GROVE HILL, Ala. — One of the last remaining birthing units in southern Alabama will close next month to qualify for federal funding that will save the hospital’s emergency services, but doctors warn the move may cost newborns and pregnant women essential access to obstetric care. Nestled in rural Clarke County, the small, nonprofit Grove … Read more
TOKYO — Japan’s birth rate fell to a new low for the eighth straight year in 2023, according to Health Ministry data released on Wednesday. A government official described the situation as critical and urged authorities to do everything they can to reverse the trend. The data underscores Japan’s long-standing issues of a rapidly aging … Read more
CAIRO — Over 230 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation, most of whom live in Africa, according to a report issued on Friday by the United Nations children’s agency. In the last eight years, some 30 million people have undergone the procedure, in which external genitalia are partially or fully removed, UNICEF … Read more
The rising cost of living appears to be dragging down Canada’s birth rate, which recently hit its lowest level in recorded history. Ipsos polling done exclusively for Global News found most Canadians are having fewer children than they would like because it’s too expensive to raise them. The poll looked at responses from 1,001 Canadians … Read more
China is unlikely to experience a distinct boost in birth rates this year, largely due to the country’s high youth unemployment and economic turmoil, according to the EIU. D3sign | Moment | Getty Images The Chinese Year of the Dragon is widely perceived in Asia-Pacific to be an auspicious year to have a baby — … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size The Canadian fertility rate has hit its lowest level since Statistics Canada began collecting data more than a century ago. The agency released its most recent numbers Wednesday, showing the birth rate fell to 1.33 children per woman in 2022. It dropped from 1.43 the previous year … Read more
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Cesareans are surging in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which has one of the world’s highest rates with more than 50% of babies now delivered via surgery compared with only 32% on the U.S. mainland, according to a federal report released Wednesday. The rates of cesarean delivery on the … Read more
