Report Shows Birth Rate Reaches Record Low

US News wire ^ | 6/25/03 | na

[Quas primas]

Report Shows Birth Rate Reaches Record Low; Births to Teens Continue Decline, Cesarean Deliveries Reach All-Time High

6/25/03 11:55:00 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: National Desk, Health Reporter

Contact: CDC/NCHS Press Office, 301) 458-4800

WASHINGTON, June 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The U.S. birth rate fell to the lowest level since national data have been available, reports the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) birth statistics released today by HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. Secretary Thompson also noted that the rate of teen births fell to a new record low, continuing a decline that began in 1991.

The birth rate was 13.9 per 1,000 persons in 2002, a decline of 1 percent from the rate of 14.1 per 1,000 in 2001 and down 17 percent from the recent peak in 1990 (16.7 per 1,000), according to a new CDC report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2002." The current low birth rate primarily reflects the smaller proportion of women of childbearing age in the U.S. population, as baby boomers age and Americans are living longer.

There has also been a recent downturn in the birth rate for women in the peak childbearing ages. Birth rates for women in their 20s and early 30s were generally down while births to older mothers (35-44) were still on the rise. Rates were stable for women over 45.

Birth rates among teenagers were down in 2002, continuing a decline that began in 1991. The birth rate fell to 43 births per 1,000 females 15-19 years of age in 2002, a 5-percent decline from 2001 and a 28- percent decline from 1990. The decline in the birth rate for younger teens, 15-17 years of age, is even more substantial, dropping 38 percent from 1990 to 2002 compared to a drop of 18 percent for teens 18-19.

"The reduction in teen pregnancy has clearly been one of the most important public health success stories of the past decade," Secretary Thompson said. "The fact that this decline in teen births is continuing represents a significant accomplishment."

More than one fourth of all children born in 2002 were delivered by cesarean; the total cesarean delivery rate of 26.1 percent was the highest level ever reported in the United States. The number of cesarean births to women with no previous cesarean birth jumped 7 percent and the rate of vaginal births after previous cesarean delivery dropped 23 percent. The cesarean delivery rate declined during the late 1980s through the mid-1990s but has been on the rise since 1996.

Among other significant findings:

-- In 2002, there were 4,019,280 births in the United States, down slightly from 2001 (4,025,933).

-- The percent of low birth weight babies (infants born weighing less than 2,500 grams) increased to 7.8 percent, up from 7.7 percent in 2001 and the highest level in more than 30 years. In addition, the percent of pre-term births (infants born at less than 37 weeks of gestation) increased slightly over 2001, from 11.9 percent to 12 percent.

-- More than one-third of all births were to unmarried women. The birth rate for unmarried women was down slightly in 2002 to 43.6 per 1,000 unmarried women, reflecting the growing number of unmarried women in the population.

-- Access to prenatal care continued a slow and steady increase. In 2002, 83.8 percent of women began receiving prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy, up from 83.4 percent in 2001 and 75.8 percent in 1990.

Data on births are based on information reported on birth certificates filed in state vital statistics offices and reported to CDC through the National Vital Statistics System. The report is available on CDC's National Center for Health Statistics web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs.

------

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news

http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-

[First Amendment]

-- More than one-third of all births were to unmarried women. The birth rate for unmarried women was down slightly in 2002 to 43.6 per 1,000 unmarried women, reflecting the growing number of unmarried women in the population.

I found this statement to be very alarming. I have read this figures for out-of-wedlock births before and this confirms the sickening fact that MORE than a third of all children are born to a married mother and father. The ramifications of social chaos are unbelievable.

We can note how the homo-promo line is that "any" combination of humans is a "family".

[LS]

I think I said "virtually," but the UN data clearly shows that EVERY nation, including India and China are headed toward below-replacement levels. All of Europe, Russia, and all developed countries (I think even Japan) are already there; and most non-developed countries are very close. The trend is unmistakable.

[Tax-chick]

Can you imagine sharing 1 small bedroom with 4 siblings? And I don't see how it could be a money issue because there are 3 bdrm apartments around town cheaper than our 2bdrm here.

You don't spend much time in your bedroom when it's full of people. I know families with up to 4 children to a room. And cost isn't the only issue - I'd rather have a smaller place in a nicer complex.

We're in a 3-bedroom, over 1400 sq. The rent (paid by our generous new employer) is more than the payment on our new 4-br house will be! Gotta love those interest rates, down again!

[ninenot]

You have identified the only real objection to stricter controls on immigration: if we control immigration as well as we control our birth rate, there will be NOBODY to pay taxes.

BTW, the same problem applies now (mutatis mutandis) in Japan. No kids, no spending, no economic activity.

Flatline may get here soon...

[ninenot]

Thompson is a spinner. He knows exactly what he wanted to say, and ignored the REAL 800-pound canary: pop-con will bankrupt America.

[FITZ]

Father Paul Marx often said that, once a culture enters into a non-replacement birth rate, it never recovers.

I'm all for huge families ----but there seems to be other factors. Right now with a very low birth rate, China seems to be making the most advances in it's economy. Mexico has a very very high birth rate and seems headed for societal collapse. Cocaine use in Mexico has risen 700% in just a few years, crime is skyrocketing, the economy is in shambles. I don't think economy is tied all that much to birth rate.

[Orangedog]

Don't you love how the industry always drones on about how "child" support and visitation are completely seperate...that is unless for whatever the reason you end up behind on what you're ordered to pay up. THEN all of a sudden they are directly related, since that is one of the MANY things they can take away from you. But when you have a manipulative b*tch getting cute with visitation, up goes the wall of seperation again.

My kid is my reason for living and wouldn't trade being her dad for the world, but I'll be damned if I ever stick my head into the chipper-shreader that is the divorce/support industry for a new round of emotional torment and extortion. I had custody for almost two years without so much as one penny from "mom" during that time, and while working fulltime. When she used the man-hating system to get custody again, I had to pay her more than twice what it really cost to raise a kid.

Sometime in the next 15-20 years (thankfully, mine will be well into adulthood then) all of this unaccountable group of judges, lawyers and case workers is going to turn on these women and take the kids for the State to raise in foster care. This will happen right about the time that the case load is cut in half because enough men have wised up and got vasectomies after they turned 18 or a male version of Norplant is developed. THEN we'll hear from women how unfair the system is.

[DoughtyOne]

My kid is my reason for living and wouldn't trade being her dad for the world, but I'll be damned if I ever stick my head into the chipper-shreader that is the
divorce/support industry for a new round of emotional torment and extortion. I had custody for almost two years without so much as one penny from "mom" during
that time, and while working fulltime.

I have talked to very few men in my time that could give a fig what the ex-wife does as long as he can have the children.  If she wants to go paint the town blue at all hours, go running around all over the country, never pay a dime for support, most guys couldn't care less.  They do however still want, and have every right to expect to be a presence their children's lives.  Here's a hint for the courts, you can't be a presence in your child's life if you only get to see them every two weeks for about 48 hours.  And here's another news flash, seeing them for a couple of weeks in the summer doesn't make up for it.  Having your children in your home for 30 weeks out of 780 over fifteen years simply isn't equitable.

[Ohioan]

The statistics reflect many extremely undesirable facts, which cummulatively give us a snapshot of a very unhealthy society. This is the result of the Leftist pursuit of an undifferentiated humanity, and the destruction of family and ethnic value systems. I am not going to belabor that point here, but my web site is full of essays that touch upon one or more of the factors in the society destroying climate that the Left has created.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[Orangedog]

I hear ya! I didn't want or need anything from the ex, and was content to keep it that way. In fact, one of her demands during negotiation for when she was going to sign over custody was that she not pay any support. Fine. She never would have paid it anyway. She ended up getting custody again after making life for my daughter a living hell and threatening that if she went along with my having custody, she would NEVER be allowed to live with her or my daughter's little sister again (from her 3rd failed marriage). She also put a new 30" color tv in her bedroom at her place and made all kinds of promisses. She wasn't there long before the tv came and cable came out of her bedroom and the allowance that she had been promised dissapeared along with the promise of moving closer to here, where the rest of her family and friends are. But mom got to pick up a new SUV and a couple of new PC's with a high speed internet connection and digital cable in mom's bedroom once the checks started rolling in for 2 kids from two different men, as well as her 4th husband paying most of the bills. The only thing I hate worse than subsizing that harpy's largess is seeing my little girl realize that she's been used by her own mother for cash and prizes. My ex is a real piece of work on many fronts. She's made it clear who comes first in line...her 4th husband instead of her 1st born.

[DoughtyOne]

I've seen a lot in my time. I've seen men who paid far more than what was required of them turn around and have to pay some bill the mom was supposed to pay on top of everything.

I have a friend who never missed a payment. On top of that he purchased clothing for the two children because mom wouldn't. After years of this, the old wind bag thanked him by marrying a guy employed locally, then moving about 400 miles away. The courts allowed this even though they had joint custody. The flimsey stipulation was that she meet him half-way with the children for visitation. She didn't do this once. The courts couldn't have cared less.

One day the father gets a phone call from his crying child. On top of the support payments, he was giving the ex money to pay the private school bill. As it turns out the school was on the verge of expelling the child for non-payment of tuition fees. Immediately he had to drop everything and travel 400 miles to pay the bill.

Women who spout their lovely stories about men haven't a clue what the men go through. You can hardly find a second wife who doesn't understand just what men do go through, and how abusive the system is to them.

We could go on all day, but I don't pass up a chance to voice the men's side in part.

Take care.

[Jhoffa_]

Hell yeah it did..

I ask you, aside from religious reasons.. Why bother to get married and have a family now?

There's sex everywhere.. Why bother to go the traditional route with marriage, children, life long commitment, etc.. when you know going in that there's better than a 50% chance you are going to get reamed and lose much of what you worked for?

Even if it does work, a 50% chance of infidelity, it's hyper expensive, the wife can terminate a pregnancy if she so chooses at any time, there's no longer a stigma associated with abortion, casual sex or out of wedlock children....

Aside from religious reasons (which I respect and which mean allot to me..) why wouldn't any sane person put as much distance between themselves and marriage/family as is humanly possible in the modern day?

[Antoninus]

We're having a baby boomlet in our house too. Two kids in two years. However, we're the exception among our peers (in our early 30s) -- many of them are still living the "Sex in the City" lifestyle or else haven't decided what they want to do with their lives yet.

[Antoninus]

On a related topic posted at FR the other day, Britains are leaving the country in the droves:

I can't say I blame them. If they're conservatives, I hope they find their way to our fair shores. Otherwise, I hear New Zealand's very nice...

[Antoninus]

Father Paul Marx often said that, once a culture enters into a non-replacement birth rate, it never recovers. It is a sign of societal collapse, and it has never been successfully reversed before its attendant collapse.

With all due respect to Fr. Marx, there's always a first time... Fortunately for us, we have a large influx of hispanics who are generally very Catholic and tend to have large families. And if we Americans can't be bothered with the "hassle" of children, I say "let 'em come." Better than the Islamic types...

[Antoninus]

Mexico has a very very high birth rate...

Not true. Look it up. Mexico's birth rate has come down dramatically in recent years....

[sinkspur]

Secondly, there is a strong swing from the far left in the church (especially Catholic) to the right more conservative point of view. It's barely discernable at this time, but hang out in the Religion forum for a few days and you will sense it.

I doubt this, especially if you're using the FR religion forum as representative.

The FR religion forum is weighted toward the rabid traditionalists and schismatics, who have succeeding in driving away more moderate Catholics (a few of whom send me regular e-mails) who are sick and tired of being labeled "modernists."

Catholics contracept, just like the rest of the US population, and will continue to, until the Church or necessity gives them a reason not to. It's all most folks can do today to provide for the children they have.

You're one of our more moderate members of the religion forum, and are appreciated by one and all there, very much. But be careful about thinking that the FR religion forum is representative of anything but the religion forum at FR.

Third, I believe that Americans are waking up to the fact that if we don't sustain our birth rates, then we will become a nation of mostly Hispanics. This is alarming to some, but not to all.

This doesn't scare me at all. Hispanics are already a virtual majority in Texas.

[jocon307]

"...that article that came out about a year ago in Newsweek about how women have been fooled into thinking they could easily conceive in their late 30's-early 40's (after they got comfy in their careers) has affected a lot of women's plans! Suddenly lots of women realized that time really is running out, and they need to take advantage of their fertility while they can....Also, think about the article the other day that showed an increase in stay-at-home moms.. it's not all bad, right?!!

Rocky, congrats! and I think you are right. I can't remember the title of that article either, but it really did sink into people's (esp. female people) minds. Also, the stay-at-home mom phenomenon I think will only keep growing. Especially if we keep putting in pubbies and making 'em cut taxes, so people can afford to stay home.

God Bless America and it's little wee children!

[FITZ]

It may have come down but not dramatically ---also they've had a very dramatic rise in the rates of unwed teenage pregnacies. 20% of pregnant Mexican women are teenagers almost all unwed and the age of giving birth is falling. Many of these girls have 2-3 babies before the age of 20, obviously for most that will guarantee a life of dire poverty ---and of course most who can't make it end up in the USA on some kind of welfare program.

Aumentan madres menores de edad

El veinte por ciento de las mujeres embarazadas en la ciudad son adolescentes, de acuerdo con estadísticas del Grupo Interinstitucional de la Salud, conformado por una decena de instituciones médicas.

Durante el 2002, 4 mil 792 mujeres menores de 20 años fueron madres. Al menos una tercera parte de ellas tuvieron su segundo y hasta su tercer hijo, de acuerdo con informes del grupo interinstitucional.

“Los embarazos en las jóvenes siguen alarmantemente a la alza. Y por lo que vemos, seguramente (el número) superará el año pasado”, augura la trabajadora social Alma Pérez Barrón, quien es coordinadora de Proyectos Especiales del Hospital de la Familia.

Lo único que ha disminuido, dice, es la edad en que son madres. Mientras que en 1998 la edad promedio era de 17 años, ahora es de 16. En algunos casos, las menores apenas alcanzan los 13 años.

[FITZ]

And Mexico has traditionally had a very high rate of unwed teenage mothers but even they are quite alarmed over the latest numbers. A little difficult to escape poverty with these numbers.