Childless Voters and Kamala Harris

WHAT MAKES A WOMAN A WOMAN? Often when this question is posed, the answer sought goes beyond the defining two X chromosomes of biology. Comments JD Vance made in 2021 questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' leadership because she did not have biological children have resurfaced with all its original IGNORANCE. The now Vice-Presential running mate of former President Donald Trump, posed, during a Fox News interview while he was running for senate in Ohio, “How does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?" He was referring to women without children. His logic was, if a person is childless, they cannot be interested in the future of America and should not have a hand in it's shaping.

Vance went on in the Fox interview to say, “We are effectively run in this country via the Democrats," and referred to them as "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too." He said that included Harris, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (who is now a married father) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.

Originality is not a strong suit of Mr. Vance because men have been going beyond the XX chromosome in efforts to "box" women into definitions they themselves do not apply to manhood. In 2017, the leaders of the top industrialized nations met in Sicily, Italy, for the annual Group of Seven summit, and that year, most of them were united by their lack of offsprings. Five of the seven national leaders attending the G-7 summit did not have biological children. British Prime Minister Theresa May, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni have no children. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has two stepsons, and French President Emmanuel Macron has three stepchildren. Were any of the leadership skills of the men who were not fathers questioned? NO.

For centuries, women have been made to feel less of a woman if they were unable to have children. As women entered the workforce and began to have careers, they were shamed if they chose not to have children. A man did not face any such judgement and most times was glorified for being an advanced-aged bachelor, without any children. His advanced age did not detract from his manhood as did society's belief once a woman reached menopause or had to have a medical hysterectomy takes her out of womanhood.

While in Seminary in 2005, in a Marriage and Family Counseling class, the question was posed, "Can a woman who CHOOSES not to have children or who are unable to have children be a Christian?" The question was asked based on a biblical verse written by the Apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 2:15, "Women will be saved through childbearing." "Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control." My instructor answered saying, no. If a woman does not have children, they will not be saved and cannot be a Christian. Needless to say, this is an erroneous, dangerous misinterpretation of the passage. I will not dissect the TRUE meaning of the passage along with its content here. I tackle this teaching in my book, When Will Eve be Forgiven? Remember, Kamala Harris said context is important. Believe me, it is a false teaching of this Bible verse. But, nonetheless, men feel free to base the quality of a woman and/or her life based on childbearing. 

The ability or inability of a woman to have children or her CHOICE not to have children has been WEAPONIZED against a woman in ways not used against men. For JD Vance to say a person cannot be a person invested in their country if they do not have children demonstrates his low opinion of women reducing them to baby manufacturing machines. I'm certain Christians will insert the be fruitful and multiply Bible verse here found in Genesis. They fail to note the command to multiply means those professing Christianity are not to limit or impede the number of children conceived in a Christian marriage. How many children does the Christian family have on average? 

According to Pew Research Center, the average Christian household has 4.5 people globally. In 2017, the Pew Research Center also reported that Christian women have an average of 2.6 children, which is second only to Muslims, who have the highest fertility rate among major religious groups. However, fertility rates have declined across Christian denominations in the United States, from 2.7 children in 1972 to 2.3 in 2016. Liberal nondenominational movements have a fertility rate of around 1.8–1.9, which is roughly what they need for stability. Conservative nondenominational movements, however, have a fertility rate of around 1.9, which is much higher than the 0.8 they need to grow. Didn't see that one coming, did you?

If we are to follow JD Vance's reasoning, then what about childless voters not seeking public office? Do they have a stake in the direction of their country? Should they be allowed to vote? Does he want WOMEN to show up at the voting booth with their children's birth certificate certifying/proving they have a stake in our country's government? Are childless women to be rejected as voters?

What is the fascination and preoccupation with the reproductive organs of women the Right have? A man came up with the theory of Penis Envy. Penis envy is a theory from early psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He believed that when female children realize they lack a penis, they feel "castrated" in comparison to males. It may be that MEN in the 21st Century are having uterus envy and become highly upset if we have one and don't use it like they would (Yeah. right.). I'm just saying.

The definition of womanhood is too complex to nail down due to the fact it can't be summed up with a few simple words due to the fact of the wondrous adaptability of women and their multitasking ability. Women have never been limited and should not be limited in any of their endeavors if they are childless and most definitely should not be maligned for it. It's time for men to stop waving around a woman's reproductive choices as some kind of apocalyptic warning. Their blue pill should be taken so they can have a seat.

When it comes to votes, Vance may lose a few due to his statement about childless women. In 2020, about 44.7 percent of Black women were childless in the United States. A little less than half of all women in the United States were childless in that year, coming in at 46.8 percent of the female population.

There is no shame for Kamala Harris. She belongs to an elite list of people who have contributed positively to their community, state, and country in various ways without having biological children.

1. Herbert Samuel Adams Sculptor
2. Scott Adams
3. Cartoonist, Dilbert
4. Charles Addams
5. Cartoonist, The New Yorker
6. Nancy Addison Soap Opera Actress
7. Louisa May Alcott Author of Little Women
8. Cynthia May Westover Alden Author, Philanthropist
9. Grover Cleveland Alexander Baseball Player
10. Suzy Allegra Author
11. Marty Allen Comedian
12. John Murray Anderson Musical Theatre Producer
13. Laurie Anderson Performance Artist
14. Marian Anderson Concert Singer
15. Louis Andriessen Composer
16. Susan B. Anthony Womans' Suffragist
17. Samuel Appleton Politician/ Philanthropist
18. Louis Armstrong Musician
19. Boris Artzybasheff Artist
20. Dorothy Arzner Film Director
21. Dr. Robert C. Atkins Diet Doctor, Author, Creator of the Atkins Diet
22. V.C. Andrews Author
23. Jane Austen Author of Sense and Sensibility
24. Max Baer Jr. Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies
25. Francis Bacon Politician, Philosopher, Scientist
26. Florence Bailey Author, Naturalist, Ornithologist
27. Tallulah Bankhead Actress
28. Abdullah al-Baradouni Yemeni Poet
29. Bob Barker Former Game Show Host: The Price is Right/ Philanthropist
30. Joe Barr Canadian Politician
31. Lynda Barry Cartoonist
32. Kathy Bates Actress
33. Jaya Battacharya Actress
34. King Baudouin King of Belgium
35. Samuel Beckett Author, Playwright, Poet
36. Ludwig Van Beethoven Composer
37. Joe Besser Actor, Replaced Shemp Howard as the Third Stooge
38. Isabella Bird Author
39. Jacqueline Bisset Actress
40. Lewis Black Comedian
41. Eubie Blake Musician/ Composer
42. William Blake Artist
43. Brenda Blethyn Actress
44. Marc Blitzstein Composer, Dramatist
45. Baroness Karen Blixen Author, "Out of Africa"
46. Rosa Bonheur French Painter and Sculptor
47. Pierre Bonnard Artist
48. William Edgar Borah Politician
49. Lara Flynn Boyle Actress
50. Nathaniel Branden Author/ Psychologist
51. Georges Brassens Singer
52. Joe Bob Briggs / aka John Bloom
53. Author, Movie Critic
54. Raymond Briggs Children's Book Author
55. Poppy Z. Brite Author
56. Anne Bronte Author
57. Louise Brooks Actress
58. Helen Gurley Brown Feminist, Editor
59. Reno Browne Actress, Equestrian
60. Delta Burke Actress
61. James Buchanan 15th U.S. President
62. Pat Buchanan Politician/ Presidential Candidate
63. Sandra Bullock Actress
64. James Burke Creator of the PBS Series "Connections"/ Scientific American columnist
65. Raymond Burr Actor
66. Caryl Lee Burroughs Hollywood Animal Trainer
67. Leo Buscaglia Author Actress, Comedian
68. Maria Callas Opera SingerJulia Cameron Director
69. Phyllis Carlyle Film Producer, Se7en, The Accidental Tourist
70. Dora Carrington Bloomsbury Artist
71. Laura Carroll Author, Families of Two
72. Mary Casatt Artist
73. Roger Casement Irish Patriot
74. Nina Cassian Poet
75. Barbara Castle British Politician
76. Kim Catrall Actress
77. Mary Chapin Carpenter Singer / Songwriter
78. Rosamond Halsey Carr Founder of Rwanda's Imbabazi Orphanage, Author, Fashion Designer
79. Richard Chamberlain Actor, Star of Shogun
80. Coco Chanel Fashion Designer, Dancer, Spy
81. Stockard Channing Actress, Star of Smoke
82. Judy Chicago Artist
83. Margaret Cho Comedian
84. Julia Child Chef, Cookbook Author
85. Helen Clark New Zealand Prime Minister