U.S. birth rate hits a new record low
America's birth rate was lower in 2009 than at any other time in the past century, the AP reports -- and many experts feel that the economic downturn is to blame.In 2009, the total number of births across the country fell for the second year in a row -- from 4,247,000 in 2008 to 4,136,000, according to provisional data released Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics. No doubt about it: By historical standards, 4 million babies is still a lot of new kids coming into the world. But the rate -- the number of births per 1,000 people already alive -- is very low indeed. There were roughly 4 million babies born in the U.S. in 1960 too, but back then the population was only 60% as large it is today -- so that the birth rate back then was much higher. In 2009, the new data shows, there were only 13.5 live births for every 1,000 U.S. residents...
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