Fertility rates are plunging around the world and have dropped in many cases to less than the replacement level of 2.1 children per couple. The finger of blame (so to speak) has been pointed in many directions, not least the cost of living and changes in values. But a new piece of research reckons part...
A new paper from the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford warns against using Australia as a model for UK laws on assisted suicide and euthanasia. Both the UK Parliament at Westminster and the Scottish Parliament are currently considering bills that would legalise what is often called “assisted dying”. In his briefing paper Wrong Side of the...
Just like in the South, the population of Northern Ireland is ageing rapidly. A recent report from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) projects that by mid-century there will be one pensioner for every 2.5 people in the workforce compared with one for almost four people of working age now. NISRA expects the...
If we want prosperity, one important step is supporting and rebuilding the family. This is the central argument presented by the economist Philip Pilkington in his new booklet “Family Matters: Why Our Choices Determine Our Economic Prosperity”, which is published by the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC). The study connects economic growth, and demographic trends...
Is the huge additional money being put into daycare by the State providing value for money from a taxpayer point of view? To judge from a recent ESRI study, the answer is no. The effect of the particular means-tested daycare subsidy under examination by the ESRI article was to attract only 1,100 additional mothers into...
The decline in the share of Christians in the US population appeared to have stopped, according to a major new survey. This is notable because it seems to contradict the thesis that the decline of Christianity in Western countries is inevitable and irreversible. The survey, from the Pew Research Center, says that the proportion of...
Social attitudes towards the family and children need to be reshaped if we want to address sharply declining birth rates and the increasing phenomenon of unplanned childlessness, a major new report from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says. States need to promote policies that promote family formation, the report says while...
The number of abortions being carried out in Northern Ireland has increased by a massive 29pc in a single year, according to official statistics published by the Department of Health. The figure of 2,792 is three times the number of Northern Ireland women who went to England for abortions before the law in the North...
While the cost of housing is frequently cited as a reason for delayed family formation and having children, the evidence does not strongly support this claim, according to a new study from the Policy Exchange think tank in the UK, which mentions Ireland, among other countries. A brand new Amarach survey commissioned by Accord, the...
The number of couples requesting euthanasia together is on the rise in the Netherlands, according to official reports. In 2024, there were 54 such cases, compared to just nine in 2018. A notable case involving a former Dutch prime minister and his wife last year appears to have contributed to the growing demand. In the...
