Birth rate in U.S. falls to lowest level in 32 years, CDC says

[Islander]

Linda Carroll
May 15, 2019

On the upside, teen births are at record lows, and more women in their late 30s and early 40s are having babies.

The number of babies born in the U.S. in 2018 fell to the lowest level in 32 years, according to a government report released Wednesday.
The numbers are part of a decadeslong trend toward fewer and fewer babies being born each year — which means we’re getting further away from the possibility of having enough children to replace ourselves, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Keep reading: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/women...s-cdc-n1005696
More comprehensive article: https://medium.com/s/story/everyones...e-679abebb854b

[Mr. Wizard]

The world's population stands at about 7.7 Billion people, estimated to reach 10 Billion people by 2050. So, we'll probably be OK with a few less people. However, the population dip in certain countries will present intermediate, but not insurmountable, challenges. Regarding older parents having babies, multiple studies show that babies born to parents in their 30s and 40s have a "significantly increased risks" for autism. This is especially true for babies born to men over 35, due to the greater DNA mutations of the man's sperm cells as he ages. I wonder if the rising numbers of older parents may be--part of the answer--for the increased, and growing, numbers of autistic children.

[Islander]

That's interesting. I was 35 and 39 when my boys were born, and my husband was 47/51. Both boys are bright, talented, social, married, have excellent jobs. But my daughters think the older boy is a little bit Aspie and I can see that too. Yup, interesting.

[Mr. Wizard]

One of the major studies that followed over 5 million children from various countries noted that older couples where the father was at least 10 yrs. older than the mother were at even greater risk of having an autistic child. So, you and your husband would have fallen into this category when you had your sons. I wonder if a couple had a child before age 35 would that decrease the risk of autism for any children the couple would have after age 35.?? The medical community uses the euphemism "advanced maternal age," or AMA, for pregnant women 35 or older.

[grulla]

Declining populations in various countries such as China, Japan, Russia, andso many others, should be considered an asset in this world of diminishing safe and healthy natural resources, and especially where hi-tech automation and robotics prevail.
https://eurasiafuture.com/2019/04/03...nd-automation/
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...e-accelerating

And in Russia, that has been experiencing a population decline, President Putin thinks that should end. That, too me, sounds disappointing in a country that has made an environmental commitment to a national organic agriculture program.
https://www.thoughtco.com/population...russia-1435266
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2018/...-decade-a63926
https://journal-neo.org/2016/04/21/n...ic-revolution/

And Julieanne's current article/thread, about manufacturing (franken) fish in a lab, is just one of many signs of the demands of an expanding global population. Fish farming is bad enough, the Grocery Manufacturers' Association (GMA) must be delighted, "hook, line, and sinker."
https://www.hawkeshealth.net/communi...ad.php?t=19318

[Islander]

On the whole, I agree that a slowdown in growth is a positive trend, given the globe's population, but other considerations remain. In countries where populations are not being replaced, serious shortages are predicted in labor in general and care for the elderly and handicapped (e.g. autistic) in the future. These are not positions that can be filled by robots. It's a genuine concern... but given human innovation, I suspect we'll find a way around it.

[Mr. Wizard]

Population dips will impact educational institutions, too. For ex., during the U.S. Great Recession of 2006 -2007 when housing foreclosures hit an all-time high and General Motors almost went under, couples concerned about their economic future "stopped having babies." As a result, there will be fewer college-age children in the coming decade of the 2020s. By 2025, the U.S. college applicant pool is projected to be down by about 450,000 students. Hundreds of small "private" colleges, especially in the Northeast, are expected to go out of business, as the larger colleges pull from the smaller pool of kids who historically would have been recruited by the smaller private colleges.

[Islander]

Wow, interesting. I taught for 18 years at one of those "small private" colleges in the Northeast. Think they'll be ok because they're an environmental school with emhasisd on sustainability, recently added graduate degrees. Doing very well. We're the ones who rescued Jimmy Carter's solar panels from Reagan's White House basement and installed them on the Unity College cafeteria roof.

[Mr. Wizard]

Wow. 18 yrs. as a college instructor....I had no idea. Is there anything you haven't done. Your eclectic experiences are truly admirable. Now I better understand the genesis of your smarts & wisdom!!

[Islander]

LOL, haven't been to anywhere in Africa, still on my bucket list. Yup, multiple careers, and started 3 businesses, plus this site. I think everyone knows by now that I'm also a licensed Medical Marijuana Caregiver, going on 6 years I think, maybe 7. Risk your life, learn something new, have fun! Any "smarts & wisdom," just accidental — but it was a kind remark!

[Maurya]

Respect!

[Islander]

Aww, shucks.
:: scuffs toe in dirt ::

Life gets boring if you don't switch things out now and then... like moving to a remote principality in the path of violent weather and periodic hardships while still being able to vote in U.S. elections, Maurya...

[Maurya]

Alas, there's the rub: We cannot vote in the election for the US President, although there is a move afoot (probably doomed to failure) to change that circumstance. We carry a US passport and serve in the US military, but have a Congress critter who has no vote in Congress and no Senator, just our local Governor and Legislature.

[Islander]

Wow, sorry to hear those circumstances. I think you may have mentioned that earlier, but I forgot.

[grulla]

The world's population stands at about 7.7 Billion people, estimated to reach 10 Billion people by 2050...

Here is an AP article today that corroborates that:World population to be 9.7 billion by 2050 https://www.news.com.au/world/breaki...21034a246ed325