UNITED STATES—The Trump administration apparently is quite devoted to the safety and well being of the unborn, but displays minimal concern for them after they leave the womb.  Worse, Trump sees no problem with pushing for laws that do so much to undermine the quality of life of those youngsters who far too often take their first breath with two strikes against them.

An article by Sunny Frothingham and Shilpa Phadke on the Center for American Progress website listed some of the Trump administration’s early goals.  Whether they were laws that were eventually passed or simply Trump’s wish list, they nevertheless give credence to this article’s title.

Indicating how much Trump insists on protecting the fetus, he repeatedly attacks Planned Parenthood, wanted to restrict women’s choices by denying abortion coverage through the private insurance market, and aimed to cut $50 million dollars in funding for teen pregnancy prevention.  This last one seems counter-intuitive; doesn’t prevention prevent abortions?

But his attack on abortion rights is no more glaring than his current litmus test for selecting the next Supreme Court justice; he is searching for one who will overturn Roe v Wade. For those who support its repeal, denying women the opportunity to make their own decision as to whether or not they are ready to be a parent, then please don’t bemoan all the welfare services they will need to care for a child they knew they shouldn’t have had.

This list could go on, but the point is crystal clear.  He wants all pregnancies to go to full term and delivery, no matter the physical, financial or emotional state of the mother.  It’s as though he wants to assume temporary guardianship of all of these future children by making sure that they are born to women whose private lives are none of his business.  But okay, maybe his heart is in the right place.  If so, he must want laws and regulations to ensure that these newborns have as good a life as possible after their birth, right?  Think again.

Here are some of his proposals that speak to a different truth:

-Wanted the elimination of essential pediatric benefits so that insurance might not cover vaccines, eye exams and well-child visits

-Wanted to eliminate child care for military families in at least two military bases due to a federal hiring freeze.

-Threatened child care assistance with budget cuts such as $200 million from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program.  He also wanted to slash nutrition assistance for Women, Infants and Children in his budget.

-Wanted to cut after-school programs by eliminating over one billion dollars for learning centers and summer programs affecting 1.6 million children.

-Proposed cuts of 18 percent that would kick 160,000 kids out of Head Start programs.

The pattern is quite clear.  Whether or not these proposals became implemented law, this is what Donald Trump fervently wants to accomplish. But nowhere is his antipathy regarding the needs of children more apparent than his separating thousands from their parents at the border, apparently without a shred of empathy for how terrified they would feel to be forcibly taken from their parents.

Before a new Supreme Court justice is confirmed, someone needs to ask Mr. Trump – Why are you so adamant about bringing everyone’s unborn into this world, only to effectively abandon them as soon as they leave the hospital?  If you insist that all pregnancies must result in a live birth, then you need to acknowledge that your responsibility does not end when the umbilical cord is cut.  Don’t you get it that there is a lifetime of caring and nurturing and educating ahead? If you insist on repealing Roe v Wade, then consider the consequences before you slash programs dedicated to the success of those yet-to-be-born children.

Don’t you realize that it’s far easier – and cheaper – to build strong children than it is to repair broken adults?