Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance's comments about "childless cat ladies" have been getting a lot of attention in the presidential election over the past few days. But long before Vance became Donald Trump's running mate, Vox correspondent Rachel Cohen was investigating the deep roots of the push to get women to have more babies.
The pronatalist movement is much broader than Vance and his intellectual allies, although they've gotten the most attention lately. Under its banner are technophiles speculating about the prospect of artificial wombs along with demographers who worry about the future of social welfare programs and far-right leaders in other countries who are trying to produce more native-born children. Rachel's piece is a must-read for those who are seeking not just to understand the latest talking points in the presidential race, but an influential intellectual movement that could shape the future.
—Libby Nelson, editorial director of policy and politics
