The number of births dropped 2 percent between 2022 and 2023 as fewer pregnant women received first-trimester prenatal care for the second consecutive year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The figures come amid increasing calls for pronatalist policies by politicians like the Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance.
Data from CDC’s National Vital Statistics System showed the fertility rate dropped 3 percent in 2023 to 54.5 births per 1,000 among women ages 15 to 44.
