The hidden messaging behind Moms.gov, Trump’s new pronatalist website

This past Mother’s Day, the Trump-Vance Administration unveiled Moms.gov, a new website created to allegedly provide useful resources to expecting mothers.

But the Oval Office event to announce it gave the website’s real agenda away. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. spoke of a “fertility crisis” in the United States. Dr. Oz said that 1 in 3 Americans were “under-babied” and pledged that there would be “more Trump babies.” Meanwhile, the president fell into a deep sleep.  

It’s no surprise that the website is little more than a pro-natalist, anti-abortion, anti-contraception, and anti-vax propaganda site.  

Anti-Abortion Rhetoric 

Perhaps the most frightening part of the website is the pregnancy support section that directs you to Option Line. Operated by the Christian, anti-abortion group Heartbeat International, Option Line directs women towards faith-based crisis pregnancy centers which use misinformation to discourage women from getting an abortion. It is also known for collecting and distributing personal health data on pregnant women, such as addresses, marital status, and menstruation dates.  

They also provide resources for women considering adoption, hyperlinking the website “Focus on the Family,” a right-wing evangelical organization that urges people to donate to “help save babies from abortions” at the top.  

Anti-Vax Messaging 

To go along with their anti-abortion rhetoric, Moms.gov is filled with anti-vaccination messaging. On their page about preventing diseases, they suggest that only newborns of women who have tested positive for Hepatitis B should get vaccinated against it, when the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that every newborn should receive the HBV vaccine.  

The “Conscience Overview” section of the website emphasizes the rights of parents and health care providers to follow religious beliefs regarding vaccines and abortions, contributing to the religious anti-vax narrative.   

Blatant Misinformation 

If it wasn’t bad enough already, Moms.gov also spreads blatant misinformation about health. They provide a link to a medication and pregnancy website that claims that acetaminophen, used in pain relievers like Tylenol, may cause ADHD or autism in babies, which has proven to be false. 

Trump’s Self Promotion 

As a shameless plug, Trump includes links to his new “Trump Accounts,” in which children born between the years of 2025-2028 can receive $1000 into a retirement fund to provide financial security for families, which would disproportionately benefit higher-income groups. Ironically, he is also cutting SNAP benefits, stripping health coverage from millions and denying people from other family support programs that would benefit lower-income groups. 

Moms.gov also promotes TrumpRx, an online service that provides some medications for somewhat cheaper prices. But they fail to mention that prices only apply if you pay in cash, meaning you cannot use insurance to cover it, narrowing the population that this program actually helps.  

Ultimately, Moms.gov is not about providing expecting mothers with the resources they need, but about furthering Trump and Vance’s right-wing, pro-natalist, anti-vax agenda and coming up with yet another thing the president can brag about despite not actually helping Americans.