EDITORIAL

The problem is underpopulation not overpopulation

Posted

The international mega-corporation Kimberly-Clark, who makes multiple products for adult, family, baby and child care, recently announced that it was going to cut 5,500 jobs. This accounts for roughly 13 percent of its total global workforce with the result of either closing or selling 10 of its 91 international factories. Two of its brands, Kleenex and Huggies have seen significant drops in sales, thus the need to restructure the company in order to streamline expenses. When the CEO, Tom Falk, was asked why this was happening, he stated that Americans are having fewer babies. Mr. Falk went on to say, “You can’t encourage moms to use more diapers in developed markets when the babies aren’t being born in those markets.”

This problem also affects the economy because there is a trickle-down effect which pervades all other industries. If 5,500 people lose their jobs, then that cascades into those people buying less food, gas, clothing, transportation, and other items, which causes a decrease in sales in other industries, thus a slowdown and loss of more jobs. Children, besides primarily being a gift of God, are economic generators. They need to be fed, clothed, housed, seen by a doctor, taught by teachers, etc. As they grow older, they begin to spend money on clothes, food, sports, electronics, school stuff and various other activities which adds jobs to an economy in order to provide such services.

The average replacement figure for a nation to maintain its current population is 2.1 children per family. The United States is currently at 1.9 children per family, excluding immigration numbers. Countries in Europe such as Spain and Italy have replacement population rates of around 1.4 and thus are shrinking in population. If people continue to use contraception and abortion to prevent children from being born, they will eventually breed themselves out of existence as well as destroy their economies.