Demographic winter

The New York Times (December 4, 2014) reported some frightening statistics about the birthrate in the United States: 

 "The number of women in the United States who gave birth dropped last year, according to federal statistics released Thursday, extending the decline for a sixth year. The National Center for Health Statistics reported Thursday that there were 3.93 million births in the United States in 2013, down slightly from 3.95 million in 2012, but 9 percent below the high in 2007. According to the report, the general fertility rate in the United States — the average number of babies women from 15 to 44 bear over their lifetime — dropped to a record low last year, to 1.86 babies, well below the 2.1 needed for a stable population. "

Basically this means that the population will continue to increase but at a slower rate until such time that it will begin to implode. With a fertility rate of only 1.86 babies per couple (2.1 is need for the population just to remain stable), our population is slowly dying and we will not have enough children to replace us. This will have drastic economic and social effects on all of us. 

I think we should all consider the words of Blessed Pope Paul VI who wrote in Humanae Vitae: "Finally, this love (marital love) is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. 'Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare.'" (HV, 9)