National

  • Health

    Vaccines, Preventable Diseases and Children's Health

    The facts are simple: Vaccines are safe. They are highly effective. They are supported by every major American medical society and government agency and are a routine part of pediatric care. Yet the growing number of VPD outbreaks suggest more must be done to support immunization and halt the spread of serious—and potentially deadly—diseases.

  • Immigration

    Immigrant Children Deserve Homes, Not Detention

    Amnesty International USA this week released a harrowing report on the conditions at the Homestead facility, which houses children who have traveled alone to the U.S. in search of safety.

    | National

  • Immigration

    Impending Raids Are an Assault on Our Immigrant Families

    We hate that we need to say this again, but we’ll say it again: We are horrified by and condemn the Trump administration’s imminent plans to conduct mass deportation roundups of immigrant families, which will do real and lasting harm to countless children.

    | National

  • Child Welfare

    Ending discrimination in the child welfare system

    In January of this year, against the backdrop of a dramatic shortage of foster and adoptive homes, the Department of Health and Human Services granted a waiver to South Carolina allowing agencies there to discriminate against people applying to be foster and adoptive parents on the basis of religion.

    | National

  • Child Poverty

    America, We Need to Talk. It’s About Poverty.

    Too often, when a politician takes center stage, poverty doesn’t. During the 2016 election, none of the 26 presidential debates focused on poverty. In fact, it’s been more than 30 years since presidential candidates were asked how they would address child poverty on a debate stage. An entire generation of children has grown up in poverty while our leaders have remained silent.

    | National

  • Child Poverty

    Employment Discrimination Hurts Children Too

    The Children’s Defense Fund is proud to be among the advocacy organizations who today included our voice in a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Supreme Court that uplifts this powerful message: Employment discrimination against LGBTQ people harms children. The brief, submitted by pro bono counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP and the Southern Poverty Law Center, urges the Court to rule in favor of LGBTQ employees who have confronted workplace discrimination.

    | National