5/10/2026

My Dear Friend & POTUS, DJT,

As I commence writing this missive at 7:17 AM, you are getting ready to participate in a Maternal Healthcare event. Will some pregnant women be in attendance to talk about their emotional & physical needs? Will some midwives be there to tell stories about the miracle & trauma of birth? How about a screaming baby?

I like to imagine that the full spectrum of motherly experiences will be on display so the patriarchy can better understand what conceiving, carrying, delivering & feeding a new life entails. I worry that your team is so male-centric that they are oblivious & may just emphasize how they are funding “crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs)” with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families tax dollars. 

SoW, did you know that the CPCs don’t provide the kinds of medical care pregnant women need to prevent things like gestational diabetes & hypertension? Do you think it’s possible that they may contribute to the leading causes of death among pregnant women, specifically suicides & unintentional drug overdoses? I wonder about this because I know women in a “pregnancy crisis” want relief & being told to keep their fetus could put them over the edge. 

Is this meeting a piece of the propaganda campaign to get women to have babies? If so, you will need to do more than try to assure them it is medically “safe” to do so. According to Anna Louie Sussman (ALS), writing in the NYT, the global decline in birthrates is a complicated dynamic. Sociologists’ previous assumptions can’t explain why so many women are eschewing childbirth. ALS argues that uncertainty about the future is to blame. She cites an international survey done by Professor Daniele Vignoli, of the University of Florence,  which found that “increasing exposure to a volatile global economy & accelerating technological change make it hard for young people to project a path forward with even a modest degree of confidence.” ALS also mentions fears of climate change as a rationale for not bringing a baby into this world.

ALS points out that government incentives to promote child-bearing haven’t been effective. She singles out participating in religious activities as the one low-cost fertility policy that is. She points out, “faith offers multiple levels of assurance, teaching that humans are part of a cosmic chain, having children is a moral virtue, & God will provide for them. On a practical level, faith offers a ready-made community that affirms & supports family life.” Perhaps it’s time for you to start going to church & encourage potential moms to do the same.

I wish I had more time to piece together some concrete suggestions to help you bolster the confidence of young women so they’d have a couple of babies. If we keep heading the direction we’re going, more schools will have to close. Some day I’ll write you a letter about that dilemma.

As usual, I ask that you pay attention to what’s going on with Burma. 

BYBS,