According to the article, birth rates have fallen for American women. It says that most women were expected to have 2.1 children in their lifetime in 2009. This year, we're expected to have 1.9. Experts have attributed this statistic to economic worries, that most people are thinking that if they're out of work, or things are uncertain, it's better to wait.
The author starts out with this argument: "The economy may well be the best form of birth control." To support it, the author quotes two women in their twenties who have put off having more children, or having children, because the economy is so bad. This appeals to pathos, because the women are people any reader could relate to. For example, one of the women "a married 27-year old mother of two, had her tubes tied last year, after she and her husband worried about the financial burden of having any additional children."
While this segment is very effective, the argument is then diluted over the course of the article. While the economy is probably part of the problem, there are other reasons. The author quotes an Emory University professor of maternal and child health and epidemiology, who says that it's also becoming more common for families to have only one child. The article also goes into a discussion of lowered rates of C-Sections, and the possible causes for this. The fact that there are other issues makes the argument less effective, because the article is really a discussion of birth statistics, as opposed to a discussion of economic effects on birth rates.
3 comments:
First, what do you mean when you say that “It says that most women were expected to have 2.1 children in their lifetime in 2009. This year, we're expected to have 1.9.” How do you have .1 or .9 of a baby?
But besides that, I have to agree with people who say that they are holding off on having children because they are not financially secure. Yes, children are wonderful, however deciding to have a baby is a very big decision. It means that you are now responsible for the wellbeing of another person. If you cannot financially support that baby, then you have no right to have it, and if you do then thats negligence.
-Sinéad Brennan
I agree with you (Sinead or Isabella ?)
I think that it's better for you to know that your not ready to have a child than know your expecting and abort. Planing is something that should be taken in consideration because it helps prevent abortion.
Also there are some women that can have risk by having another c-section or because they are older.
Either way remember to PLAN B4 PUTTING URSELF IN A SITUATION U DONT WANT 2 B! :)
Sinead/Isabella: I laughed when I read that, because how is someone supposed to have that certain amount of children? Anyways, as you and Cecilia both menitioned, it is better to put of childbirth if one is not prepared--not just financially, but socially.
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