Fair Start Movement

Category: Action Alerts & Toolkits

  • Climate Crisis: Act Now to Protect the Future for Kids

    Climate Crisis: Act Now to Protect the Future for Kids

    Despite attempts the United Nations and others to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, levels are now at an all time high. The growth in emissions tracks world population growth, which is the greatest driver of climate change and a threat multiplier.

    What can you do to protect yourself and the ones you love?

    Understand that you have a fundamental human right to resources to ensure your child a fair start in life. Choosing to have a smaller family is, without comparison, the best way to mitigate the threats of climate change. The right to nature and a fair start in life is the first and supreme human right. If you are willing to plan responsibly, you have a moral claim against those that are able to pay – including the government and wealthy individuals.

    Demand your rights, and help others make their demands. Communities who are most impacted by climate change, and are literally being driven from their homes, and morally entitled to target those most responsible for Fair Start funding (which would include offsetting the impacts of climate change). Help them do so, by directly confronting those responsible, or calling for governments to recognize and protect the fundamental right to a fair start in life. Would-be mothers who are concerned about the future, and are forgoing having children, have a moral claim against those who are creating the predicament. Engage those people directly, and speak out against government policies that promote having larger families that threaten our future.

    Having Kids means caring for the future, and that means taking effective action now. Let’s change to conversation from what parents want to what kids need. 

  • Sen. Mike Lee is a Threat to National Security: Take Action

    Sen. Mike Lee is a Threat to National Security: Take Action

    Senator Mike Lee is getting attention for his solution to climate change: to just have more kids.

    Senator Lee is suggesting that Americans arbitrarily have larger families. He is actually promoting exacerbating climate change, and all the risks of a larger human population in a less hospitable future environment. Having a larger family is the most effective way to increase greenhouse gas emissions. Given that climate change is a threat to the security of the United States, we are wondering who – exactly – Sen. Lee represents? 

    Does he tell his three children that he’s for worsening the climate change that will reduce the quality of their lives? What is he doing to ensure proper care for the thousands of children wallowing in failing foster care systems around the country, including in Sen. Lee’s home state of Utah? Should we simply ignore them and just have more kids?

    Why should we follow the laws made by someone who is a threat to our future? 

    Take action: Call Sen. Lee and ask him to retract his comments and promote Fair Start family planning.

  • Georgia State Rep Moves to Eliminate Abortion – Take Action

    Georgia State Rep Moves to Eliminate Abortion – Take Action

    Georgia state representative Ed Setzler said he is moving to virtually eliminate the ability to terminate pregnancy. The bill, supported solely by male lawmakers, would force women to parent against their will and force children into the world with parents who are not ready or able to provide for them.

    Read more: Why Wait to Have Kids?

    Forcing children to be born perpetuates the cycle of poverty and inequality and increases the risk of abuse and neglect. Furthermore, it drives the unsustainable population growth that threatens the future for all of us.

    Contact Rep. Seltzer at (404) 656-7857 and ask how he plans to ensure that the children who would be born because of his policies receive a fair start in life? Will they get the privileges his four kids are getting? Why not?

    What would you do to protect future kids against manifest threats like Ed?

    Stand up and confront those who threaten our future. It’s time to put children’s needs first and ensure a fair start in life – it is a human right.

  • Ask Florida Senator Lauren Book to Prevent Child Abuse With SB90

    Ask Florida Senator Lauren Book to Prevent Child Abuse With SB90

    This week marks the beginning of Florida’s 2019 Legislative Session. Legislators have until May 3 – just 60 days – to consider thousands of bills and decide on what issues are most important to Floridians. Having Kids applauds Florida Senator Lauren Book for her commitment to protecting Florida’s children from abuse and rehabilitating those who have suffered through legislative efforts and her work with Lauren’s Kids.

    Most recently, Senator Book introduced Senate Bill (“SB”) 90. This bill would establish “early childhood court programs” to “serve the needs of infants and toddlers in dependency court.” Dependency courts hear cases about children who are abused or neglected, and, in Florida, this number is staggering. In 2016 alone, nearly 42,000 children were abused or neglected in the
    State of Florida (and these are just reported cases). (We also recently asked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to develop policies, and encourage legislation, that enables judges to issue Fair Start Orders. Read our letter to him here.)

    SB 90 would serve a tremendously important need – to have the justice system work to “restructure the way the community responds to the needs of maltreated children” through having court systems that employ a multidisciplinary approach to help heal maltreated children (both mentally and physically) and implements steps to ensure the rebuilding of the child-parent relationship.

    Having Kids commends Senator Book for introducing legislation that puts the needs of children and their well-being as a top priority. However, we encourage Senator Book to take her important bill one step farther and include Fair Start Order language as an additional part of this bill. Such legislation would allow judges, in cases of truly egregious child abuse, to issue non-coercive orders preventing abusive and neglectful parents from having additional children for limited time periods like during the period of probation. These orders, in the context of early childhood court programs, would allow parents and their healing children to focus on necessary rehabilitative steps to repair the child-parent relationship and protect future children. Shouldn’t we work to prevent abuse rather than simply react to it? Fair Start orders do just that.

    If you live in Florida, please call or send a brief message to Senator Book thanking her for her tireless work on behalf of children and asking her to consider adding Fair Start Order language to SB 90. Reach her at book.lauren@flsenate.gov
    or (850) 487-5032.

  • Mother of Eight, Rachel Campos-Duffy Denies Climate Change. Take Action for Kids.

    Mother of Eight, Rachel Campos-Duffy Denies Climate Change. Take Action for Kids.

    Does life imitate art? Fox News contributor an former Real World cast member Rachel Campos-Duffy evokes a scene from the famous movie, Idiocracy. As a mother of eight, she denies climate change and openly promotes the worst way to intensify it – more irresponsible family planning.

    Fact: The root cause of most of our environmental and social crises, like climate change, massive inequality, child abuse, terrorism and social conflict, and the decline of democracy, come from one root source: poor and unsustainable family planning.

    Is it fair that many of us have to worry about having one because people like her selfishly have eight?

    Is it fair to put the burden of dealing with the fallout of her reckless behavior on her kids, as she suggests?

    We all love our kids. We want the best for them. We have an obligation to ensure a future world that is safe and secure for them, filled with people who were born and raised with everything they need to work together for a better world. We should confront people that threaten our children and their future by promoting irresponsible and unsustainable family planning. We should not let the future for our kids be defined by people like Rachel Campos-Duffy.

    Take action:

    Tweet Rachel @RCamposDuffy, and ask her to answer these simple questions: Do all kids deserve a fair start in life and how would you ensure that? Is having eight kids sustainable? What steps are you taking to make the future world safe and secure for you own kids?

    Rachel is impacting the world we all share, and the future our kids will inherit. Help hold her accountable and urge her to engage on and debate the issues she raised.

  • Tell Ivanka to Stop Throwing Women Under the Bus

    Tell Ivanka to Stop Throwing Women Under the Bus

    Ivanka Trump and her three kids were all born wealthy, with privileges in life they did not earn, and a massive head start over people who will never be able to catch up. She and her kids enjoy such advantage in part, because of the tax, family planning and economic policies that enable the rich to become richer while the middle class shrinks.

    Meanwhile, Ivanka and her husband personally lobbied to reducing access to abortion. More importantly, as the President’s Senior Advisor, she had a hand in the sweeping and harmful Title X changes. The changes implemented in February shifted federal funding from organizations that provide birth control, STD screenings and preventative health exams to faith-based and pregnancy crisis centers and abstinence only education.

    family planning
    Results of access to long-acting reversible contraceptive in Colorado. Photo: LARC4CO

    The ability to control the timing and number of children is one of the most critical factors in determining a woman’s empowerment, independence and success. Research indicates that women who delay motherhood and have smaller families are significantly better off economically than their peers who started families at the average age. Smaller families tend to result in a more equal distribution of parental responsibility. Women who have fewer children also tend to have greater decision making power in the household, and are less likely to be drowned out by a spouse or relatives.

    Ivanka is instead advancing policies that ensure a steady stream of poor future laborers, consumers, and taxpayers. Need proof? While she purports to be a champion of women, she recently expressed opposition to a minimum wage increase, stating:

    “I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around this country over the last four years. People want to work for what they get, so I think this idea of a guaranteed minimum is not something most people want.”

    That increase would raise their standard of living and ability for mothers to give kids a fair start. People like her – who live on investments rather than hard work, rely on a future underclass of workers to support her and her family. They feed off the growth that poor family planning creates.

    Infographic with two women: one 15–19 years old, one 20–24. Between 2009–2017, birth and abortion rates dropped 59%/60% for teens, and 35%/41% for young women; 51,427 women benefitted since 2008.
    Photo: LARC4CO

    But there are efforts to counter these regressive policies. Having Kids is part of a coalition of groups in Colorado, LARC4CO, that are pushing for affordable access to effective contraception and other reproductive health services for all women. We just re-upped. Read two key fact sheets about the coalition’s work here and here.

    TAKE ACTION: Tell Ivanka to act like the champion for women she claimed to be and advocate for universal access to family planning services to empower women and give every child a fair start in life. Tweet her at @IvankaTrump.

  • Help HK Call Out Those Criticizing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Family Planning Comments

    Help HK Call Out Those Criticizing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Family Planning Comments

    Last week many news outlets, like Fox News, attacked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for breaking the long-standing taboo and asking whether we need better, and sustainable, family planning in the United States. Read our letter to AOC here.  Erika Mathews, Executive Director of the national child-protection organization Having Kids, is urging supporters to find and politely engage directly with AOC’s critics, by simply asking them a few questions either by email, social media, or in-person interviews. Her critics are easily identifiable online – just google “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez” and “children,” and if you need help finding a particular person, just email us at info@fairstartmovement.org

    HK WILL PUBLISH AND PUBLICIZE A SUMMARY OF THE BEST ENGAGEMENT.

    Erika urges supporters to engage with AOCs critics using a few simple questions. She had this to say. “It’s time to have an open and honest conversation about the future, which will mostly be determined by the family planning decisions people make today. Smaller families are the best way to mitigate climate change and other environmental crises – are AOC’s critics saying we should not do what works best? Rich kids become rich adults and poor kids become poor adults. Better family planning can level the playing field. Are AOC’s critics against a level playing field? Nearly 700,000 kids are abused each year in the U.S. Are AOC’s critics suggesting we should arbitrarily push random people to have kids, people that might not be ready to be good parents? Is that the future we want?”

    It’s your future. It’s your kids future. Do we really want it filled with billions more people who did not get what they needed growing up?

    Here are the facts: The most effective way to address many of the impacts on our environment and other species, like climate change, is by choosing smaller families. Yes, it’s up to 20 times more effective than changing diet or forms of transportation. By 2100 world population could vary by billions of people, depending on whether the average woman in the world today has one child more or one child fewer in her lifetime. The science of early childhood development shows the disproportionate impact the beginning of our lives has on the rest of our lives. This holds true, among other things, for economic inequality. Better family planning is the best way to reduce inequality. Other interventions are simply too late.

    According to Erika, “We can change the direction the world is headed. We just have to start a serious conversation. AOC is right to break the taboo.”

    Having Kids is a 501(c)3 nonprofit nonprofit organization dedicated to reforming family planning by replacing parent-centered family planning models with the human rights-based and child-first Fair Start model.

  • Tough Questions for HHS. Demand Answers.

    Tough Questions for HHS. Demand Answers.

    As children return to school, many will be participating in the federal National School Lunch Program. The NSLP provides free or reduced price meals and serves 20 million lunches and 11.6 million breakfasts daily. The start of a new school year is good news for the 30 million kids who will have a guaranteed meal – sometimes their only meal. Those statistics are jarring. What can we do to prevent kids from facing hunger in the first place?

    The stated mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is to “enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans”. It got us thinking. And we have a few questions for HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

    1. How does the HHS current family planning modeling actually assure at least a minimum level of well-being for each child born in the United States?

    2. How does that level of well-being reflect every child’s right to a fair start in life, with equal opportunities in life for wealthy kids and poor kids?

    3. How does the HHS current family planning modeling account for the impacts of growth on the natural environment and communities, including exacerbation of climate change and urban gridlock?

    4. How does the HHS current family planning modeling account for the demands that growth places on social service systems like education, nutrition, and healthcare?

    5. How does the HHS current family planning model account for the impact of growth on the democratic processes of the United States, and the ability for all citizens to have a meaningful and equal voice in those processes?

    Want answers as much we do? Add your name here. 

  • Earth Overshoot Day – Take Action Now

    Earth Overshoot Day – Take Action Now

    August 1, 2018 is Earth Overshoot Day.

    Worried that the federal government is actually making things worse, and hurting your kids’ future? You would be right. But you can take action by urging your local government, your town, city or county, to do the most effective thing possible to mitigate climate change and protect the environment.

    Between now and the end of the year, consider using the template below to urge your local government to take a position on the need for better family planning. Send them the draft, and then lobby them hard to do their jobs and protect you, your family, and your future.

    ————–

    Resolution acknowledging that Earth Overshoot Day 2018 is August 1, 2018 and Affirming [add your local government reference here] Commitment to Move Back the Date of Earth Overshoot Day And Provide Affordable and Accessible Family Planning Services

    WHEREAS, Earth Overshoot Day is the date each year when it is determined that we (all of humanity) have used more of the Earth’s natural resources than our planet can renew in that entire year; and

    WHEREAS, In 1970, Earth Overshoot Day was December 29; and

    WHEREAS, This year, Earth Overshoot Day is August 1, 2018; and

    WHEREAS, We now use the resources equivalent to that of 1.7 Earths; and

    WHEREAS, One way to live within the means of our planet is to ensure affordable and accessible family planning services, including birth control and women’s health services; and

    WHEREAS, Better family planning is a proven effective way to improve child welfare, reduce economic inequality, and protect and restore our environment; and

    WHEREAS, Smaller, child-centered families would result in 50% more biocapacity per person in 2100, and more biocapacity makes it easier to have thriving lives for all within the means of the planet; and

    WHEREAS, Investing in smaller, child-centered families through the empowerment of women is also consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG Number 5 General Equality calls for ending all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere, including giving women equal rights to economic resources and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels; and

    WHEREAS, Gender equality can also help ensure that we live within the means of our planet because when women are respected as equal partners in the household, at work, and in the community, better social outcomes for their families, including health and educational achievements invariably ensue; and

    WHEREAS, In 2011, nearly half (45% or 2.8 million) of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the United States each year were unintended; and[1]

    WHEREAS, Studies show that family planning programs and preventing teen pregnancy lead to more stable families and allow girls to stay in school longer; and

    WHEREAS, Studies also show that the more education young girls and women receive, the longer they wait to have children; and[2]

    WHEREAS, Some communities have instituted affordable and accessible family planning programs, which have resulted in an average 48% decrease in teen pregnancy; and

    WHEREAS, Family planning programs enable more women to use the birth control method of their choice and empower more individuals to plan if and when to become pregnant; and

    WHEREAS, The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released proposed changes to prohibit the use of federal Title X Family Planning Program funding for agencies that provide abortions or abortion-related services; and

    RESOLVED [ add your local government reference here] is committed to providing affordable and accessible family planning services, which is under attack by the Trump Administration, to protect our planet and its resources for future generations.

    [1] https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/unintended-pregnancy-united-states

    [2] https://www.wired.com/story/to-stop-climate-change-educate-girls-and-give-them-birth-control/