WASHINGTON Well, JD Vance has really stepped in it. Three months before the U.S. general election, he has pissed off a massive and unlikely voting bloc: the so-called childless cat ladies.

They are Democrats and Republicans. Some are in their 20s, some their 70s, and some in between. They are stepparents, adoptive parents and people who have struggled with infertility. They are people who dont have children by choice, and are perfectly content with pets.

They are women, but there are men, too, who are furious on their behalf.

Maybe remind this fucknut that George Washington was an adoptive dad with no biological children, said one Maryland father, who requested not using his name, because manners.

Vance, an Ohio senator and Donald Trumps vice presidential pick, has been under fire for weeks over comments he made in 2021. In a resurfaced interview , he mocked Vice President Kamala Harris for being one of the childless cat ladies who are miserable with their lives and dont have a direct stake in Americas future because they havent made babies.

His response to criticisms over this has been to double down , saying he has nothing against cats, and then to triple down , urging people to pray for those people who did not birth children. My God, he just keeps making it so much worse .

Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, is a parent, though. She is the stepmother to two children via her marriage to second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Lack of accuracy notwithstanding, the public backlash to Vances claims has been swift. Celebrities and elected leaders in both major parties have excoriated him for suggesting that a womans worth is tied directly to having children, and for brushing aside so many womens struggles with infertility, not to mention people who just lead a life without children, happily.

There are countless other childless cat ladies all over the country, who dont have a big platform but who are just as appalled and hurt by Vances remarks. HuffPost received emails from more than three dozen of them and they had some blunt messages for Vance.

Women dont exist to fulfill your baby-making fantasies, said Margie Wirth, 57, who has no children and lives in New York. We dont owe you or the world a baby. Furthermore, we dont owe you an explanation. The idea that a womans worth is tied to her ability or decision to have children is patently offensive, insulting, and downright absurd.

Vances comments have upset people for lots of reasons, but his claim that women without children dont have a real stake in Americas future has really seemed to get under peoples skin.

The entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children, the Ohio Republican said in his 2021 tirade. And how does it make any sense that weve turned our country over to people that dont have a direct stake in it?

Im a very recently retired Social Worker after 48 yrs, said Paula Recchia, 71, of Hawaii. Ive worked in foster care and adoption, with delinquent youth, in child care centers, and preschool to high school. I also worked with Military families to meet the challenges in their chosen vocation, including multiple deployments during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I have demonstrated my commitment to the welfare of children and families, she said. I would challenge JD to do the hardest work as his chosen profession.

I cant believe that Mr. Vance would try to alienate the cat lady vote! added Annie Butkus, 25, who lives in Massachusetts and works in public relations. Were a pretty powerful demographic. Though I dont have children, I feel strongly about preserving our democracy, mitigating the effects of climate change, and so on, so that future generations can prosper.