Twenty-seven years ago, Phyllis Schlafly, a prominent conservative figure, raised a question regarding government involvement in family homes. Her daughter recently highlighted its relevance today. Schlafly asked if Americans were open to government agents advising them on baby care at home. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s current proposal seeks to expand a program called Welcome Family. It aims to provide nurse visits to families with newborns.

The program, targeting 3,000 births annually, plans to extend to 68,000 births per year. This mirrors Schlafly’s concerns about state intervention in personal family matters.

“Are the American people willing to allow government agents to come into their homes to ‘advise’ them how to care for their babies?”

Phyllis Schlafly’s daughter, Anne, emphasized her mother’s apprehension about such government intrusion.

This discussion resurfaced after the Lindsay Clancy case, which brought attention to maternal mental illness. Clancy’s case involved severe actions she took while suffering from postpartum psychosis, leading to a mistrial due to the jury deadlocking.

Anne Schlafly, chair of Eagle Forum, reiterated her mother’s stance on government intrusion. Phyllis Schlafly characterized homes as sacred domains not to be subject to government scrutiny.

Phyllis Schlafly critiqued programs like Healthy Families America in 1999, which assessed family risk factors and provided government-driven parenting guidance. Questions arose about the true voluntary nature of such programs.

“Her point was a government agent or an agent of the government has no business in your home, in your castle, snooping around and determining whether or not you’re raising the children the way the government wants you to raise the children.”

The Massachusetts Welcome Family program, described as voluntary, assesses the health of parents, caregivers, and newborns. It addresses postpartum health and connects families to additional services, while also ensuring home safety.

Governor Healey envisions state-wide nurse visits for newborn assessments and support soon after birth. Anne Schlafly questioned the voluntary nature of consent under such circumstances.

“Is it really voluntary if you don’t have true informed consent?… If you have just given birth, can you really recognize what you were signing up for supposedly on a voluntary basis?”

Anne Schlafly expressed concern over the scale and potential reach of the expanded initiative. Massachusetts insists the program provides voluntary health and support, not inspections. Results from 2025 indicate that 208 out of 1,620 postpartum depression screenings were positive. Each received a referral for further services.

Anne Schlafly clarified she does not oppose families opting for this support. Her main concern is ensuring parents can decline involvement.

Phyllis Schlafly’s legacy continues as her daughter reflects on how she might advise Massachusetts parents facing these changes.

“There’s no doubt that Phyllis Schlafly would advise parents to reject busybodies who want to inspect their home. The home is a sacred and private area, and Governor Healey has no business in the homes of Massachusetts parents.”