US Childcare Costs are Anti-Life

The anecdote has been floating around that any “Covid babies” are going to be ones born of first-time parents. Before this current insanity, American parents were experiencing another reason to not have more than 1 or 2 children: the costs. A 2018 survey from the New York Times showed that the top reasons that American parents were not having more children were mostly related to how expensive it is. In the top ten reasons, money and parenthood policy more broadly, were seven:

“Child care is too expensive”

“Worried about the economy”

“Can’t afford more children”

“Waited because of financial instability”

“Not enough paid family leave”

“No paid family leave”

“Struggle with work-life balance”

The Economic Policy Institute has an easy to digest breakdown of childcare costs in America by state and it shows that event with the current $3000 tax credit for one children, most families are paying significantly more for child care and thats not even divining the distinction between quality and just standard care.

The article reported that the US fertility rate was at a record low for the second year, which is not good for our future GDP or for anyone who plans to age in our country.

What this tells us is that in a country focused on a so-called “Culture War” between Pro-Choice and Pro-Life, we should be talking about the Anti-Life Policies that are leading parents to CHOOSE to have fewer children (likely through the tried and true methods of contraception, including abortion, that Red and Blue couples are using every single day.)