# Abortion Causing Population Woes in Europe



## Ivan (Sep 11, 2006)

From Baptist Press:

NOT ENOUGH BABIES "“- Legalized abortion is contributing to a major population crisis in Europe, according to a new report.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported birth rates have fallen dramatically since 1990, threatening the ability of the European countries to replace their populations, Lifenews.com reported. If abortion had been illegal, the problems probably would not have occurred, according to LifeNews.

Abortion "œhas turned childbearing into a choice rather than an act of nature," said Jitka Rychtarikova, a demographics professor at Charles University in the Czech Republic, according to The New York Times.

In 1990, all countries in Europe had birth rates higher than 1.3 children per woman, LifeNews reported. By 2002, however, 15 countries had rates of less than 1.3, while the rates in six other countries were less than 1.4. A country needs a rate of 2.1 to sustain its population.

Tomas Sobotka of the Vienna Institute of Demography told The Times, "œIf you have a fertility rate of 1.2 or 1.3, you need to do something about it -"“ it´s really quite a problem. You have labor problems, economic problems and steep rates of population decline."

Another reason for the population decline is the increased age when women have children for the first time, The Times reported.

No countries seem to be contemplating a revision of their abortion laws, though some are planning to expand maternity leave or provide other rewards for large families, according to LifeNews.

Ireland, one of the few European countries without legal abortion, has the highest fertility rate, LifeNews reported.


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## turmeric (Sep 12, 2006)

Good for the Irish!


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