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JANET STREET-PORTER: Has America returned to the Stone Age? JD Vance's vile dig at 'childless cat women' is a cynical attempt to pitch the fertile against the infertile in the ruthless fight to seize the White House
Unbelievably, babies have become trophies in the increasingly ugly battle to become the next US president. Being childless - for whatever reason - isn't seen as patriotic by some Republicans.
Trump and Vance say they regard women as equals. The truth is, they only value certain kinds of women. The breeders, the stay-at-home moms, the women who walk a step behind their man.
JD is a 'traditional' kind of guy (married, with kids) who trashed presidential hopeful Kamala Harris as one of those 'childless cat women' - one of a group of Democrats who (he says) 'make life miserable' for everyone else because they haven't bred the next generation.
Vance asks 'how does it make any sense we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?'
A low blow, trashing the childless as unfit, somehow imperfect.
Kamala Harris is a proud stepmother to Ella and Cole, children of her husband Doug Emhoff's first marriage. Vance's remarks (made in 2021) have caused outrage: Emhoff's ex-wife and her daughter Ella have spoken out about 'baseless attacks', strongly defending Harris.
Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance previously criticised Kamala Harris for not having children
Hannah Neeleman, who headed to Las Vegas to compete in Mrs World two weeks after giving birth, has become associated with the 'traditional wife' or 'tradwife' movement
Kamala Harris was described as a 'childless cat lady' by JD Vance in 2021. She is a stepmother to two
Kamala Harris with husband Doug Emhoff and two stepchildren Cole and Ella. Harris married their father in 2014
Millions of women who would love kids but can't conceive must be hurt by Vance's oafish remarks.
Jennifer Aniston tried to have a child via IVF in her 30s and 40s and has spoken of her struggles to conceive. She 'can't believe' that a potential vice-president of the US would hold such opinions.
It's not unexpected - JD voted against the Right to IVF act in June this year, which would have granted American women the right to access IVF treatment.
Aniston was rightly appalled that Vance would deny his own daughter treatment if she could not conceive naturally.
Picking on people who haven't been through childbirth is a new form of abuse. And linking in cats as if they are a sad child-substitute is bizarre to say the least. This represents a new low in political debate, even by Trump's standards.
Not all women want children, but the ability to give birth is seen by some Republicans as a badge of merit, a sign you're normal, in touch with the real world. Anyone who has not produced a child and who owns a cat must be – by JD's definition - a miserable old spinster out of touch with the rest of the population.
This is another manifestation of the 'traditional' wives movement which has been gaining traction in the USA and - to a lesser degree - in the UK.
Followers post pictures of their baking, their (usually large) tribe of kids and their pristine laundry. These paragons of femininity are frock-wearers who press their pinafores, enthuse about ironing and get orgasmic over a clean toilet.
Being a 'traditional' mum - like poster girl Hannah Neeleman (7.5 million followers on TikTok) - means devoting yourself to supporting your man and worshipping your home, seen by Republicans as the new marker for patriotism.
Pass the sick bag. Any unmarried childless woman in a trouser suit is the devil's messenger to these morons.
What JD really hates are career women. In his eyes, if you choose not to have children because you need all your energy to crawl up the slippery pyramid of power, you must be nuts.
He is wedded to the old idea of super-woman, the person who not only manages to pop out at least two perfectly formed, compliant, well-mannered children with natural births, but who runs a home, manages a job and puts freshly-cooked dinner on the table every night at 6pm.
It's the rise of the new Superwomen.
Jennifer Aniston, 55, was critical of remarks made by Sen. J.D. Vance, 39, over 'childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives' while speaking about Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021. Pictured last month in LA
Aniston, 55, took to Instagram Stories with sharp words for Vance, who is running as Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate
The term 'superwomen', referring to mothers who juggle careers, child-rearing, housekeeping and cooking, was coined by journalist Shirley Conran (pictured)
The term was coined by trail-blazing journalist Shirley Conran back in 1975, when she wrote a guidebook setting out how to combine the impossible demands of work and home with lots of tips and tactics.
It was highly successful - although, years later, Shirley admitted it was a ridiculous concept for most working women, saying 'life's too short to stuff a mushroom'.
Women have always had to adhere to ludicrous standards to advance their careers. Many of us had to work twice as hard as men to get on, ignoring sexism, bullying and belittling. In politics, women have had to be brave, grow thick skins and stand there and take insults with a smile.
Whatever you think of her politics, Kamala Harris is a worker, a grafter and a worthy candidate for the US presidency. Can she really be considered second-rate, unelectable, simply because she's a step-mum and not a 'real' mum?
Vance is cleverly turning women against women - the fertile versus the infertile - using revolting tactics to try to score points in a desperate attempt to prevent any woman acceding to the White House. They trashed Hillary Clinton and now it's started again.
And cats as a child substitute? Surely, anyone who owns a pet knows they are temperamental, time-consuming and loving - rather like children.
For some people, owning a cat might be a child replacement, but what's wrong in that? A cat or a dog can teach you so much.
To win the presidency, Kamala Harris can't just trade on being a step-mother, being the child of immigrants, and point to her long and distinguished career. She can't trade on the colour of her skin.
She has to go further: to speak of an inclusive - not divisive - kind of politics. To unite people from different backgrounds and communities. Her opponents have made it harder for women to get abortions, have access to IVF treatment and to get the specialised health care they need. Can her shortcomings be merely down to her womb?
No matter what Republicans may say, Donald Trump and JD Vance are not interested in true equality for women. That means the right to not have children, the right to decide what is best for their bodies and their mental health.
In Vance's eyes, Kamala Harris is not his equal, not because of her intellect or her policies, but because of her biology.
We really are back in the stone age.