One can explore economic and other reasons as to why we are having fewer and fewer children. But it is ultimately a spiritual problem. Do we have a will to live? A country that tires of reproducing itself, a country that tires of people, is not just in demographic decline but spiritual decline.

Around the world, and especially in the West, birthrates have been in decline. Contrary to the gloom and doom voices of last century, the problem we face is not a population explosion, but a population implosion. Demographic trends are now a real worry for most governments. Consider a few fast facts:

• The current global population is 8.2 billion people.
• It takes 2.1 births per woman to maintain replacement levels.
• The current global fertility rate is 2.2 births per woman, down from around 5 in the 1960s.
• The global fertility rate is expected to keep declining, with the replacement level being reached in 2050 and falling further to 1.8 births per woman in 2100.
• A main way that so many nations are trying to deal with lowering birthrates is to rely on immigration to offset this decline.

All of this means major problems. We have a birth dearth, while our aging populations continue to mushroom. Simply trying to figure out who will pay for the pensions for the elderly with fewer and fewer new people coming on the scene and entering the workplace is just one of the problems that nations now have to deal with.

And failed multiculturalism policies also contribute to the problem. Relying on immigration only works if the arriving masses seek to fit in. But in so many places, large numbers of migrants do not seek to assimilate and embrace the values and beliefs of the host nation. That leads to all sorts of social division and turmoil, as we are seeing in so many nations, be it England, or Germany, or Australia, etc.

So seeking to get birthrates back up is a better way to proceed in most cases. Consider these three countries and what they are seeking to do about these issues – or are not doing.

America

The current birth rate in the US is 1.66 births per woman, well below replacement level. Recently there has been talk of a baby bonus to help encourage women to have more babies. President Trump has said that he is supportive of such an idea. One report puts it this way:

The White House has been exploring ideas to encourage more Americans to have children, including a “baby bonus” payment of $5,000, according to reports. The New York Times reported that policy experts and advocates of boosting the birth rate have been meeting with White House aides to present proposals on how to increase the U.S. birth rate, which is currently in decline.

The proposals now have allies in the U.S. administration, the Times said, citing unnamed sources, although no decision has been made. When contacted by Newsweek for comment, the White House said that President Donald Trump is “proudly implementing policies to uplift American families.” As birth rates in the United States have been falling over the last decade and a half, the White House has been hearing how to encourage Americans to get married and have more children, according to the report.

This is a sign that the Trump administration will back an agenda from many of its allies on the right to reverse declining birthrates and promote conservative family values, the New York Times added. The NYT reported that the White House has been hearing a “chorus” of ideas to persuade Americans to get married and have more children.

Read More