let Us Organize
Moms are the best hope for Americans who are concerned about climate change.
May 14, 2023
To be a good mom, you have to be a great organizer. Whether it’s fair or not, in most families, moms organize just about everything—transportation to school and sporting events, shopping, meals, medical appointments, and much more. That’s why we’re the best hope for Americans who are concerned about climate change. We’re already skilled organizers. Many of us are already successfully applying our organizing skills to the climate crisis. If we want to have a planet that is safe for our kids, more of us need to do so.
While it’s mostly a forgotten history, Mother’s Day was never meant to be a day for expressing gratitude to mothers. The original Mother’s Day was an effort by women in the 1870s, horrified by the bloodshed of the Civil War, to exert their collective influence on our society in calling for peace. Julia Ward Howe led the charge, calling for a “festival which should be observed as Mother’s Day, and which should be devoted to the advocacy of peace doctrines.” Howe organized international peace conferences, and states created their own Mother’s Day festivities. She went on to advocate for women’s suffrage so women could shape our democracy as equal citizens.
Howe was by no means alone in recognizing the unique power of women—and particularly moms—coming together as an organized force for social change. Often these stories are left out of history textbooks that typically focus more on the individual heroism of charismatic leaders (usually white men), but from civil rights to marriage equality to vital environmental protections, women and moms have been key players in advancing public good.
This time around, it’s not the horrors of war that unites us but the terrifying prospect of a world made inhospitable for children–and all life–by the ravages of our climate crisis.
At Mothers Out Front, we’re carrying forward a vision of bold, women-led action in the tradition of what Howe exemplified and advocated. This time around, it’s not the horrors of war that unites us but the terrifying prospect of a world made inhospitable for children–and all life–by the ravages of our climate crisis.
In communities and states across the country, our moms have been advancing climate justice in a myriad of ways. They’ve helped pass policies in Massachusetts, California, and New York that protect families from pollution from oil and gas, whether that’s from appliances in their homes or drilling in their neighborhoods. They’ve pushed local school districts in Virginia and New York to transition to clean electric school bus fleets so that children don’t have to breathe dirty diesel fumes. They’ve secured more accurate air pollution monitoring in neighborhoods in Pueblo, Colorado, and run a successful no-idling campaign at Boston Logan International Airport to help address high asthma rates among children in East Boston. The list goes on. Energized by their collective concerns, our moms have become powerful leaders in their communities and beyond.
Mothers Out Front is one example of how mom power can be turned into a force for good. But if we're talking about the power of moms organizing, we have to talk about how motherhood has been weaponized by some groups as a front for reactionary, divisive politics. Oddly, far more media attention has been paid to this minority of moms who, under the guise of “parental rights,” promote banning books, removing curriculum that teaches about civil rights and racism, and restricting classroom discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Sometimes it feels like those of us who have a more hopeful and inclusive vision for the kind of world we want for our children are being out-organized. There’s no reason for this.
We’ve learned at Mothers Out Front that any mom out there can learn how to organize effectively around creating a better world for her kids: Start by talking to other moms—get together, discover the values you share, and identify the changes you want to make in your community. You’ll be surprised by how your relationships with one another will sustain you and the work that you do together. Pick your targets. Strategize: Figure out how to turn the resources you have into the power you need to achieve your goals. Work in teams with clear roles so that you can share the responsibilities and decision-making. Start small, win early, get more moms involved, and build from there.
We need to pay more attention to the stories of moms who are working to make our world more safe, equitable, just, and sustainable. These are the moms who can inspire a sense of hope and agency in all of us, allow us to imagine a better path forward, and spur us into action.
This Mother’s Day, we would do well take inspiration from Julia Ward Howe and embrace the uniquely powerful role we can play as women and as moms in driving transformational change for a better world. Let’s get to work.Keep ReadingShow Less
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