US Birth Rate Nudges Up 1% In 2024, Continuing A Worrisome Trend
Demographers and cultural critics fear a sustaining slump could hurt the U.S. economy. In an effort to prop up the population, some have proposed bonuses for women who give birth, an idea President Donald Trump says “sounds like a good idea.” Separately, the family planning funding freeze is hurting clinics across the country.
The New York Times:
Birthrates Languish In Record Lows, C.D.C. Reports
Births in the United States increased by just 1 percent in 2024, still near the record low rates that have alarmed demographers and become a central part of the Trump administration’s cultural agenda, according to data released on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 3.6 million babies were born in the United States last year, a meager rise from the record-setting low in 2023. The fertility rate, approximately 1.6 births per woman over her lifetime, is well below the 2.1 births needed to maintain the country’s population through births alone. (Ghorayshi, 4/23)
The Hill:
Trump Says Bonuses For Moms After They Have Child ‘Sounds Like A Good Idea’
President Trump on Tuesday signaled support to reporters about a proposal to give moms bonuses when they have a child amid reports the White House is looking at ways to bring up the nation’s birth rates. Trump was pressed by the media Tuesday afternoon about whether he was considering bonuses for moms whenever they have a child, following reports his administration heard a similar pitch that could mean up to $5,000 in extra cash for moms after giving birth. “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump said briefly before jumping to another question. (Folley, 4/22)
In other reproductive health news —
Politico:
Clinics Begin Closing As Trump Admin Continues Freeze On Family Planning Funds
Clinics around the country that provide contraception and other reproductive health services to low-income patients are running out of funds as they await word from the Trump administration on tens of millions of dollars in grants frozen last month. Dozens of medical providers from California to Maine, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, have struggled to stay afloat since more than $65 million dollars for the Title X family planning program was withheld on April 1. (Ollstein, 4/22)
The Texas Tribune:
Bill Clarifying Texas Abortion Law Gets Senate Panel’s OK
A bill seeking to clarify Texas’ abortion laws has passed out of a Senate committee, with amendments attached that aim to appease criticism from the left and the right. Texas law bans abortion except to save the life of the pregnant patient, with penalties of up to life in prison, $100,000 fines and loss of licensure. But the law is confusing and vague, doctors and hospitals say, forcing them to delay or deny medically necessary abortions for fear of triggering the strict penalties. (Klibanoff, 4/22)
The 19th:
Texas CPS Took A Newborn For Three Weeks. Now The Family Is Suing.
Two years ago, Temecia and Rodney Jackson’s newborn baby, Mila, was taken from them for three weeks in a nightmare scenario that gained national media attention. At the time, the Jackson family’s pediatrician reported the parents to child protective services in Texas, questioning their ability to properly care for Mila’s serious jaundice level using their midwife instead of going to a hospital. Mila was taken and put into foster care for three weeks before being returned to her parents. Now, the Jackson family, alongside the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, announced on Tuesday that they have sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), challenging several policies that they argue undermine due process rights and violate state and constitutional law. (Norwood, 4/22)
