America’s Baby Crisis Is A Bigger Threat Than The Pandemic

As COVID-19 cases continue declining in many states, new threats are emerging: Alongside growing unemployment rates and an increase in depression, births are declining. According to provisional figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, births in America are down to their lowest number in 35 years.
Nearly 4 million babies were born in the U.S. last year, but that was still a 1 percent birth decrease and 2 percent fertility decrease from 2017. Birth rate decline has historically been linked to economic crises, and this pandemic, which looms larger than the 2008 recession, could eventually be an even bigger threat to Americans’ economic status, happiness, and more.

The Numbers Don’t Look Good

In some ways, this isn’t news. It’s just confirmation of what we’ve already been learning the past few years: Overall, millennials are the age group most likely to have babies, but they’re not. Birth rates fell or held steady for women of all ages except those in their early 40s, which is understandable, as that’s when fertility begins to decline. Teenagers are having fewer babies, with their birthrate having fallen 73 percent since 1991.
Unfortunately, women of childbearing age aren’t having nearly as many kids as they used to, if they are at all.
The Wall Street Journal reported the total fertility rate — “a snapshot of the average number of babies a woman would have over her lifetime” — has dropped to 1.7, and experts say 2.1 is the number needed to replace the population, immigration not considered. If, for no other reason than to have a thriving population, people should support procreation.

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