These are fundamental truths which, unfortunately, politicians and policy wonks don t seem to understand when it comes to children s health and well-being. Prevention requires an orientation towards the future. It recognizes the likelihood of a bad outcome if we do nothing. The wisdom of prevention is acting today, on behalf of the future, rather than reacting in the future to a bad outcome that could have been predicted. The wisdom of prevention is that it takes the facts into account, learns from experience, and doesn t have to look backwards with regret.
Prevention harnesses our knowledge, our common sense, our compassion and our fiscal needs.
Prevention recognizes that resources are scarce, are likely to become more scarce, and need to be maximized. Prevention makes moral and ethical sense as well as economic sense. When considering children s issues, a prevention, or future-orientation is absolutely critical. We need to recognize that their health and well-being today will affect them and all of us for a long time to come. It is our moral and civic responsibility to develop policies that will ensure their optimal physical, social and emotional development.