SINGAPORE, DEC. 9, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- In spite of those who still insist
that the world needs more family planning programs, evidence is mounting
that the real problem is a lack of children.

The Guardian newspaper published a report Dec. 2 titled "Become a mamma? You
must be kidding" about the almost complete lack of children in Italy's
capital. Writer Rory Carroll describes the noticeable lack of children as he
walks the streets of Rome.

While youngsters are still numerous in the south of Italy, from Rome
northwards "at times it can seem nobody under 13 exists," he writes. With
fewer than 1.2 children per woman, the country will see its population of 57
million plunge by one-third within 50 years, experts calculate. The
population could sink to 10 million by the end of the 21st century, if
current trends persist.

Carroll cites several possible factors causing this dramatic change in a
culture where not so many years ago families abounded in children. The
causes range from selfishness, to women entering the work force, to lack of
child-care facilities. Whatever the reason, there seems to be no sign of a
change in favor of having more babies.

Childlessness in America
Moreover, many couples are refraining from having any children at all.
Childlessness is growing in America, too. The Washington Times reported Nov.
22 on a recent U.S. Census Bureau study which showed that, back in 1976,
about 10% of women in their 40s said they had not had a child. Two decades
later, their number had nearly doubled to 19%. And that number could grow
still more, according to Census Bureau analyst Amara Bachu, author of
"Fertility of American Women: June 1998."

Some groups promote this change. The Times article mentions No Kidding!,
whose Web site features a trio of grim-looking tots and the suggestion: "Got
Norplant?" Another organization is the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement
(VHEMT), whose motto is "May we live long and die out."

Paying for maternity leave
Some countries are trying to reverse trends toward having fewer children.
Singapore, for instance, plans a "Baby Bonus" scheme and will reimburse
employers up to about $11,520 for paid maternity leave for working mothers
who have a third child, according to the Aug. 21 Singapore Business Times.

The article said the number of children per woman in Singapore has fallen to
1.48, from 1.96 in 1988, and lower even than the 1.62 in 1987 when the
government changed its "Stop at Two" population policy. In 1999, 7.3% of
families were childless, compared with 2.9% a decade earlier. Around 15% of
families had one child in 1999, compared with 8.5% in 1989.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced that the government of this island
nation of 4.15 million would be spending about $150 million or more a year
to implement new financial incentives and child-care arrangements. This
includes the new Baby Bonus, under which the government will open a Children
Development Account for any couple when they have their second or third
child, and put money into these until the child is 6 years old.

For the second child, the government will contribute about $288 ($500
Singapore) into the account each year, plus up to another $576 to match
dollar-for-dollar contributions from the parents. For the third child, the
contribution will be $576 annually, and up to $1,150 in matching
contributions.

Stable relationships
Economic incentives alone, however, might not be enough to reverse the trend
to childlessness. A long, stable relationship is the key to becoming a
parent.

Young, single people who might otherwise envisage a future without children,
are likely to change their minds if they choose to settle with a long-term
partner, research suggests. The Age newspaper of Australia reported Nov. 30
on a 10-year study which was presented at a conference of the Australian
Population Association in Melbourne. The study showed that advances in
reproductive technology -- which make it possible for single women to
conceive -- didn't change the fact that a long, stable relationship is still
the key to becoming a parent.

Statistics suggest that at least one in every five Australian women now in
their reproductive years will not have children. The authors of the study,
Lixia Qu and Christine Kilmartin, found that 42% of the people who said in
1981 that they did not want children, had changed their opinion a decade
later. Those who had found a partner in the meantime, and still had a
partner at the end of the study in 1991, were most likely to have changed
their minds.

Qu, a researcher at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, said people
who had earlier expressed a desire to have children, but whose relationships
subsequently broke up, were more likely to then decide against parenthood.
The results of the research strengthened the argument for governments to
establish "family-friendly policies" in an effort to support relationships
and arrest the slump in fertility rates, The Age quoted Qu as saying.

Marriage and children
This report confirms a recent Vatican document, "Family, Marriage and 'De
Facto' Unions." The document of the Pontifical Council for the Family calls
attention to the danger of recognizing de facto unions as equivalent to the
family. Such a trend leads to grave damage for the family and society. The
declaration states: "The family based on marriage must be carefully
protected and promoted as an essential factor in social existence, stability
and peace, in a broad future vision of the society's common interest" (No.
9).

This is not a case of the Church trying to impose its morality on an
increasingly secular society. As the pontifical council explains: "In
marriage, different from de facto unions, commitments and responsibilities
are taken on publicly and formally that are relevant for society" (No. 11).

While the "baby bust" of recent years in many countries has multiple causes,
an important factor is the decline of the traditional family, based on an
indissoluble marriage and committed to raising a family. One of the most
crucial steps governments can take in order to resolve the lack of children
is to actively support the institutions of marriage and the family.
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