Poverty, lack of education, drop in access to abortion leads to a new baby boom...

[cynatnite]

ATLANTA - Bucking the trend in many other wealthy industrialized nations, the United States seems to be experiencing a baby boomlet, reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years.

The nearly 4.3 million births in 2006 were mostly due to a bigger population, especially a growing number of Hispanics. That group accounted for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. births. But non-Hispanic white women and other racial and ethnic groups were having more babies, too.

An Associated Press review of birth numbers dating to 1909 found the total number of U.S. births was the highest since 1961, near the end of the baby boom. An examination of global data also shows that the United States has a higher fertility rate than every country in continental Europe, as well as Australia, Canada and Japan. Fertility levels in those countries have been lower than the U.S. rate for several years, although some are on the rise, most notably in France.

Experts believe there is a mix of reasons: a decline in contraceptive use, a drop in access to abortion, poor education and poverty.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080115/ap_on_re_us/baby_boomlet

[Hydra]

1. YAY! Just what we need! More people!

:sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

2. Most Hispanics are Catholic--do not believe in birth control-at least the first generation.

[riverdeep]

3. Woo hoo!!

We're number one, we're number one!!! U-S-A, U-S-A!! Eat it, Slovakia.

Think you're backwards? You got nuthin on us.

[Xithras]

4. Poor people have more children than wealthier people.

The age of first pregnancy also drops steeply as income drops.

Ergo, the birth rate goes up as the percentage of poor people increases.

[dkofos]

5. I guess the abstenance only thing is officialy a bust.

[RC]

6. Naa, they'll figger a way to blame this on them dang liberals.

After all true conservities always wait till marrage. :eyes:

[cynatnite]

7. I think they'd hail this as being a good thing...

you know...that whole 'go forth and make babies' that gawd said...despite the fact that 2000 years ago it was considered a good thing to do at the time.

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. Except...

it's those pesky brown people, and not as many of God's white chosen ones. :eyes: