It's not as though there was a major charitable effort to supply prenatal and infant care before Bush, and the governments weren't doing a spectacular job then, either.
For alternate cynicism, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if a lot of that money is just going for "administrative" costs. Bush and crew are theocrats in a minor but destructive way and they're pleased enough to indulge their mean streaks, but I believe that they're mostly thieves.
Infant mortality was going down before. The government was not doing a spectacular job of addressing perinatal health, but it was addressing it. Also, in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, there was a big rush of NGOs dealing with the issues that are related to it.
Think about it: Food Stamps, WIC, Food Banks, and the rest, were all started in response to poverty issues. WIC specifically addresses maternal and child health. All the "Great Society" and "War on Poverty" programs that were so easy to deride at the time -- and the results of their removal (or gutting, or crippling with undderfunding, or subversion, in different cases)is that babies die.
One of the pernicious effects of channeling public money through "faith-based" organizations is that part of the money goes to supporting programs to save women's souls rather than to save their lives or the lives of their children. Or to keeping embryos in wombs rather than taking care of children who are born.
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timeasmymeasure
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For alternate cynicism, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if a lot of that money is just going for "administrative" costs. Bush and crew are theocrats in a minor but destructive way and they're pleased enough to indulge their mean streaks, but I believe that they're mostly thieves.
no subject
Think about it: Food Stamps, WIC, Food Banks, and the rest, were all started in response to poverty issues. WIC specifically addresses maternal and child health. All the "Great Society" and "War on Poverty" programs that were so easy to deride at the time -- and the results of their removal (or gutting, or crippling with undderfunding, or subversion, in different cases)is that babies die.
One of the pernicious effects of channeling public money through "faith-based" organizations is that part of the money goes to supporting programs to save women's souls rather than to save their lives or the lives of their children. Or to keeping embryos in wombs rather than taking care of children who are born.