A writer who identified herself as Phyllis Schlafly’s daughter said her mother put “babies first” and argued that public policy should support mothers who care for their children at home rather than expand taxpayer-funded day care.
Quoting Phyllis Schlafly, the writer said, “Feminism has changed the way women think, and it has changed the way men think, but the trouble is, it hasn’t changed the attitudes of babies at all,” and noted that Schlafly often engaged directly with infants and toddlers in public. The writer said Schlafly founded an award for the “Full-time Homemaker of the Year” and rejected the phrase “working mothers” because, Schlafly told her, “all mothers work all the time.”
The writer attributed a national “birth dearth” not to a lack of government money but to a culture that prioritizes careers over family and treats men as expendable. She wrote that about 40% of births in the United States now occur outside marriage and argued that children raised by married mothers and fathers are more likely to finish school, be employed, earn more and be healthier.
Representing Eagle Forum, the writer said taxpayer-funded child care would economically punish intact families and weaken the provider’s role in the home. She urged Congress to increase the dependent deduction on income taxes so families would receive direct savings rather than subsidies routed through government programs.
The writer listed groups she said would lose under taxpayer-paid day care — children, mothers, day care workers, taxpayers and stay-at-home parents — and said government-funded programs would benefit day care administrators and politicians. She concluded by saying no job is more vital than motherhood and expressing support for mothers who choose to raise their children at home.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
