Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is seeking $2 million to expand the voluntary Welcome Family programme, which sends nurses to visit families after childbirth. The proposal has revived conservative concerns about government involvement in family life, particularly after the Lindsay Clancy trial highlighted the risks and challenges of postpartum mental illness.

Welcome Family currently serves about 3,000 births annually, while the expansion would make visits available after roughly 68,000 births across the state. Nurses assess parents’ and newborns’ health, screen for postpartum mental-health concerns, answer care questions and connect families with services; they may also advise on home safety. Critics, including Anne Schlafly, argue that such visits could intrude on household privacy and question how voluntary consent is soon after birth, while supporters present them as an early opportunity to identify problems and offer assistance.