Washington – More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any year in the nation’s history, topping the peak during the baby boom 50 years earlier, federal researchers reported Wednesday.
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There is both good and bad news from the more than 4.3 million births:
The U.S. population is more than replacing itself, a healthy trend.
However, the teen birth rate was up for the second year in a row.
The birth rate rose slightly for women of all ages, and births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high of about 40 percent, continuing a trend begun years ago. More than three-quarters of these women were 20 or older.
For a variety of reasons, it’s become more acceptable for women to have babies without a husband, said Duke University’s S. Philip Morgan, a leading fertility researcher.
Even happy couples may be living together without getting married, experts say. And more women – especially those in their 30s and 40s – are choosing to have children despite their single status.
The new numbers indicate the nation is experiencing a baby boomlet with fertility rates higher in every racial group. On average, a U.S. woman has 2.1 babies in her lifetime. The highest fertility rates were among Hispanics.
But it’s not clear the boomlet will last long. Some experts think birth rates are already declining because of the economic recession that began in late 2007.
“I expect they’ll go back down. The lowest birth rates recorded in the United States occurred during the Great Depression – and that was before modern contraception,” said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.
The 2007 statistical snapshot reflected a relatively good economy coupled with cultural trends that promoted childbirth, she and others noted.
Well, of course. If people with a few kids go for treatment and have octuplets, it’s gonna happen.
What I have to say has nothing to do with the content of the article, but of the accompanying picture…
Does it bother anyone else that newborn babies are kept in a closed ward AWAY from their mothers???? For the first few days of life???? For being in 2009 the US still has a warped way of providing the care surrounding pregnancy and childbirth!
of course people are out of work what else should they do
thats what happens when ppl are bored
more kids- more tax exemptions and credits, food stamps and wic. long live obama and this medina of chesed. why should wall street execs be the only beneficiaries of our recession
Census shows that the hospital with the most babies born in the USA was momonadies medical center in Boro Park
hkbh in his infinite wisdom has made it as such
there are earth quakes and tsunamis avalanches and mud slides to curb the populous
and snow storms and vacation to re-boom
(not playing g-d just an observation)
The story is absolutely trash. The numbers of babies born in the post world war II years was due to serviceman returning home after 3 or four years in europe and getting married having families. The birthrate PER 100,000 is a real number. At 306 Million people, you now have DOUBBLE the 151.3 Million people that were counted in the 1950 US Census. exceeding the 1950 number of babies with double the population means that the birth rate per 100,000 is HALF WHAT IT WAS IN 1950. This is due in no small part ot modern orthodox Jews following their goyishe neighbors and getting married at 35-40, instead of following chazal and getting married at 18. A friend of mine just became an “elter zaideh”, I don’t belive he is yet 60. He is obviously not Modern orthodox where one must hope to live to 140+ to become an elter zaideh. Back to the article. The number 40% out of wedlock birth is a politically correct misnomer. 40% of the US births are out of wed lock. Blacks are 13% of the US population and have a 70% out of wedlock birthrate. Whites are about 20% and hispanics are 41% out of wedlock births.
http://www.census.gov/