The Covid Baby Bust

The Decline Reflects a Disturbing Cultural Reality

At the start of the pandemic, many expected the lockdowns and quarantines to lead to a "baby boom." Instead of a "boom" it's been a "bust." As CBS reported, records from more than two dozen states show a "7% drop in births in December—nine months after the first lockdowns began."

While 7 percent may sound like a small dip, it's not. As the New York Times puts it: "The pandemic's serious disruption of people's lives is likely to cause 'missing births'—potentially a lot of them. Add these missing births to the country's decade-long downward trend in annual births and we can expect consequential changes to our economy and society in...