Stopping ALL abortions must be first step in alleviating the "baby shortage" in UK
An article in the Guardian newspaper says the British ‘baby shortage’ could lead to economic decline.
A report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) recommends encouraging the bearing of children, especially through government support of a higher birth-rate.
Precious Life say the first step should be to immediately stop all abortions.
Over 600 babies are killed EVERY DAY across the UK.
Latest statistics reveal there were 225,288 abortions committed – 209,917 babies killed in England & Wales; 13,815 babies killed in Scotland; and 1,556 babies killed in Northern Ireland.
The Social Market Foundation said the birth-rate was almost half what it was at its post-war peak in the 1960s, and the country’s baby shortage and ageing population could lead to “long-term economic stagnation.”
The number of children per woman averaged 2.93 in 1964 – its peak year. However, last year the number of children per woman averaged 1.58 in England and Wales - well below the 2.1 replacement level needed to keep the population rate stable. In Scotland it was even lower at 1.29.
In their report, Baby Bust and Baby Boom: Examining the Liberal Case for Pronatalism, the SMF said this would ultimately lead to a shortage of working-age adults.
“Pronatalism” is the policy or practice of encouraging the bearing of children, especially through government support of a higher birth-rate.
“At present, there are a little under three over-65s for every 10 workers, but by the middle of the next decade that ratio will rise to 3.5, and by the 2060s the number will be closing in on four,” the report said.
“According to these projections, by 2050 a quarter of Britons will be over 65, up from a fifth today.
“This combination of a lower share of the population in work and a higher share in need of economic support clearly has a negative effect on the productive capacity of the economy.”
The report says 28% of countries worldwide specifically adopt pronatalist policies to drive up the birth-rate. In some countries these can take the form of direct payments to parents, such as in France, where there is a “birth grant” worth €950 (£810).
Even Communist China, which for decades had a "one child policy", is beginning to change its policies.
Under China's one-child policy, families that violated the rules faced fines, loss of employment and forced abortions.
The one-child policy also led to a severe gender imbalance in the country. The traditional preference for male children led to large numbers of girls being abandoned or placed in orphanages, or cases of sex-selective abortions or even female infanticide.
But in 2016, China scrapped its one-child policy, replacing it with a two-child limit. Then in another major policy shift in May 2021, China announced that it will allow couples to have up to three children. This came after census data showed a steep decline in birth rates. The census showed that around 12 million babies were born last year - the lowest number of births recorded since the 1960s. The latest “three child” policy was approved by President Xi Jinping at a meeting of top Communist Party officials. It will come with "supportive measures, which will be conducive to improving our country's population structure, fulfilling the country's strategy of actively coping with an ageing population and maintaining the advantage, endowment of human resources", according to Xinhua news agency.
In the UK, the government denies child welfare support for the third or subsequent children.
Under this “two-child limit”, families are not able to claim child benefits for any third or subsequent child.
Director of Precious Life, Bernadette Smyth said, “Even China can see the devastating economic impact that falling birth-rates have on a country, yet the UK government continues killing babies and denying support to any third or subsequent child in a family.
"This is something we are very concerned about because we are seeing an increase in women seeking abortion because of the government's two-child policy.
"Women in the UK may not be physically forced to have abortions as women in China are, but they may be forced by circumstances to abort a very wanted baby, because they don’t have the financial means and support.
“With abortion so freely available, many women will be conned into opting for the 'quick fix' solution of abortion. Agencies like Stanton Healthcare in Belfast help to provide support to alleviate some of the problems, but ultimately it's the Government who must pass the laws to stop killing babies and provide more help to women."
Mrs Smyth added that all women’s rights organisation should be getting behind a push to have the two-child policy scrapped. “It should be a unified approach to ensuring that women are given support, and in this case, choices to be able to continue with the pregnancy, without the fear of a financial burden or being unable to support their child in the future."
The report from the Social Market Foundation suggests measures including better childcare provision to increase birth-rate. It said ministers should set up a cross-government taskforce to consider the issue, and one helpful measure might be better childcare provision.
Dr Aveek Bhattacharya, the chief economist at the SMF and one of the report’s authors, said: “…given the alarming fall in fertility rates, and the risks that population ageing poses to our social and economic wellbeing, it is a discussion we should not duck.”
Bernadette Smyth concluded, “Given the alarming rise of babies killed by abortion, and the resulting risks to our social and economic wellbeing, stopping abortion is not only a discussion we shouldn’t duck, but a policy that must be implemented immediately. STOP ABORTION - babies can live without it.”