One of our duties as humans is to reproduce and raise the generation that comes behind us. This is one of the most rewarding opportunities we have but at the same time this is one of the hardest jobs in the world. I commend every parent whether they be single parents, two parent households, co-parenting, stepparents, adopted parents, or other kinds of guardians.

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Not only is it difficult but it's also expensive to raise children and each year passes both of these statements seem to become truer. As we have all been dealing with the inflation affecting prices in every part of our lives, it's almost impossible to keep your children safe from everything as illnesses, mass shootings, and other incidents are occurring every day.

These things among many other controversial thinking points have led many individuals to decide that they never want to have kids. I completely understand how they can feel this way and it's not just a talking point either. After the birth and death tolls for 2024 were tallied, Michigan had some shocking news.

For the fourth year in a row, Michigan has seen their live birth numbers not only drop but also be lower than the number of deaths in the state. This is a small issue for the moment, but this could lead to our population significantly dropping in the future. For the first time in over 80 years, Michigan failed to reach 100,000 live births in a year.

From 1900 to 2019 Michigan routinely had more children born than people who died but deaths surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and the birth rates have not recovered since. Branch County in Southwest Michigan led all other counties with 13 births per 1,000 residents. Its 611 live births ranked 20th in the state.

Northern Michigan counties were responsible for most of the lowest birth rates in the state. According to the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts, 43 states recorded their lowest general fertility rate, which represents births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, in at least 30 years in 2020.

Among factors contributing to lower birth rates include economic and work instability, lack of affordable housing and childcare, access to health care, and global conflict. Women are marrying and having children later in life, and more adults report being unlikely to have children.

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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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