As the press is telling us more and more, across much of the world, fewer people are choosing to have children. Economists warn of shrinking workforces. Politicians talk of national decline. But birthrates are not only an economic indicator. As Pope Francis once put it, “The birth rate is the first indicator of the hope of a people.” And hope, its absence, is the deeper crisis behind our demographic decline.
The current conversation in Washington, from billionaires to think tanks, has been about incentives and subsidies. The Heritage Foundation — close to the current administration — is reportedly advocating a “Manhattan Project” for babies. Vice President Vance and Elon Musk have joined the chorus, calling for policies to incentivize families to have more children. Their proposals hinge on two concerns: avoiding the economic impacts of depopulation and ensuring a sufficient number of what some call “Heritage Americans,” a euphemism for maintaining a white, Christian, native-born majority.
But these approaches and the debates surrounding them fail to grapple with the deeper dimensions of the problem. I suggest some considerations to move us toward a better, richer and more humane conversation.
Joe Waters is Capita’s Co-Founder and CEO
