January 10, 2024
“In our polarized times, few policy priorities both enjoy bipartisan agreement and promise to make a significant difference in the lives of millions of American children and their families. The Child Tax Credit expansion is such a policy,” National Leaders to Congress.
WASHINGTON D.C. (01-10-2024) – Students for Life Action Executive Vice President Tina Whittington called an expanded Child Tax Credit “an investment in America’s future,” noting that a letter headed to Congress today was the beginning of new coalition efforts to address the needs of society’s foundation – the family. “In a post-Dobbs America, we must expand our support to families in the margins, especially in the ‘fourth trimester’ – those precious early months with a baby who is still developing brain function and social connection,” she noted.
TO READ THE LETTER TO CONGRESS, CLICK HERE
Signers of the letter include: Kristan Hawkins, President, Students for Life Action; Roland C. Warren, President and CEO, Care Net; Terry Schilling, President, American Principles Project; Jon Schweppe, Director of Policy, American Principles Project; Patrick D. Purtill, Jr., Director of Legislative Affairs, Faith and Freedom Coalition; Patrick T. Brown, Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center; Carlos Duran, President, National Hispanic Pastors Alliance; Eric Scheidler, Executive Director, Pro-Life Action League; Steven H. Aden, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, Americans United for Life; Kathryn Jean Lopez, Senior Fellow, National Review Institute; Bradley Mattes, President, Life Issues Institute; Kristen Day, Executive Director, Democrats for Life, Serrin M. Foster, President, Feminists for Life of America; and Leah Libresco Sargeant, Other Feminisms.
The letter reads in part:
“America’s children and families deserve our support. Last year’s historic Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision by the Supreme Court cleared the way for greater protections for millions of unborn children and their mothers. As pro-life organizations who have long advocated for such a decision, we understand that the work of upholding the sanctity and dignity of life is far from over. Many mothers face significant health and financial challenges throughout pregnancy and into the early years of raising a child. We can, and should, do more as a nation to provide for their needs.
“Parents from all walks of life are keenly aware of the financial challenges associated with raising a child. In 2022, the estimated cost of raising a child through the age of 17 was over $300,000.1 According to one recent poll, around 50 percent of parenting-age adults wish they had more children than they do.2 When the New York Times asked parents in 2018 why they are having less children than their ideal number, a majority said childcare was too expensive, with around 44 percent simply saying they can’t afford more children.3 Inflation has only exacerbated these challenges, leaving many parents in a daunting position, even as they courageously prepare to bring a new child into the world.
“Supporting life means advocating for these mothers and children to have the resources they need to steward it. Americans understand this. That is why for over five years, there has been broad, bipartisan agreement around expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to provide additional resources to children and families. We write to reiterate our support for its further expansion and request that Congress prioritize expansion of the CTC in the upcoming funding package.”
1 Isabel V. Sawhill, Morgan Welch, et al. “It’s Getting More Expensive to Raise Children. and Government Isn’t Doing Much to Help.” Brookings, 30 Aug. 2022, www.brookings.edu/articles/its-getting-more-expensive-to-raise-children-and-government-isnt-doing-much-to-help/.
2 American Compass. “2021 Homebuilding Survey.” American Compass. February 2021. https://americancompass.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/American-Compass_2021-Home-Building-Survey_Final. pdf
3 Miller, Claire Cain. “Americans Are Having Fewer Babies. They Told Us Why.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 July 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/upshot/americans-are-having-fewer-babies-they-told-us-why.html.
Providing services for pregnant and parenting women and young families is the mission of Students for Life of America’s Standing with You, more than a decade at work.
Learn more here.
Read more about support for families, here: SFLA’s Tina Whittington Pens Newsweek Op-ed On Importance of Paid Family Leave & Child Tax Credit
For interviews, contact [email protected]
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Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), make up the nation’s largest, pro-life youth organization, managing a political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Together they provide political, legal, educational, and community support for women and children, born and preborn. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, SFLA serves more than 1,400 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. SFLA and SFLAction have more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. SFLA has also launched multiple initiatives to lead and serve the future of the pro-life movement including the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, Standing With You, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement . Over more than 17 years, President Kristan Hawkins has grown SFLAction/SFLA and the Pro-Life Generation into a nearly $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.