WASHINGTON, D.C. – The brith ration the United States is at its lowest level since 1987, a new government report says.
In a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), data was compiled from all birth records received and processed by NCHS for calendar year 2017 as of February 14, 2018; these records represent nearly 100% (99.93%) of registered births occurring in 2017. The report indicates that the provisional number of births for the United States in 2017 was 3,853,472, down 2% from the number in 2016 (3,945,875). This is the third year that the number of births has declined after an increase in 2014, and the lowest number of births in 30 years (1987).
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The general fertility rate was 60.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, down 3% from 2016 and another record low for the United States. Birth rates declined for nearly all age groups of women under 40, but rose for women in their early 40s. The birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 was down 7% in 2017 to 18.8 births per 1,000 women; rates declined for both younger (aged 15–17) and older (aged 18–19) teenagers. The cesarean delivery rate increased to 32.0% in 2017; the low-risk cesarean delivery rate increased to 26.0%. The preterm birth rate rose for the third year in a row to 9.93% in 2017; the 2017 rate of low birthweight (8.27%) was one of the highest levels reported since 2006.
In Iowa, there were 38,407 births in 2017. To help stem the tide, abortions were basically made illegal in Iowa by the Republican Legislature, as they approved the Heartbeat Bill. Some fee these new regulations could have an impact on the number of births in the state, it is withstands a liberal challenge in court.
