Where are the children?

In reacting to a report released today by the statistics office of the European Union, STOPP International director Jim Sedlak said, "This report points out what we have been yelling from the rooftops for some time now—the world needs larger families."

The Eurostat report warns that European Union countries can expect health and pension costs to soar over the next 50 years as the number of people over retirement age rises to about one third of the total population. "The main cause of the aging," according to the report, "is the decline in births over the last two to three decades."

"The 'success' of the population controllers in Europe is now taking its toll," said Sedlak. "The average number of babies per woman has fallen from 1.95 to 1.65, and there is no end in sight."

"In order to turn things around, four things are necessary," Sedlak said. "First, the world has to understand that there is not an overpopulation problem, but a problem of too few children. Second, everyone in our society must accept large families and stop using peer pressure to convince people not to have more children. Third, governments and rich philanthropists must stop giving money to population control programs. Finally, young people getting married have to be thinking of having four or more children."

"We have one generation to turn things around," Sedlak said. "After that, it may be too late."