Conservatives Aren't to Blame for Declining Birth Rates - The Left's Lifestyle Choices Are
Source: Nathanael Blake. "Stop Blaming Conservatives For The Left's Baby Bust." May 21, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that falling birth rates aren't conservatives' fault because conservatives are actually the ones still having lots of babies. He claims liberals have low birth rates because they delay marriage, prioritize careers, and don't go to church, while conservatives marry young and have big families because of their religious values.
Conclusion
Conservatives are not responsible for declining birth rates; the fertility crisis is primarily caused by leftist lifestyle choices and cultural values that discourage marriage and childbearing
Premises
- Conservatives, especially religious social conservatives, have significantly higher fertility rates than liberals
- Religious believers who attend services regularly are more likely to have children and larger families
- Conservative culture encourages marriage at younger ages and prioritizes children's needs over individual desires
- The left's model of extended adolescence followed by late marriage and career prioritization reduces fertility
- Government subsidies and liberal family policies have failed to meaningfully increase birth rates
- Conservative communities create self-reinforcing social norms that encourage marriage and childbearing
- The solution to low fertility is adopting conservative values: getting married and attending church
Assumptions
- Higher birth rates are inherently desirable for society
- Religious and conservative values are causally responsible for higher fertility rather than just correlated
- The 'left's approach' to family life can be characterized as a monolithic model
- Government policy should aim to influence personal reproductive choices
- Conservative family structures are objectively superior to liberal ones