Recent reports have revealed that a number of East Asian countries face a startling population decline that may drastically impact the future of those countries, while having worldwide economic consequences. Though these reports reflect the dire situation, there is little recognition that lax abortion laws coupled with an increased worldview that children are a burden have had a direct impact on the population crisis experienced in much of the world.
Many Asian countries have recognized that population decline is an imminent problem — South Korea, Japan, and China, for instance, have all taken incentive measures to boost population, though with little success. But a recent article in Foreign Affairs shows just how dire the lack of births may be for these countries. According to the article, projections from the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic Social Affairs show that between 2020 and 2050, the populations of China and Japan are set to shrink by eight percent and 18% respectively, while South Korea’s population is projected to shrink by 12%.
To put this in greater perspective, the article warns:
As of 2023, Japan is East Asia’s most fertile country, even though its childbearing levels are over 40 percent below the replacement rate. China’s childbearing levels are almost 50 percent below the replacement rate; if that trend continues, each rising Chinese generation will be barely half as large as the one before it. Much the same is true for Taiwan. South Korea’s 2023 birth level was an amazing 65 percent below the replacement rate—the lowest ever for a national population in peacetime. If it does not change, in two generations South Korea will have just 12 women of childbearing age for every 100 in the country today.
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Though these countries are trying to implement measures to boost population, their efforts seem to be too little too late, and they appear futile, since these nations allow the killing of preborn children. For years, China enforced its infamous “one-child policy,” which resulted in millions of abortions; the Chinese government reported in 2013 that doctors had committed 330 million abortions and 196 million sterilizations. This appears to have had a lasting effect on the mindset around childbirth in the country, as University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Yi Fuxian told Newsweek that the policy “altered the Chinese concept of fertility,” and many families are now unwilling to have more babies.
Japan is also facing a dire population decline, yet it is simultaneously looking to kill more of its preborn citizens by considering legislation that would allow the use of the abortion pill. Likewise, South Korea is considering financial incentives to encourage families to have more children, yet it decriminalized all abortions in 2021.
The numbers presented reflect Asian statistics, but countries around the world are experiencing declining birthrates, and many are starting to adjust expectations and take measures to boost populations. It is unreasonable to think that any fertility crisis will be averted until society starts to recognize that human life is valuable at all stages. After all, it’s impossible to thrive if your very leaders promote and encourage a culture of death.
