Trump Pondering a “Motherhood Medal” For Women Who Bear Children for the Homeland
Republicans would rather give women a fascist-like 'childbirth participation trophy' than end their policies that created these problems in the first place
If you still needed proof that in every Republican chest, beats the heart of fascism, here it is—
The president who insists, “Hitler did some good things” is pondering a policy reminiscent of the Nazi “Mother’s Cross,” awarding a $5,000 "baby bonus" for new mothers and a “Medal of Motherhood" for women who make a gift of 6 or more kids to the homeland.
The American birth rate began declining in 2007, coinciding with the onset of the Great Recession. Though, it doesn’t take a scholar to see that the decline is connected with the economic stresses faced by working families, not because nobody gave them a medal.
If America’s first convicted felon president and his gaggle of sycophantic Republicans actually wanted to boost America’s birth rate, they’d push for paid family leave, universal healthcare, living wages, and affordable education—you know, investing in policies that actually make it possible for people to have kids without plunging into poverty.
This latest Nazi-adjacent Republican (proposed) “solution” for our declining birth rate is more illustrative of the fact that Republicans have nothing to offer America to address the actual problems we face. More often than not, its Republican policies gave us the problem in the first place.
The Totally-Not Racist Couple Pushing for the Motherhood Medal
While Trump’s “motherhood” medal would be available for women of all pigment tones, the intent isn’t hard to read. They want more white people. Just take a look at the skin tone of the people Trump hires, fires and surrounds himself with and it’s clear that he and his MAGAt Republican party have fully embraced “pronatalism” – an ideology that feeds off the old anxieties about who gets to shape the nation’s future. This isn’t just about babies—it’s about maintaining white privilege and conservative hierarchical dominance.
Wealthy Pennsylvania couple Malcolm and Simone Collins have become the public face of this pronatalist movement. The Collinses argue that America’s decline is due to not enough “competent” people having children. Too many from groups they consider “less desirable” are outpacing the “elites” in the baby department, they say. They publicly disavow racism, of course. It’s just a coincidence their rhetoric and ideology seems ripped from the pages of Mein Kampf.
The fact is, if Republicans really wanted to do something about America’s declining birthrate, they would roll back their policies and do what actually works.
Let’s look at how other nations without declining birth rates support families.
Sweden: The Gold Standard
Paid Leave: 480 days per child at 80% salary (plus 90 days reserved for fathers).
Healthcare: Free prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care.
Childcare: Capped at 3% of income (vs. 20%+ in the U.S.).
Results:
Infant mortality: 2.1 (less than half of U.S.)
Maternal mortality: 4.0 (vs. U.S. 32.9)
Birth rate: 1.67 (nearly matching U.S., but without the suffering)
Germany: Cash for Kids, Not Medals
Parental Leave: 14 months at 65-67% salary (up to €1,800/month).
Kindergeld: €250+ per child/month until age 25 if in education.
Free University: Zero tuition (vs. $37,000/year avg. in U.S.).
Results:
Birth rate rose from 1.33 (2006) to 1.53 (2023) after expanding benefits
Infant mortality: 2.9 (vs. U.S. 5.6)
France: Pro-Family Without the Fascism
Universal Preschool: Free from age 3 (vs. $15,000/year avg. U.S. daycare).
Cash Bonuses: €1,000+ per additional child (not a medal—actual money).
Healthcare: Fully covered births, including midwives.
Results:
Highest birth rate in Europe (1.82 vs. U.S. 1.64)
Infant mortality: 3.6 (vs. U.S. 5.6)
Norway: Where Kids Don’t Bankrupt Parents
Paid Leave: 12 months at full pay (or 15 months at 80%).
Childcare Subsidies: Capped at $300/month (vs. $1,300+ U.S. avg.).
Results:
Infant mortality: 1.6 (vs. U.S. 5.6)
Maternal mortality: 2.0 (vs. U.S. 32.9)
United States is the Outlier
Paid Leave:
No guaranteed federal paid parental leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave for new parents, but only if they work for a company with 50+ employees and meet eligibility requirements.
Only about 27% of private sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer or state laws.
Some states offer paid leave, generally covering a portion of salary for 8–12 weeks. Some Blue States, that is.
Healthcare:
While maternity and newborn care are covered under the Affordable Care Act, Republicans tried to repeal the ACA hundreds of times and continue to do their evil best weakening it.
Coverage details and out-of-pocket costs (like co-pays and deductibles) vary widely by state and plan thanks to Republican sabotage.
Childcare:
There’s no national cap on childcare costs. Average annual cost for infant daycare ranges from $5,400 to over $16,000, with many states averaging $10,000–$15,000 per year—often more than 20% of a typical family's income.
No universal childcare or preschool program.
Results:
OF COURSE birth rates are falling and infant mortality is rising!
That Time Republicans Sabotaged Another Democratic Policy That Actually Worked
If Republicans really wanted to do something about America’s declining birth rate, they would stop blocking policies that actually work. For example, the Child Tax Credit.
In 2021, President Biden’s expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) delivered a stunning success: child poverty in America was cut in half—from 9.7% to 4.9%—in just six months. Families received $250-$300 per child monthly, lifting 3.7 million children out of poverty. Studies showed it reduced food insecurity, improved health outcomes, and even boosted parental employment.
At the first chance they had, Republicans killed it.
In December 2021, every single Senate Republican voted against extending the CTC and let it expire. The result was child poverty immediately surged back to 12.4%—the highest rate in the developed world. Of course, these are the same Republicans rampaging through our federal government like the Goths through Rome, stealing our future prosperity so the already morbidly rich can have more money to buy politicians and corrupt government in their favor. The CTC proved direct cash aid works—just like in Sweden, Germany, and France, but the GOP chose to plunge millions back into poverty instead.
In Short, Republicans Have No Real Solutions for the Problems they Create
While the rest of the world invests in their citizens, Republicans are too busy looting the country and fantasizing about giving out Handmaid’s Tale awards.
Currently in full control of the three branches of the government they are destroying, Republicans are turning the U.S. into a dystopian experiment in corporate feudalism, where workers are indentured to student debt, medical bills, and stagnant wages—and then they have the audacity to wonder why people aren’t having kids.
As usual, the Republican proposed “Motherhood Medal” isn’t a solution. It’s a shiny bauble to distract from the fact that Republican policies are killing Americans faster anyone can breed. Please pass it on.
So, I ask again. How much longer are we going to take it, people? How much longer?
Support independent liberal voices! Watch “The Tara Show with Tara Dublin and Tara Devlin” here on the Political Voices Network, Tuesdays and Thursdays 2PM EST!
If you missed the show live, check it out at the Political Voices Network on Youtube!
Please Like and Subscribe, and subscribe to our Substacks.
Here’s Dublin's and Devlin’s.
Support the independent media! Every dollar helps to keep the truth out and save the “Grand Experiment” from the right wing forces currently destroying it.
Become a Tarabuster Patron.
Check out Tarabuster on Friday evenings, 8:30 PM EST
“We Stick Together, We Win!”