I just attended a presentation organized by the Salt Lake Tribune and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute titled ‘Why Aren’t Utahn’s Having Kids?’ This is an interesting and relevant question as we consider declining populations in developed nations. The panel (Emily Harris, Emily Bell McCormick, Derek Monson) discussed factors attributed to this decline including general financial insecurity and the outrageous cost of living, especially housing, as well as shifting attitudes around independence vs. community service.
I realize everything couldn’t be covered in the short 50-minute presentation, however, one glaring issue that was missing was that only infertility by choice was discussed. Perhaps the title should have been, Why Aren’t Utahn’s Choosing To Have Kids? Not everyone is choosing not to have children and yet, are contributing to the declining demographic.
This is due to medical infertility. The World Health Organization recently revised its statistics accounting for infertility rates from 1 in 8 to 1 in 6. That means tens of thousands of Utahns want to have children, but face medical challenges to having a family. Some are able to find success through medical intervention but many more simply can’t afford it.
I encourage policy makers to consider infertility in the discussion of declining birth rates. Are there policy changes that could make access to assisted reproductive technology more affordable and accessible? Would this nudge the declining trend up?
Shelli Mecham, executive director, Utah Infertility Resource Center, Millcreek