Ohio lawmakers are pushing legislation that would establish the time between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as “Natural Family Month.”
State Representatives Beth Lear and Josh Williams introduced the bill earlier this month, saying that the effort aims to fight against the downward trends of marriage and birth rates.
“At a time when marriage is trending downward and young couples are often choosing to remain childless, it’s important for the State of Ohio to make a statement that marriage and families are the cornerstone of civil society, and absolutely imperative if we want to maintain a healthy and stable Republic,” said Lear.
Williams said the United States can “no longer afford to ignore the foundational role that strong families play in sustaining our future,” explaining that the bill is “about more than policy—it’s about promoting the economic and social stability that comes from raising children in healthy, two-parent households. We must use every tool at our disposal to support the families that are building the next generation of Americans.”
The bill, HB 262, states: “The weeks from Mother’s Day, which is the second Sunday in May, to Father’s Day, which is the third Sunday in June, shall be designated as ‘Natural Family Month.'”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found last year that the nation’s birth rates dropped to their lowest levels in more than 40 years in 2023. That year, 3,591,328 babies were born, a 2% decline from 2022.
Data released in April 2025 found that U.S. births increased by 1% in 2024.
