Could taking resources from the wealthy and using those resources to fund delayed parenthood, and a fair start in life for every child, solve many of our ecological and social crises? An article due to be published this winter in the Loyola Chicago Law Review argues that it is.

The impact of better family planning on sustainable, and even regenerative, development is well-known. But poor modeling in the mid-20th century created barriers between ensuring resources that all children need and coordinating the time, place, and manner in which parents would bring those children into the world. New modeling is removing those barriers, and one emerging policy involves subsidizing delayed parenthood with the aim of improving childhood equity.

Simply put: The policy shifts power from wealthy (usually white male) elites to women and children through family planning-linked forms of guaranteed minimum incomes.

These transfers go beyond incentives. They involve the entitlements that are part of every child’s right to a fair start in life. And the evidence is clear: The subsidies mean increased earnings, education, well-being for women and children, and environmentally sustainable prosperity for all.

Take action: Urge the D.C. council to consider a pilot project implementing the policy.