{"id":2608592,"date":"2026-05-30T12:43:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-facing-existential-crisis-as-fertility-rate-continues-to-decline\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T12:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T16:47:13","slug":"us-facing-existential-crisis-as-fertility-rate-continues-to-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-facing-existential-crisis-as-fertility-rate-continues-to-decline\/","title":{"rendered":"US Facing &#8216;Existential Crisis&#8217; as Fertility Rate Continues to Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fus-facing-existential-crisis-as-fertility-rate-continues-to-decline%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=2608592&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>The passage describes analysts\u2019 concerns about a worsening U.S. fertility crisis.It says the U.S.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-viral-video-demonstrates-depressing-state-of-modern-dating\/\" title=\"Watch: Viral Video Exposes Sad Reality of &#039;Modern Dating\">general fertility rate reached<\/a> a record low in 2025 (53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15-44) after long-term declines, including a further drop from 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Several contributors are cited: increased use of smartphones and social media; changing attitudes and behaviors around marriage (with marriage rates at very low levels); and the role of abortion, contraception, and reproductive technologies in affecting birth rates. The text also links lower fertility to rising infertility, especially delayed diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as endometriosis and male-factor infertility.<\/p>\n<p>It further notes health and cost pressures. A report is referenced showing maternal mortality worsened in the early 2000s and increased sharply around the COVID-19 period.Separately, the piece argues that many people choose smaller families due to \u201copportunity costs\u201d tied to careers and lifestyles. It also claims childrearing is increasingly expensive, citing an estimate that the average cost of raising a child to age 18 rose to about $303,418 in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The article then highlights proposed or recent policy responses from the trump governance,including deregulation-minded changes to allow employers to provide \u201cfertility benefits,\u201d tax-advantaged \u201cTrump Accounts\u201d for children,and new HHS resources such as Moms.gov, with additional initiatives aimed at fertility awareness and addressing infertility (including efforts connected to Title X). It contrasts these approaches with \u201cbaby bonuses,\u201d arguing that direct cash subsidies have limited effects and can be costly and inflationary without deregulation to reduce related family costs.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. is currently facing a continuously worsening fertility crisis, according to analysts.While the nation\u2019s fertility rate has been <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11537490\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">declining<\/a> for decades, it dropped to a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/why-the-u-s-fertility-rate-has-hit-a-record-low-13e7c2f8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">record low<\/a> in 2025. Experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that deregulation, improving fertility care and bringing down costs related to raising children could help boost the declining birth rate.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. general fertility rate was 53.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2025, down from 53.8 in 2024, according to National Center for Health Statistics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/vsrr\/vsrr043.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">data<\/a> published in April.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile there are many factors contributing to the declining birth rate, three reasons stand out to me: First, there is the influence of smart phones and social media,\u201d Heritage Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Emma Water told the DCNF. \u201cSince the introduction of the iPhone, [every] country has seen a marked decline in births that doesn\u2019t look like it is reversing any time soon, including the U.S. \u2026 we are seeing more men and women replace meaningful time with others with scrolling, screen addictions, or a sense that there is too much to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecond, we cannot discount the role of abortion, birth control, and reproductive technologies,\u201d Waters said. \u201cWhile we can have a meaningful conversation about the morality of each separately, the statistics don\u2019t lie: The last year that the birth rate was above replacement was 1972, and since the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade erroneously created a constitutional right to abortion in 1973, the birth rate has never recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Waters added that a drop in U.S. marriage rates is one of the \u201cprimary drivers of declining birth rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. marriage rate dropped to a 140-year low in 2019 and has yet to fully bounce back, The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/29\/style\/marriage-decline-delay.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>. Less than half of American households were married couples in 2025, marking a significant decrease from 50 years earlier, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2025\/families-and-living-arrangements.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.<\/p>\n<p>Prioritizing infertility treatment and early diagnosis could help boost the U.S. fertility rate, according to Waters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first is to promote restorative reproductive medicine, or root cause care for infertility and reproductive health conditions, something that is part of the Trump administration\u2019s \u2018Excepted Fertility Benefits\u2019 Department of Labor rule, but will require far greater effort and support to build out sufficiently,\u201d she explained. \u201cRates of infertility are on the rise [among] Americans in the last two decades, and the delay in diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as endometriosis and male-factor infertility has made it much harder for Americans to receive the care they need to conceive children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsnationnow.com\/health\/dr-oz-1-in-3-americans-underbabied\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">claimed<\/a> during a May 11 White House event that part of the U.S. population is currently \u201cunderbabied.\u201d Meanwhile, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/rfk-jr-says-men-in-the-70s-had-twice-as-much-sperm-as-teenage-boys-today-existential-crisis-11972098\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">warned<\/a> that the nation\u2019s declining birth rate has become an \u201cexistential crisis\u201d which poses a \u201cthreat\u201d to the economy and national security.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pregnancy-related mortality ratio<\/a> in the U.S. rose 22.8% between 2000 and 2009 before stabilizing at about 660 deaths per year, according to a July 2025 Commonwealth Fund <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/publications\/issue-briefs\/2025\/jul\/maternal-mortality-united-states-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a>. The report also found the total number of deaths nearly doubled between 2019 and 2021, reaching 1,222, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people now prefer smaller families because of the opportunity costs: children compete with careers, leisure, consumption, and lifestyle flexibility, leading many people to choose fewer kids,\u201d Cato Institute Policy Analyst Chelsea Follett told the DCNF. \u201cShifting the cost-benefit calculus toward larger families requires increasing the value people place on having children or reducing the costs of raising them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBaby bonuses and other direct government payments are the wrong response to falling birth rates,\u201d Follett said. \u201cEvidence from abroad shows that such family subsidies yield only modest gains at enormous fiscal cost. Research suggests that raising U.S. fertility by just 0.2 births per woman could require around $250 billion in annual subsidies, roughly equal to the U.S. Army\u2019s annual budget. And without deregulation of family-related goods and services, subsidies risk being absorbed into higher prices. A better approach is deregulatory reform to lower the cost of the goods and services that families rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many Americans have been grappling with major <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/15\/headway\/newsletter-cost-child-care.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">affordability<\/a> challenges related to raising children. The average 18-year cost of raising a child rose to $303,418 in 2024 after tax exemptions and credits, according to a LendingTree <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lendingtree.com\/debt-consolidation\/raising-a-child-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has announced several new initiatives aiming to provide resources and benefits for American families in recent months. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/newsroom\/releases\/ebsa\/ebsa20260510\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unveiled<\/a> a new proposed rule on May 10 that would create \u201ca new category of limited excepted benefits to further expand the ability of employers to offer meaningful fertility benefits to their employees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act created new tax-advantaged savings and investment accounts for U.S. children called <a href=\"https:\/\/trumpaccounts.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trump Accounts<\/a>, according to a White House fact sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, HHS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/press-room\/trump-administration-launches-moms-gov-for-new-and-expecting-mothers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">launched<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moms.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Moms.gov<\/a> on May 10, a new online resource aiming to offer \u201cguidance and information to support the health and well-being of mothers and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough the newly launched Moms.gov, HHS provides resources for couples planning to start or grow their families, including preconception health information and educational materials on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/while-touting-abortion-biden-admin-moves-to-drop-natural-family-planning-from-insurance-coverage-2\/\" title=\"While Touting Abortion, Biden Admin Moves To Drop Natural ... Planning From Insurance Coverage\">fertility awareness-based methods<\/a> (FABMs),\u201d an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-offers-work-permits-to-75000-ukrainians\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Offers Work Permits to 75,000 Ukrainians\">agency spokesperson told<\/a> the DCNF in a statement on Thursday. \u201cAdditionally, as stated in the MAHA Strategy, HHS will launch a MAHA education campaign to improve health and fertility in women and men looking to start a family. This will influence adolescent health through early adoption of lifestyles that help avoid the development of root cause issues that impact adult fertility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Office of Population Affairs released a Title X Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for 2027 that includes a focus on addressing infertility for men and women,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cThe NOFO acknowledges the nation\u2019s growing infertility crisis and provides an outline for services that may assist with addressing this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to ...\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. 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