Dropping birthrates is a topic getting some attention nowadays. They’re even dropping in Utah. But is it any wonder, really?
Lifestyles have changed, priorities have changed, there’s much less need to raise a brood so they can work and take over the farm. And… maybe prospective parents are thinking twice about bringing children into a world that’s looking increasingly inhospitable, like a place you wouldn’t want young ones to inherit or have to navigate in.
I hear voices occasionally encouraging people to have more children—gotta replace those dying off, after all. It’s an empty appeal, seemingly based on nothing more than numbers, with little consideration for the condition of the world into which they would be thrust– and with no say whatsoever.
I assume the loudest voices in support of making babies are Republicans, for whom every sperm is sacred and life is so, so precious. Trouble is, there’s some serious magical thinking going on, since there’s been such a rush to deep-six programs and cut funding for research and medical care and any semblance of a safety net for families who may need a bit of help along the way.
Is it just that people of a certain pedigree and income level get the lion’s share of encouragement to procreate, or is it more of a general need for bodies in the dystopian vision of the Heritage Foundation?
3 Cents' 