"Pro-life a**wipes are starving kids to own the libs" - Martina Navratilova slams Nebraska & Iowa for rejecting food assistance program for children

Martina Navratilova recently expressed her outrage at the decision of Nebraska and Iowa to opt out of free summer lunch programs for low-income family children, calling it a "pro-life" hypocrisy.

Navratilova does not shy away from discussing social and political issues. The 67-year-old, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has been an outspoken advocate for human rights, especially for the LGBTQ+ community, women, and minorities.

The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program provides a $40 monthly credit for each qualified child to assist with food expenses. The USDA started the program in 2011 as a trial to tackle the issue of food scarcity and malnutrition among low-income children, especially in the summer when they cannot get free or low-cost school meals. (via NPR)

However, Nebraska and Iowa have decided to opt out of these programs, citing fraud, waste, financial and ideological reasons. These actions from the state administrators have invited criticism from anti-hunger advocates, who argue that they are putting children’s health and well-being at risk.

Among them is Robert Reich, a former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton and a professor of public policy at UC Berkeley. On Tuesday, January 9, Reich tweeted:

"Massachusetts generated $1.5 billion for free school lunches and more by taxing millionaires. Meanwhile, Nebraska and Iowa opted out of free summer lunch programs. 175,000 Nebraska children and 240,000 Iowa kids will lose out on food assistance. Child hunger is a policy choice."

Reich’s tweet caught the attention of Martina Navratilova, who quoted it and added her comment:

"Unreal. The pro life a**wipes are starving kids to own the libs…"

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"Martina Navratilova lifted the professionalism of women's tennis to a new level, a level that everybody now takes for granted" - Tennis journalist

Martina Navratilova at the 2023 WTA Finals

Tennis writer Chris Bowers acknowledged Martina Navratilova as an instrumental figure in making women’s tennis more professional. He added that the change has become so ingrained in the public consciousness that it is now taken for granted.

On the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, Bowers explored how the former WTA World No. 1 shaped the image of women’s tennis in the 1980s. He emphasized Navratilova’s dedication to her nutrition and intense training, pointing out their role in improving the status of women’s tennis.

"I think we haven't talked much about Martina Navratilova and what she did in the 80s. Her focus on diet. Her focus on gym work, that took women's tennis to a different level, to the point where, at her peak in the mid-80s, there were lots of tennis fans who were saying, 'Oh, she's spoiled the game. She's made it very unfeminine.' Now you look at videos; now you go to YouTube and look at Navratilova, that to me is beautiful tennis," Bowers said (at 11:30).

Bowers further stated that the 18-time Grand Slam champion should get more credit for her accomplishments, as her impact has been ‘taken for granted’.

"It's wonderful. She just happened to lift the professionalism of women's tennis to a new level, to a level that everybody now takes for granted. So I think we should give her acknowledgment for what she did by taking the sport somewhere that it hadn't been before and is now taken for granted," he added.