Snake Oil

May 20

The old idea of a "snake oil" salesman isn't hard to apply to several ideas that are floating in today's strange U.S. American landscape. Having a healthy distrust of those who use deception to promote fraudulent ideas has unfortunately become a norm. This week, the Drs discuss what they consider false advertisement: pro-family benefits and cuts to health and science research.

Word of the Week [1:14]: Natalism: Depending on how the numbers are interpreted, birth rates can be used as a tool in global and national societies to spark alarm. Whether it is a tool of "good" or “bad” remains to be seen in the U.S.

Phase 1 [2:36]: Baby Bonuses: The White House is on record encouraging women to have children, stay at home, and enjoy a proposed and paltry $5,000 cash payment as a benefit. Dr. Shaunna takes us back to review the fundamentalist Christian practice of "Quiverfull" families and how the decline in birth rate may not be so bad when considered in context.

Phase 2 [21:40]: Deep Cuts: As DOGE continues to slash positions and budgets with very little consideration to the long-term damage, scientists and researchers are being eliminated overnight. Areas such as LGBTQIA+ health, anything related to gender, climate, and "woke" social behavioral and economic sciences are just a few areas that are caught in the chaos -- with no plans to restore or replace them.

Mentioned in the Show

Effects of Age-specific Fertility Trends on Overall Fertility Trends: United States, 1990–2023 - CDC

Quiver Full Documentary - YouTube

MAGA Natalism is doomed to fail - NYT

Birthrate declined slightly in 2023 (report) - CDC

The Rise and Fall of the Trad Wife - The New Yorker

In Quiverfull Movement, Birth Control Is Shunned - NPR News (2009)

Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health NYT

What happens to health research when ‘women’ is a banned word? - The 19th

Growing number of federal health agencies are combing grants for taboo words, unnerving researchers – Stat News

Scientists reel as turmoil roils National Science Foundation - NPR

Trump’s Cuts to Science Funding Could Hurt U.S. Economy, Study Shows