The birthrate in Europe and almost all of the Western world is about 1.5 babies per woman in her lifetime.
In the U.S., it's over 2.1, which means that only the U.S. is replacing itself. Why isn't the U.S. birthrate below replacement level? According to Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute, «America is a very unique country, particularly in the strength of its religious sentiment. On Sunday, about 50% of the people are in church, as opposed to about 10% in Europe. It makes a difference if you read the Bible rather than The Washington Post, or the Sunday Times. The Bible says children are a blessing, and people respond to that.» According to the Center for Disease Control and the Planned Parenthood education branch, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the annual number of abortions in the U.S. has been declining for a decade. Between 1994 and 2000 it declined 11%, with the decline particularly steep-39%-among those age 15 to 17.

How have your feelings on abortion changed in the past 10 years?	Much more in favor				Slightly more in favor				Note sure		No change		Slightly less in favor				Much less in favor
%	5.4				5.9				1.7		65.5		7				14.5
When should abortion be permitted?	Always				For other reasons where it's clear an abortion is needed				-				Only in the cases of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother				Never
% all ages	21.8				14.9								36.7				24.5
from 18 to 29	21.9												30.1				33.2
from 30 to 64																	23
65 and older																	20
If someone close to you said she wanted an abortion, how would your react?	Advise her to get the abortion if she thinks it's best				Listen and offer no advice				Not sure				Advise against it, but stress it's her decision				Tell her she should not do it under any circumstances
%	19.1				9.3				4.2				34.7				32.7
How does the abortion issue affect the way you vote?	Allways vote for pro-choice candidates				Favor pro-choice candidates but considers other issues				-				Favor pro-life candidates but considers other issues				Allways vote for anti-abortion candidates
%	4.1				19.1								27.3				13.1
SOURCE: Zogby International poll on 1,000 voters in the USA. The error margin is +/- 3.2%.

A Zogby poll, commissioned by the Buffalo News, found that 32% of Americans changed their opinions on abortion during the last decade. Of these, 21% became more opposed to abortion, while 11% became more favorable. The strongest age group opposing abortion were young people 18 to 20 years old. They changed 39% in the direction opposing abortion.

How many kids? «If you survey people at pro-life meetings, the average number of children is 4.
People at a National Abortion Rights League meeting average one-half of one child. People who go to church on Sunday and pray regularly average three kids. Those who don't attend church average one. Demographically, this means that the ranks of pro-abortion people will be decimated ultimately by a form of self-imposed collective suicide. Their response is to try to infiltrate and use our educational system to reproduce themselves intellectually, since they're obviously not going to reproduce themselves biologically.» According to Mosher, the birthrate in the Northeast is about 1.5 children, which is the same as the European average. The rest of the country averages 2.5 children, with the highest being in the south and in Texas. In fact, these striking differences roughly parallel the famous red and blue states of the maps of the 2000 Presidential Election. For pro-lifers, this is a very positive sign for the future.

International Right to Life Federation news Jan. Feb. 2003

Back to Bulletin "Droit à la Vie" May 2003