Don Feder: Europe Freezes in Demographic Winter Due to Severe Underpopulation

LifeNews ^ | June 4, 2006 | Don Feder

[rhema]

With Europe locked in the depths of demographic winter, the World Congress of Families offers a thaw ("the natural family" as "the springtime of nations") as it prepares for its 4th Congress -- Warsaw 2007.

The population bomb, hyped by the likes of Paul Ehrlich (aka: Malthus Man), turned out to be a dud. The Western world now faces the reality of depopulation. Since the 1970s, worldwide fertility rates have been cut in half. In all, 59 nations with 44% of the world's people have below-replacement birthrates.

To maintain a stable population requires a birthrate of 2.1 children per woman. Italy's rate is 1.2. In Spain, the average is just 1.15.

Russia is losing 700,000 people a year by attrition. If the trend isn't reversed, by 2050, the nation could lose one-third of its current population (146 million).

Confronting this chilling prospect, Russian President Vladimir Putin has adopted a pro-natalist policy, including a $110-monthly stipend to Russian families that have a second child. Stay-at-home moms would receive 40% of their former salary, and families with two children also would get a direct payment of $9,000.

For years, Western governments have created financial disincentives to child-rearing, so it's encouraging to see some leveling of the playing field. Still, the question remains: Can families be paid to have children?

Pope Benedict XVI doesn't think so. At a recent meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the pope blamed the "eclipse of love" and "materialistic visions of the universe, of life and human fulfillment" for falling birthrates.

Bluntly put, for decades, Western society -- under the sway of feminists, environmentalists, Zero Population Growth-types and other assorted utopians -- has inculcated an anti-family ethos.

Selfishness was celebrated. Marriage and children were downgraded to lifestyle options. Women who stayed at home to raise and nurture a family were derided. The importance of fathers was downplayed. Abortion was enshrined as a "human right." And contraception was ubiquitous.

Exacerbating the trend, in the postwar period, most industrialized nations rapidly secularized. In Western Europe, weekly church attendance has fallen to 5%, compared with 30-40% in the United States (which has a replacement-level birthrate of 2.1).

Faith is the strongest incentive for family formation and procreation. Mormon Utah has the highest birthrate in America. Worldwide, it's traditional Catholics, Orthodox Jews and evangelical Christians who are having large families.

Economist Robert J. Samuelson wrote about depopulation graphically in a Washington Post column from last June.

"Europe as we know it is going out of business," Samuelson warned. Talk of a united Europe challenging America is a fantasy. "It's hard to be a great power if your population's shriveling," the economist observed. It's also hard to maintain a social insurance system with a demographic deficit. Samuelson: "Western Europe's population grows dramatically grayer, projects the U.S. Census Bureau. Now about one-sixth of the population is 65 and older. By 2030 that would be one-fourth, and by 2050 almost one-third."

None of this has penetrated craniums in Brussels. The European Union now is insisting that members facilitate homosexual marriages contracted elsewhere. If a same-sex union is formed in the Netherlands, Belgium or Spain (the only countries to recognize same), and the couple moves elsewhere in Europe, the new state of residence will be expected to recognize the union.

Rocco Buttiglione, formerly a member of the Italian government, charged the EU is advancing a "soft totalitarianism" that seeks a state religion which is "an atheistic, nihilistic religion -- but it is a religion that is obligatory for all."

While Europe suffers from empty-cradle syndrome, the EU is intent on promoting unions which are guaranteed to be sterile, thus advancing extinction in the name of a dubious equality.

If Europe has a sickness of the soul, the World Congress of Families has the cure. With this in mind, the International Planning Committee (of which I'm a member), chose Warsaw as the site of World Congress of Families IV (May 11-13, 2007).

The World Congress of Families was founded by Dr. Allan Carlson -- family scholar, author and the president of The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society.

Under Carlson's guidance, the Congress fosters an international network of pro-family organizations, activists, scholars and parliamentarians seeking to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit.

The World Congress of Families' mission is to shift the terms of debate -- "1) From the family as an obstacle to development, to the family as the source of stability, social renewal and progress, 2) From the small family and voluntary childlessness as good to a celebration of the large family as a special social gift and 3) From religious orthodoxy as a hindrance to progress to religious orthodoxy as the source of humane values and cultural progress."

Quietly and unobtrusively, WCF is making progress. There have been three Congresses to date -- Prague (1997), Geneva (1999) and Mexico City (2004). Each has been roughly double the size of the previous Congress.

Typical of the spin-off effects and synergy of these gatherings, Mexican businessmen Fernando Milanes and Jesus Hernandez came to Geneva for World Congress of Families II as concerned citizens. Hernandez and Milanes were so inspired by Geneva that they returned to Mexico and formed The Family Network -- now the country's most active pro-family alliance, with tens of thousands of members.

Their organization became the host committee for World Congress of Families III. Over 3,300 delegates from 70 countries assembled in Mexico City's Banamex Center for the first Congress in the Western Hemisphere.

Now, it's Poland’s turn. An island of pro-family values in a sea of political correctness, Poland has produced many intellectual champions of the family, including Pope John Paul II. In the 20th century, Poland endured both Nazism and communism -- ideological onslaughts on the family.

In the early decades of this century, Europe will be pivotal to the battle for the family. If the family fails in the Old World, the repercussions will be worldwide. (A faction of the Supreme Court is fond of citing European rulings as "precedent" for U.S. law.)

Poland's central location makes it accessible to delegates from both Western and Eastern Europe, as well as to the nations of the former Soviet Union.

The next World Congress of Families will address such timely issues as: the importance of marriage, fecundity as a natural expression of family love and hope for the future, how to counter assaults on the family (including pornography, drugs, a hostile media, cohabitation, divorce and marriage-substitutes), rejecting the contraceptive mentality, promoting pro-family policies, building a new culture of marriage and strengthening the vital bond of faith and family.

The International Planning Committee for WCF IV convened in Warsaw in early May to meet with the Polish host committee and political and religious leaders. The opening session was held in the office of Prime Minister Kasimierz Marchinkewicz and was attended by his chief of staff as well as by three leading members of Poland's Senate. Poland's new conservative government pledged full support for WCF IV.

The Committee also was granted an audience with Archbishop Kazimierz Majdanski -- who, as a young priest, was imprisoned by the Nazis. The founder of Poland's Institute for Studies of the Family, Archbishop Majdanski gave the Congress his blessing and promised to provide more than 200 student volunteers.

The May, 2007 Congress will be held in the tallest building in Warsaw. The Palace of Culture and Science was Stalin's gift to the Polish people. For 40 years, its 3,000-seat Congress Hall was the site of annual meetings of the Polish Communist Party. Next year, a very different type of assembly will take place there -- a meeting whose slogan could be: "Families of The World Unite! You have nothing to lose but ideologically imposed utopian visions."

Members of the Planning Committee came to Warsaw from the United States, Mexico, Kenya, Qatar, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Pakistan and Russia to help coordinate what is fast becoming an international secretariat for pro-family activity.

The Eur-acracy can't be pleased about what's coming its way in less than a year. Like their communist predecessors, politicians who would consign the family to oblivion believe that history is on their side. The World Congress of Families will help to prove them wrong.

[Right Wing Assault]

At the current rate, the birth control pill's ultimate product may be worldwide Islam.

[Westbrook]

Apparently, the dhimmis are selecting themselves out of the gene pool. Makes it easier for islam to take over.

Then they can start the extermination of the dhimmis.

Islam's version of "The Final Solution" will probably involve more knives than gas chambers. They're not afraid of making a mess.

.

[Savage Beast]

"...the EU is advancing a 'soft totalitarianism' that seeks a state religion which is 'an atheistic, nihilistic religion -- but it is a religion that is obligatory for all.'"

The Left is doing the same thing in America. Fortunately they have been only partially successful. "Middle America" remains strong, powerful, healthy, and ascendant.

If the Left, including its Political Machine (the Democrat Party) and its Propaganda Machine (the "Mainstream Newsmedia") had its way, the United States would be overwhelmed by the same decadence that has doomed Europe.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Is Russia going to die due to a low birth rate?

[redgolum]

I find it rather ironic that after years of screaming we have to many people the European governments suddenly realize they have to few.

Of course, there is one group that is still growing, muslim immigrants.

We would have the same issue here, but for illegal immigration.

[BobL]

Unless Europeans come to terms with their demographic suicide spiral real soon, their continent, as it has been known for well over a 1,000 years, is finished. And while we (Americans) may get a chuckle out of that, the world will be a MUCH lonelier place for us.

[R.W.Ratikal]

Europe suffers from a demographic shift of Third World populations from Africa to Europe. The culture and in fact the very civilization that has been built up over the centuries will continue to digress.

It is a fact that Third World peoples cannot assimilate into a higher civilized society. Rather, history has proved that higher civilizations are assimilated downward into the lower levels as invaders impose their language, customs and traditions.

It is this digression that explains what happened to past higher civilizations such as Rome, Babylon, the Aztecs, the ancient Chinese dynasties, etc. civilizations that have all fallen to barbarian invasion.

President Bush, call your office.

[JustDoItAlways]

This is a common situation around the whole world, not just Europe. The fertility rate has been falling everywhere (save a few Arab countries and most of Africa.)

There are now 130 countries (out of a total of 180) that have a fertility rate below 3.0 and 80 of those are below 2.0 .

As women become educated, gain rights, enter the workforce, gain access to birth control, and as families choose standard of living over having more children, the fertility rate has been falling steadily everywhere since the 1960s.

There has also been a recent change throughout Muslim countries. In places where fertility rates were 7.0 and higher, those numbers have fallen to the 3.0 and 4.0 range in the past 5 to 10 years.

It is not really a bad thing, there are enough of us on the planet already. The modern world has got to get used to the fact that population will stabilize and even fall.

We use to think of increasing population as critical to economic growth and success for a country (we used to think the human population would explode and overpopulate the world but this is clearly not on now.) Increasing standard of living for the current population is a better measure.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

that and aids is going to clobber Russia in the coming years.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Given that we have something like over 6 billion people on this planet, is it soo bad if we have some worldwide population decline?
I'm not some global warming tard or self loathing liberal whining about what a terrible world to bring children into.

[ProCivitas]

Feder is generally brilliant, and along with Patrick Buchanan, Alan Keyes and George F. Will , serves as the best policy commentary in the country.

[BobL]

"is it soo bad if we have some worldwide population decline? "

It depends on whether you want your children and grandchildren to live in a Western society or not. As things stand today, most (if not all) of Europe will be Muslim by 2050, the US will be very isolated and probably very confused (even compared to today). By the year 2100, we may have the same population as, say, 1950, again, but there will virtually be no one that will resemble the Western cultures that began 2500 years ago - whereas in 1950 at least 25% of the world's population resembled those cultures. Western culture, and likely democracy and freedom, as we know it, will be gone.

That is the society that many of us fear. The population counts, in actual numbers, would not otherwise be a concern - and the lower numbers would be appreciated, considering the reluctance of our politicians to raise gas taxes to build freeways.

[lafroste]

Given that we have something like over 6 billion people on this planet, is it soo bad if we have some worldwide population decline?

On the surface, having a decrease in population followed by a stabilization is, I believe, a very good thing. The problem is of course that we inhabit a world where a large percentage of the population are a bunch power-mad, lustful, hate-driven maniacs. Their version of population control must be eliminated first.

Population reduction would be a good thing ((i think) if everyone was at least a semi-reasonable person. Unfortunately, they are not.

[ClaireSolt]

I think Europeans regard Europe as overpopulated and see reductions as good. I know my Dutch friend feels that way. (Wouldn't you, if farmland went to $60,000/acre?) Also, it remains to be seen what Europeans will do with unassimilated Muslims. They are grappling with those problems, now. It is highly unlikely that they will die.

[goldstategop]

Europa trifft den Winter seines Todes - Europe meets the winter of its death. Its no longer the force that once made the earth shudder beneath the power of the nations who led the world but a century ago.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[kabar]

You nailed it. We are seeing a migration of workers from North Africa and Turkey to Europe to meet the labor shortfall. But these workers don't share the same culture and values and are not being assimilated. It is a ticking time bomb for countries like France, Germany, and Sweden.

[KarlInOhio]

If you are saying that instead of 6.5 billion could we survive with a stable population of 4 billion, I think the answer is yes. However some societies are growing while others are shrinking, and generally I prefer the culture of the shrinking sections over the growing sections right now. As much as France bugs me, I still prefer Chirac to Mugabe.

A second problem is that while the population is dropping, the demographics skew to the older. Either a very rapidly growing population or a shrinking population have a disproportionate number of people outside of their most productive years. The growing population has a large number of children and you can't put them in the sweatshop at 8 years old any more. The shrinking population has a lot of old people, which drives down the pay for Wal-Mart greeters because the supply of them is a lot more than demand. The society can't survive if half the population is retired and expects the other half to support them.

[lonedawg]

So Islam is literally "F"ing them out of their country?

[lonedawg]

It is a ticking time bomb for countries like France, Germany, and Sweden.


France, Germany, and Sweden are to blame for this happening, arrogance usually leads to discrimination.This is alive and well in Massachusetts.(sarc)