Low Birth Rates Across the World
Fertility rates have always varied across countries and cultures. For decades, many nations valued starting and expanding families. However, in recent years many nations have seen a decrease in fertility rates. Why is this? What are the negative effects of rapidly declining fertility rates?
Population growth supports economic growth; if fewer people are reproducing, our economy suffers. An aging population makes government services less accessible, as these programs are no longer fiscally sustainable. Furthermore, low fertility rates impact workforce participation. An inadequate workforce makes the cost of living increase, which means the standard of living declines for the majority of the population. An aging population also impacts innovation, as there are fewer researchers, scientists, and inventors generating new ideas and discoveries.
In terms of maintaining a society, we look at a population’s replacement rate—the number of children
Groups Targeted by Eugenics
At its core, abortion is oppressive and discriminatory, as it is often used to terminate those deemed “unworthy” of life. For instance, individuals with Down Syndrome are often victims of abortion because of their perceived “quality of life.” The black community is also disproportionately affected by abortion. Let’s explore why: Down Syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is a genetic condition in which the baby has an extra chromosome. This extra chromosome results in physical abnormalities, developmental challenges, and some medical problems like congenital heart defects. However, these birth defects do not always limit one’s ability to live a full, independent life. By age 31, 34% of people with Down Syndrome live independently and 57% work paid jobs. Today, people with Down Syndrome has an average life expectancy of 60 years. However, this does not stop women and couples from aborting babies with Down Syndrome diagnoses. According to the Joint Economic Committee, 60 to 90% of all babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted in the United States. In Iceland, almost 100% of women who receive a fetal Down Syndrome diagnosis go on to abort their babies. These disturbingly high rates of abortion could be attributed to increased prenatal testing and the fear many have about navigating their child’s developmental and medical issues in the future. Regardless, we have normalized eradicating an entire population of people—who would likely go on to lead happy, productive lives—due to fear and convenience.
Adoption Over the Years
Social issues and legislation have greatly impacted adoption rates over the years. Historically, adoption has been a wonderful option for women in unplanned pregnancies, provided stable families for their babies, and enriched the lives of adoptive families. Adoptions rose from 91,000 in 1957 to 175,000 in 1970. Before the legalization of abortion, 9% of babies born to never-married women under 45 were placed for adoption. After abortion was legalized, adoption became less prevalent among women who did not wish to parent. There was a decline to 130,000 in 1975 following the landmark Roe v Wade decision in 1973. By the 1980s, only 2% of babies born to never-married women under 45 were placed for adoption — an
Postpartum Care Tips
A woman’s body is capable of creating and nurturing life. Once she has birthed her baby, a woman often goes through an intense recovery process, as hormones stabilize and her body heals. Here are a few postpartum care tips for a quick, easy recovery. As you adjust to having a new baby in the house and tend to their needs, you may not have much time to dedicate to food preparation. However, nourishing your body postpartum is crucial in maintaining your physical/mental health and supporting your milk supply. Ensure you’re getting all the necessary vitamins and nutrients by preparing healthy meals in the weeks leading up to delivery and freezing these meals. Once your baby has arrived, all you’ll have to do is pull a meal out of the freezer and reheat it. If you’re afraid you’ll get busy and forget to eat, set reminders for yourself. You can’t be the best Mom you can be if you’re not taking care of yourself first!
What Is a Miscarriage?
Miscarriages and their treatments are the subject of many pro-choice arguments in the same way that ectopic pregnancy treatments are. Pro-choice advocates insist these procedures perform the same function as an abortion and often use this rhetoric to support the legalization of abortion. So, what is a miscarriage? What is the difference between a miscarriage treatment and an abortion? What is a miscarriage? A miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation. Most miscarriages occur during the first trimester of pregnancy after the unborn baby fails to develop properly due to genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. Miscarriage can also occur as the result of maternal health issues, such as hormonal imbalances, diabetes, thyroid disease, and more. Women who have miscarried may experience pelvic cramping, bleeding, or passing of tissue from the vagina. If the woman’s body does not pass the embryo or fetus within a couple of days, she
What Is an Ectopic Pregnancy?
With the introduction of new pro-life laws, there is much confusion surrounding the topic of ectopic pregnancies. What is an ectopic pregnancy? Are ectopic pregnancy treatments protected under pro-life laws? Let’s clear up some of the misconceptions surrounding new legislation. What Is an Ectopic Pregnancy? In a normal, healthy pregnancy, the fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube and into the uterus, where it implants and will remain until birth. This is not the case in an ectopic pregnancy. In an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterine wall—most often in the fallopian tubes but sometimes in the ovary, cervix, or abdominal cavity. Due to the location of implantation, an ectopic pregnancy is not viable or safe for a woman to carry.
In the event of an ectopic pregnancy, women may experience pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding early on. As the pregnancy progresses, women may also experience light-headedness and shoulder pain. Without proper treatment, the fallopian tube will rupture and cause life-threatening bleeding in the abdomen.
What Are Pregnancy Centers?
Often, women facing unintended pregnancies are not given the informed consent they deserve. They deserve to know all their options, and if they decide to move forward with parenting, should know what assistance and resources are available so they can give their children the lives they deserve. This is why pregnancy centers are a wonderful resource for expecting mothers and couples. These centers provide a wide-range of free services (many performed by licensed medical professionals) both during and after pregnancy. Many centers will provide services 2-3 years following the birth. For women who believe they could be pregnant, pregnancy centers offer free pregnancy testing and confirmation services. Many of these centers also offer free ultrasounds. Additionally, women who have taken the abortion pill and regret this decision can pursue an abortion pill reversal at many crisis pregnancy centers across the nation.
The Long-Term Health Benefits of Pregnancy
When talking about pregnancy, we often hear about all the aches, pains, and postpartum recovery that women endure to welcome their new babies into this world. However, we rarely hear about all the long-term health benefits that pregnancy provides. A woman experiences many hormonal shifts during pregnancy and postpartum. Did you know these hormonal shifts actually reduce her risk of many cancers? Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone promote cell growth. However, with lower estrogen and progesterone levels, pregnant women have a reduced risk of developing endometrial, breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers. Furthermore, breastfeeding is shown to reduce a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.
Learning in the Womb
Over the course of nine months, fetuses aren’t just growing but learning as well. After all, their brains and senses are rapidly developing. Here are a few things fetuses are learning in the womb. By 30 weeks in utero, fetuses can form and retain memories. After birth, they recognize familiar sounds from the last trimester such as voices, songs, and stories. For instance, if Mom played a certain genre of music while pregnant, the baby may demonstrate a preference for this genre or find it soothing. Over the course of 9 months, fetuses grow so accustomed to hearing their mothers’ voices that their cries outside the womb tend to match the melodic patterns of their mothers’ native languages. In fact, research has found that language learning itself begins prior to birth. Newborns only hours old are able to differentiate between sounds from their native language and a foreign language.
A fetus’ ability to form memories extends to all their senses, as they may even recall tastes from the womb. What a woman eats affects the flavor of her amniotic fluid, which is continuously swallowed by the fetus. Experts say babies remember these flavors and even demonstrate a preference for these familiar flavors. This can be particularly influential in developing a baby’s palate, as Mom introduces flavors of her culture. Click here for studies on taste in the womb.
Do Late-Term Abortions Happen?
There is much discourse on the subject of late-term abortions. Choice advocates insist that late-term abortions simply do not happen. Is this true? We explore this topic further and share some of the illuminating facts about late-term abortions. What Is a Late-Term Abortion? While there is no definitive timeline for a “late-term abortion”, most use this term to refer to an abortion performed after 20-21 weeks gestation (between the end of the second trimester and birth). According to the CDC, in 2021 almost 1% of reported legal abortions occurred after 21 weeks gestation — that equates to over 6,200 abortions. This is an estimate since the United States does not require national reporting of abortions. Following the overturn of Roe in June 2022, 1 state allows abortion until the third trimester and 7 states have no gestational limits.