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Fertility Rates Rise In US; We're At Replacement Level!
Washington Post ^ | 12/21/07 | Rob Stein

Posted on 12/21/2007 2:26:38 PM PST by Marie2

For the first time in 35 years, the U.S. fertility rate has climbed high enough to sustain a stable population, solidifying the nation's unique status among industrialized countries.

The overall fertility rate increased 2 percent between 2005 and 2006, nudging the average number of babies being born to each woman to 2.1, according to the latest federal statistics. That marks the first time since 1971 that the rate has reached a crucial benchmark of population growth: the ability of each generation to replace itself.

"It's been quite a long time since we've had a rate this high," said Stephanie J. Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics. "It's a milestone."

While the rising fertility rate was unwelcome news to some environmentalists, the "replacement rate" is generally considered desirable by demographers and sociologists because it means a country is producing enough young people to replace and support aging workers without population growth being so high it taxes national resources.

"This is a noteworthy event," said John Bongaarts of the Population Council, a New York-based think tank. "This is a sign of demographic health. Many countries would like to be at this level."

Europe, Japan and other industrialized countries have long had fertility rates far below the replacement level, creating the prospect of labor shortages and loss of cultural identity as the proportion of native-born residents shrinks in relation to immigrant populations.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: abortion; birthcontrol; birthrate; census; deathofthewest; demographics; family; fertility; populationcontrol
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Yay babies!

I almost never post anything on FR, so be gentle if I screwed up, please.

1 posted on 12/21/2007 2:26:39 PM PST by Marie2
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To: Marie2

You done good!


2 posted on 12/21/2007 2:28:17 PM PST by i_dont_chat (Your choice if you take offense.)
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To: Marie2

‘Some of the increase is explained by immigration. Hispanics have the highest fertility rate — about 2.9 — followed by blacks (2.1), Asians (1.9) and whites (1.86). But Hispanics do not represent enough of the population to fully explain the trend, and the fertility rate of U.S. whites is still higher than that of other developed countries.’


3 posted on 12/21/2007 2:29:46 PM PST by BGHater (If Guns Cause Crime Then Matches Cause Arson?)
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To: Marie2

The Boomers have past the age, finally. The next generation is on the job.


4 posted on 12/21/2007 2:30:40 PM PST by RightWhale (Dean Koonz is good, but my favorite authors are Dun and Bradstreet)
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To: Marie2
Native-born Americans are not reproducing, immigrants are, illegal immigrants most of all, and they are reproducing at a higher rate here than in their home countries. We are being overrun and outbred. From CIS:

In 2002, immigrant women (legal and illegal) from the top-10 immigrant-sending countries had 2.9 children on average, compared to a fertility rate of 2.3 children in their home countries -- a 23-percent difference.

Among Mexican immigrants in the United States, for example, fertility averages 3.5 children per woman compared to 2.4 children per women in Mexico. Among Chinese immigrants, fertility is 2.3 in the United States compared to 1.7 in China.

As for legal status, we estimate that the birth rate of illegal alien women was 3.1 children on average in 2002, or about 50 percent higher than the two children natives have on average. The birth rate for legal immigrants is 2.6, or about one-third higher than that of natives. While immigrant fertility is significantly higher than that of natives, their presence in the United States is not the reason the overall fertility rate in the United States is much higher than in other western countries. Fertility in the U.S. is roughly 2.0 children, with or without immigrants. New immigrants (legal and illegal) plus births to immigrants add some 2.3 million people to the United States each year, accounting for most of the nation's population increase.

5 posted on 12/21/2007 2:38:04 PM PST by 3AngelaD (They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
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To: RightWhale

The fertility rate WAS FINE before this if we didn’t have abortion.


6 posted on 12/21/2007 2:38:42 PM PST by Sacajaweau ("The Cracker" will be renamed "The Crapper")
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To: Sacajaweau

It was okay before Boomers and after Boomers.


7 posted on 12/21/2007 2:41:29 PM PST by RightWhale (Dean Koonz is good, but my favorite authors are Dun and Bradstreet)
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To: Marie2

Yeah, but replacement with what?


8 posted on 12/21/2007 2:44:34 PM PST by A_Former_Democrat
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To: 3AngelaD
Native-born Americans are not reproducing, immigrants are, illegal immigrants most of all, and they are reproducing at a higher rate here than in their home countries.

In that respect this situation is similar to that in Europe.

However, I would prefer being "overrun and outbred" by Christian Latinos than by Muslim Jihadists.

Immigrants to this country have always had high birth rates. When they have come legally, learned English, and become Americans they have literally provided the life blood of the nation.

9 posted on 12/21/2007 2:56:50 PM PST by outofstyle (My Ride's Here)
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To: Marie2

Most of those children are the children of illegal aliens.


10 posted on 12/21/2007 3:04:40 PM PST by puppypusher (The world is going to the dogs.)
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To: Marie2

Good job now I’m going to bring my ping list to this.


11 posted on 12/21/2007 3:10:41 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: RightWhale

Many boomers had more than two kids in the family. People who grow up in large families often decide to have smaller ones. This natural tendency combined with the big push for population control by the elites has resulted in depressing the birth rate. Abortion rates are high because birth control measures require a discipline that is lacking in many people. Both abortion and birth control rates, as well as open homosexuality reflect the seachange in sexual morality.


12 posted on 12/21/2007 3:14:10 PM PST by RobbyS
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To: 3AngelaD

I tried pointing out to a population is too high liberal that illegal immigration was the driving factor in our population growth - AND that they had more kids here than they did back home, polluting even more so than they would in a developing country. “Thus, to save the US AND the planet, close the borders and send the illegals home. Our population drops, their population growth slows.”

The individual was apopolectic before thinking about it, then kindof agreed with me.

Close the border, send `em home, save the planet! We can all be on the same side!


13 posted on 12/21/2007 3:15:04 PM PST by tbw2 (Science fiction with real science - "Humanity's Edge" - on amazon.com)
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To: Marie2
The US has the highest rate of population growth in the developed world, i.e., .89% annually, mainly due to immigration, legal and illegal. A higher native growth rate coupled with a still increasing number of immigrants, 1.25 net million annually, will be a disaster for this country. This is not good news.

Currently, 1.6 million legal and illegal immigrants settle in the country each year; 350,000 immigrants leave each year, resulting in net immigration of 1.25 million. If immigration continues at current levels, the nation’s population will increase from 301 million today to 468 million in 2060 — a 167 million (56 percent) increase. Immigrants plus their descendents will account for 105 million (63 percent) of the increase. The total projected growth of 167 million is equal to the combined populations of Great Britain, France, and Spain. The 105 million from immigration by itself is equal to 13 additional New York Cities.

14 posted on 12/21/2007 3:16:02 PM PST by kabar
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To: A_Former_Democrat
"Yeah, but replacement with what?"

Illegals doing a job that white Americans won't do?

15 posted on 12/21/2007 3:16:14 PM PST by Iron Munro ( (Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.))
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To: Ronaldus Magnus; television is just wrong; expatguy; Cincinna; dino1955; MinorityRepublican; WLR; ..

If you

16 posted on 12/21/2007 3:21:39 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: outofstyle

Amen! Ther growing pain that we have with Hispanic immigrants will cease to exist by their third generation when they become bona fide Americans who can speak English.


17 posted on 12/21/2007 3:25:08 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: Iron Munro

I hate to say it and I voted for him twice but if you vote again for a President with Hispanic in his family you will be over runned by Hispanics. You can call it racist or whatever you so desire I could care less but, boys and girls the anglo saxons are being pushed out of the country they created by their own elected officals. Need only look at California. Does the government put out any numbers telling you how many anglo saxons are leaving California because they can not afford to support themselves and the Hispanic population of Mexico?


18 posted on 12/21/2007 3:25:19 PM PST by Mojohemi
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To: Marie2
Yep. Britney and Jamie Lynn put us over the top!
19 posted on 12/21/2007 3:39:07 PM PST by Timmy
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To: RobbyS

Yeah, we know all that. Also, USA foreign policy has been, for many years, to encourage many foreign countries to reduce birthrates, and that is from the same crowd of Malthusians, none of whose data or concerns have proved out. Some of the anti American sentiment is from those policies. Especially sterilization.


20 posted on 12/21/2007 3:49:36 PM PST by RightWhale (Dean Koonz is good, but my favorite authors are Dun and Bradstreet)
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