Birth rates in the United States fell nearly 2 percent in 2008, marking the first decline since the start of the decade, according to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics.
There were 4.2 million births last year, down about 68,000 from 2007, the report said, noting that more babies were born in 2007 than in any other year in the nation’s history.
In a separate study, the Guttmacher Institute, which is affiliated with Planned Parenthood, surveyed about 950 women between the ages of 18 and 34 whose household incomes were less than $75,000 and found that more than four in 10 said the economy was affecting their decisions about having children.
Fifty-two percent of those women said their financial situation had worsened in the past year and consequently the women in the survey were postponing childbearing, deciding to have fewer children or opting for medical sterilization to prevent future pregnancies, Guttmacher said in September.
Seventy-seven percent of those women agreed with the statement “With the economy the way it is, I can’t afford to have a baby right now.” Others said they fear the consequences of pregnancy in an unstable job market. (BP)
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