U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low, CDC Data Show + More
Source: Children’s Health Defense
U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low, CDC Data Show
The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with fewer than 1.6 children being born per woman, federal data released Thursday shows. The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.
The new statistic is on par with fertility rates in western European countries, according to World Bank data. Alarmed by recent drops, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase falling birth rates, like issuing an executive order in February meant to expand access to and reduce costs of in vitro fertilization and backing the idea of “baby bonuses” that might encourage more couples to have kids. White House staff secretary Will Scharf remarked to reporters at the time that in vitro treatments “have become unaffordable for many Americans or been unaffordable for many Americans.”
Health insurance companies aren’t required to cover IVF treatments, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But there’s no reason to be alarmed, according to Leslie Root, a University of Colorado Boulder researcher focused on fertility and population policy. “We’re seeing this as part of an ongoing process of fertility delay. We know that the U.S. population is still growing, and we still have a natural increase — more births than deaths,” she said.
HHS Adopts ACIP Recommendation to Remove Thimerosal From All U.S. Influenza Vaccines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported:
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. took action Tuesday signing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations to remove the mercury-based preservative thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed in the U.S.
This move follows a 5-1-1 vote at the ACIP’s June 25-26 meeting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, where committee members voted that all children 18 years and younger, pregnant women, and adults receive only single-dose influenza vaccines free of mercury. Secretary Kennedy’s signature formally adopts the recommendation into federal health policy, fulfilling a commitment to restore trust with Americans by removing risk while sustaining access to vaccines.
“After more than two decades of delay, this action fulfills a long-overdue promise to protect our most vulnerable populations from unnecessary mercury exposure,” Secretary Kennedy said. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility. Today, we put safety first.”
After Contentious US Committee Vote, Bayer and Allies a Step Closer to New Federal Protections for Pesticides
A group of U.S. lawmakers failed on Tuesday to beat back a provision in a congressional appropriations bill that would help protect pesticide makers from being sued and could hinder state efforts to warn about risks of pesticide products.
Led by U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine, multiple lawmakers spoke at Tuesday’s House Committee on Appropriations meeting urging passage of an amendment striking a rider from a fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill that critics say effectively gives pesticide manufacturers immunity from consumer lawsuits seeking compensation for product harm. But a majority of committee members voted against the amendment.
The language of the rider Pingree and allies were attempting to strike blocks federal funds from being used to “issue or adopt any guidance or any policy, take any regulatory action, or approve any labeling or change to such labeling” inconsistent with the conclusion of an Environmental Protection Agency human health assessment.
FDA to Review Prescription Fluoride Supplements for Kids at Risk for Tooth Decay
The Trump administration is inching closer to banning fluoride tablets and drops often prescribed to kids who don’t have access to fluoridated drinking water and are at high risk for mouths full of decayed teeth. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host a public meeting featuring both supporters and opponents of fluoride supplements.
While dentists overwhelmingly say the tablets have been used safely for decades, more than half of the meeting will be spent “identifying safety concerns and potential risk” associated with the supplements. A final decision about whether to pull fluoride supplements off the market isn’t expected until the end of October.
In May, the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, announced the agency’s intention to get rid of them. Wednesday’s meeting includes 18 speakers, including well-known fluoride skeptics like Dr. Bill Osmonsun, a retired dentist now with the Fluoride Action Network, and Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Lanphear published a controversial 2019 study suggesting that IQ levels were slightly lower in kids whose mothers had ingested more fluoride while pregnant, research that’s frequently cited by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
HHS, FDA Praise Consumer Brands Association’s Vow to Remove Artificial Colors From America’s Food Supply
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported:
Today the leadership of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) praised the Consumer Brands Association for its pledge on behalf of the makers of the nation’s food and beverage products to remove certified Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) petroleum-based colors from America’s food supply. With support from the Trump Administration, this pledge urges member companies to stop manufacturing with FD&C colors by Dec. 31, 2027.
President Trump, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary have made the removal of artificial colors a priority. This pledge is another example of the Trump Administration and industry working together to bring results quickly to the American people.
“America is entering a new era of nutrition,” said Secretary Kennedy. “In just a few months, the nation’s leading food and beverage producers have taken bold steps to clean up products loved by children and families. Replacing synthetic food dyes with natural colors marks another major victory in our mission to Make America Healthy Again.”
