Tea at Trianon: A Lack of Babies

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A Lack of Babies

From Human Defense:

The problem of falling fertility rates in the U.S. is, of course, a multivariate one. Some, like Professor Donna M. Strabino from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, point to women becoming more educated and career-driven while putting off children until later in life. Others have suggested a fear of economic stability which stems from the recession. Younger adults know what it was like during the most recent recession and how hard it was on families; therefore, they are choosing to wait until they have consistent stability and finances before having a family.

Another reason for the falling birth rate could be the mistreatment of pregnant mothers by some employers. The law firm Morrison Foerster was recently sued for putting women on the “mommy track,” which apparently led to unfair treatment and fewer opportunities. It would seem some women believe they have to choose between career advancement and motherhood, which could be a contributing factor in the continuous decline in annual birth rates.

These are all valid explanations for America’s declining births each year; however, one cannot overlook the effect abortion has had. There has been a decline in the number of abortions over the past few years, but that number remains astronomical at close to one million in 2014 and over 60 million since Roe v. Wade. (Read more.)