Mockery Won't Increase Fertility

I am an enthusiastic natalist. By that I mean that I want our nation to grow, I want people to have as many children as they want to have, and I want those people who are on the fence about having children to feel encouraged about their ability to raise one.

I’m not a natalist for economic reasons — though I do think aging societies can create economic problems. And I agree with my colleague Jessica Grose that there is too much panic among natalists about declining birthrates. I also believe that life itself is good. Ideally, the decision to have a child carries with it a decision to love another person more than you love yourself, and that kind of sacrificial love is a foundation of a flourishing society.

Sacrificial love is not exclusive to parents, of course, but it flows naturally from decent people when they have kids.

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