US baby boomlet bucks world trend
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Bucking the trend in many other wealthy industrialized nations, the United States seems to be experiencing a baby boomlet, reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years.
US baby boomlet bucks world trend
The United States has a higher fertility rate than every country in continental Europe.
The nearly 4.3 million births in 2006 were mostly due to a bigger population, especially a growing number of Hispanics. That group accounted for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. births. But non-Hispanic white women and other racial and ethnic groups were having more babies, too.
An Associated Press review of birth numbers dating to 1909 found the total number of U.S. births was the highest since 1961, near the end of the baby boom. An examination of global data also shows that the United States has a higher fertility rate than every country in continental Europe, as well as Australia, Canada and Japan. Fertility levels in those countries have been lower than the U.S. rate for several years, although some are on the rise, most notably in France.
Experts believe there is a mix of reasons: a decline in contraceptive use, a drop in access to abortion, poor education and poverty. [...]
Abu Daoud says: this is great news. Islam is growing faster than Christianity because Muslims have more children--Christians make more converts than Muslims. Especially heartening is the decline in contraception (I do not believe artificial contraception is ethically permissible) and abortion.
