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

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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.

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

http://www.usnewswire.com/

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[nickcarraway]

why is that a good thing?

[Kevin Curry]

Ahh, but the accompanying news is we're only killing 1.2 million of our unborn per year, now.

And the push is on to shore up the institution of marriage by extending its sanctions and protections to gays and and lesbians. < / sarcasm>

The traditional family is being destroyed and made irrelevant by breezy easy contraception, abortion at anytime for any reason or no reason, and sterile sexual behavior undertaken solely for its own sake.

The endless search for perpetual orgasm without consequence or progeny has become as a substitute for childbearing and childrearing within the traditional family.

[Havisham]

'The War Against Population', Jacqueline Kasun, debunks the teen pregnancy crisis and other population bomb myths that have justified forced sterilaztion, abortion, and chemical birth control in order to encourage economic growth. The fact of the matter is that population growth is not the problem. Corrupt politicians and policy makers find it easier to blame the normal human drive to have children for their countries woes rather than themselves for failing to reform and institute the rule of law. Instead the population control lobby dupes various parliaments and congresses into giving them our $$ to produce lower population growth rates, however they wish to achieve them. The only institution willing to consistently oppose these greedy utilitarian elites has been the Catholic Church. They'd like nothing more than to see Christians turn away from Mother Church at this crucial moment in the battle for the human future.

[You Dirty Rats]

Check out your post #22 -- you never said "virtually", you used the words "EVERY COUNTRY" (caps yours), and the data link I provided you shows that many countries in the non-developed wourld are still growing rapidly.

[LS]

I assume you are referring to birth rates declining. It is a good thing if you are worried about "overpopulation" or "whites" being vastly outnumbered by "non-whites."

[LS]

Well, then I should have stated that every country in the UN population survey I looked at---which was MANY, so I assumed it had gotten all of them---has declining birth rates. The link you provide is extremely thick. Why don't you summarize 3-4 of the countries that are "growing rapidly?"

[nickcarraway]

It's a bad thing if you are worried about the world economy collapsing.

[nickcarraway]

Anyone still worried about overpopulation probably still thinks the earth is flat...

[Luis Gonzalez]

Buchanan has no children.