{"id":2330847,"date":"2024-08-26T07:21:59","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-forfeit-hope-by-forgoing-families\/"},"modified":"2024-08-26T07:25:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:25:44","slug":"americans-forfeit-hope-by-forgoing-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-forfeit-hope-by-forgoing-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Forfeit Hope By Forgoing Families"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famericans-forfeit-hope-by-forgoing-families%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2330847&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ministry-of-remigration-zemmour-promises-to-kick-out-one-million-migrants-from-france-within-five-years\/\" title=\"\u2018Ministry of Remigration\u2019 - Zemmour Promises to Kick Out One Million Migrants from France within Five Years\">presidential race heats<\/a> up between\u2063 Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, there is a growing concern about the declining birthrate in the United States, which has reached a record low. This \u200bdemographic trend reflects a broader sense of despair \u2062among Americans, who appear to be voting against the future by choosing not to\u2064 have children. The\u2063 decline in fertility rates poses significant challenges for economic growth and maintaining entitlement programs, as the population ages and shrinks. While some propose immigration as a solution, this approach also encounters various issues.<\/p>\n<p>Neither presidential \u200bcandidate \u200dis expected to effectively address the declining\u200b birthrate. Harris&#8217;s\u200d campaign appears to embrace a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-was-ambivalently-pro-choice-then-i-learned-a-harsh-truth\/\" title=\"I Was Ambivalently Pro Choice. Then I Learned A Harsh Truth.\">pro-choice stance<\/a> that\u2063 may amplify negative sentiments toward child-rearing, while \u2064Trump\u2019s \u200bactions have\u200d moved the \u2064Republican Party away from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-chair-condemns-biden-abortion-policy\/\" title=\"RNC chair condemns Biden abortion policy\">traditional family values<\/a>. Ultimately, \u200cthe responsibility for this demographic decline lies with individuals, who must navigate a complex landscape shaped by cultural and economic pressures.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is\u2064 hope for\u200b improvement.\u200d While political policies impact \u2062family formation, \u200dindividuals can still make choices that prioritize \u200cfamily life. Churches and community organizations\u2063 have a \u2062crucial role to play \u200cin supporting families and fostering relationships \u2064in a society where traditional family structures \u200dare becoming increasingly strained. By working together, communities can \u200chelp reverse the trend of declining birthrates and reconnect individuals with the value of family.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris race for the presidency, their boosters are insisting the stakes couldn&rsquo;t be higher for the future of our nation. But Americans have already given up on the future and are demonstrating this despair in the most fundamental way: Americans are not begetting more Americans.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The birthrate in the USA has hit another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/20\/health\/us-birth-rate-fertility-final-data-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">record low<\/a>. Though the U.S. is not yet at complete demographic collapse (e.g. South Korea or Japan), American fertility is still way below <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/america-birth-rate-decline-a111d21b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">replacement rate<\/a>. Regardless of whom voters choose in November, they are already issuing a vote of no confidence in the future by literally refusing to beget people to live in it.<\/p>\n<p>Collapsing fertility will cause a plethora of problems &mdash; good luck sustaining economic growth and paying for entitlement programs with an aging, shrinking population. Importing high levels of immigrants to maintain workforce levels is beset with its own difficulties. But highlighting the challenges of a future with few children will not encourage people to have more kids; people will not decide to breed just because it might boost GDP in a few decades. Indeed, dwelling on the problems of a below-replacement world might even be counterproductive from a pro-natal standpoint, as it just reinforces anxiety about the future.<\/p>\n<p>Neither candidate can fix this. Harris may be trying to float on a media froth of &ldquo;Joy!&rdquo; but the DNC&rsquo;s celebration of sterility and abortion, including Planned Parenthood providing not just free vasectomies but even free abortions right outside the convention, is perhaps the most grotesque example of baby-hating anti-natalism ever in American politics. And though the GOP might look better by comparison, Trump has been stampeding the GOP away from social conservatism (to say nothing of his personal example).<\/p>\n<p>Politicians are not going to save America from despairing self-extinction. And tempting as it is, we cannot just blame them for the failures of American men and women to form stable relationships and have children together. Yes, there have been unfavorable cultural, economic, and political forces, but though these may be mitigating factors, they do not negate personal responsibility. Americans have chosen the decline of America. <\/p>\n<p>However, there is an upside to this, which is that we can improve matters without relying on politicians. Yes, political action is important; policies from taxes to education to housing and more matter enormously to family formation and flourishing, and thank God for the people doing <a href=\"https:\/\/eppc.org\/author\/patrick_brown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">good work<\/a> on these issues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But we should not sit around waiting for government to fix everything. It is not just that even well-intentioned and generous pro-family policies have often proven disappointing but that individual choices still matter. People can choose to prioritize family life even when culture, policy, and the economy make it difficult.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, we need more than just exhortations to individual virtue: We need the help of others. Fortunately, government is not the only domain of collective action. As the process of family formation &mdash; from dating to raising children and sustaining a marriage &mdash; is breaking down to the point of incomprehensibility in much of our culture, America&rsquo;s churches in particular have an opportunity to step into the gaps left by the fraying bonds of family and community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Men and women need guidance in coming together to form and sustain marriages. Likewise, it is not good for parents to have to handle child-rearing all by themselves. It does take a village &mdash; but the government, and especially the federal bureaucracy, is a behemoth, not a village.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As important as help, from meals to rides to babysitting and beyond, can be, churches can provide that which is even more valuable: instruction, examples, belonging, and love. This community is what will actually make people want to marry, have children, and stay married while raising their kids well. Pundits worrying about the long-term political and economic implications of declining marriage and low birthrates won&rsquo;t actually do it. What will work is if people believe in family life as important to what it means to live well and if they believe it is not only desirable but also attainable. For this, they need examples and assistance.<\/p>\n<p>To be meaningful, pro-natalism has to mean more than just pumping out babies for the future of the nation. Rather, it must explain why babies are good in themselves and why marriage and parenthood are the vocations to which most of us are called and which we should joyfully embrace. Indeed, this will likely be one of the church&rsquo;s most effective means of evangelization. Amid our cultural and relational wasteland, it will increasingly fall to the church to teach people how to live well despite the troubles of this life. And valuing babies over indulgence, ambition, and avarice is a good place to start.<\/p>\n<p>Even the best efforts may not be enough to save our nation. But it is clear that there is only hope for our nation&rsquo;s future if citizens place their hope in something greater than America.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Nathanael Blake is a senior contributor to The Federalist and a postdoctoral fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris compete for the presidency, their supporters claim that the stakes for our nation&#8217;s future are incredibly high. However, many Americans seem to have lost hope in that future, as evidenced by a significant decline in birth rates. The U.S. has reached another record low in fertility rates; while it hasn&#8217;t yet faced complete demographic collapse like South Korea or Japan, American birth rates remain well below the replacement level. Regardless of who voters support in November, they are effectively expressing a lack of confidence in the future by choosing not to have children.<\/p>\n<p>A declining birth rate will lead to numerous challenges\u2014sustaining economic growth and funding entitlement programs will be difficult with an aging and shrinking population. Relying on high levels of immigration to maintain workforce numbers presents its own set of complications. Yet emphasizing the difficulties associated with having fewer children is unlikely to encourage people to start families; individuals aren&#8217;t likely to decide to have kids simply because it might improve GDP down the line. In fact, focusing on the issues stemming from low birth rates may even discourage pro-natal attitudes by heightening anxiety about what lies ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Neither candidate can resolve this issue. While Harris may attempt to project an image of positivity, her party&#8217;s promotion of sterilization and abortion\u2014including Planned Parenthood offering free vasectomies and abortions at their convention\u2014represents one of the most extreme examples of anti-natalist sentiment in American politics. Although Trump\u2019s GOP may appear more favorable by comparison, he has shifted away from traditional social conservatism (not mentioning his own personal choices).<\/p>\n<p>Politicians alone cannot rescue America from its self-destructive path toward extinction. While it&#8217;s tempting to hold them accountable for societal failures regarding stable relationships and child-rearing, we must recognize that cultural, economic, and political factors do not absolve individuals from personal responsibility; Americans are making choices that contribute to their country&#8217;s decline.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is a silver lining: we can make positive changes without relying solely on politicians. Political action is crucial\u2014policies related to taxes, education, housing significantly impact family formation\u2014but we shouldn&#8217;t wait idly for government solutions since even well-meaning policies often fall short; individual decisions still play a vital role.<\/p>\n<p>People can choose family life as a priority despite external challenges posed by culture or policy shifts. Yet beyond encouraging individual virtue alone\u2014we need collective support too. As family structures break down across much of society\u2014from dating through marriage and parenting\u2014churches have a unique opportunity to fill these gaps left by weakening familial ties.<\/p>\n<p>Guidance is essential for couples looking to marry or sustain relationships; likewise parents should not face child-rearing responsibilities alone\u2014it truly takes a village\u2014but government systems often feel impersonal rather than supportive communities.<\/p>\n<p>Churches can offer invaluable resources such as mentorships along with practical help like meals or babysitting services but also provide deeper connections through love and belonging which inspire people towards marriage and parenthood while fostering healthy child development.<br \/>\nConcerns about declining marriage rates won&#8217;t solve these issues; instead what matters is instilling belief in family life as integral for living well\u2014not just desirable but achievable\u2014with necessary examples available within supportive communities.<\/p>\n<p>Pro-natalism should encompass more than merely increasing population numbers\u2014it must articulate why having children enriches lives while celebrating marriage as fulfilling vocations worth pursuing joyfully.<br \/>\nThis approach could serve as one effective means for churches&#8217; evangelistic efforts amidst cultural disarray teaching how best live despite life&#8217;s challenges valuing families over selfish pursuits.<br \/>\nEven if efforts fall short saving our nation entirely remains uncertain but hope exists only if citizens seek something greater than America itself.<br \/>\nNathanael Blake serves as a senior contributor at The Federalist alongside being postdoctoral fellow at Ethics &amp; Public Policy Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":538,"featured_media":2330848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/People-on-Couch-Watching.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[3884,3881,39267,11481],"class_list":["post-2330847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-americans","tag-family","tag-forgoing","tag-hope"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/People-on-Couch-Watching.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/538"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2330847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2330848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2330847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2330847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2330847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}