In Ñspel: The Guardian view on a demographic paradox: the rebirth of pronatalism

‘About 60% of the global population live in places where fertility rates have dropped below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman.’ Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
‘Abt 60% v ɖ globl popyleśn liv in plesz ẃr ftiḷtirets hv dropt b’lo ɖ rplesmntlevl v 2.1 brʈs p’ wmn.’ Foṭgraf: Doṃnic Lipinski/PA

Ɖ Gardịn vy on a deṃgrafic paṛdox: ɖ rībrʈ v proneṭlizm

(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 17 Nov. 2022)

Ɖ globl popyleśn rīćt 8 biłn ɖs wīc – bt oʈoṛterịn guvnmnts r rolñ bac rîts az ɖe trî t būst ɖer popyleśnz

Ʈrzde 17 Nvmbr 2022

Az ɖ wrld marcs ɖ brʈ v its et biłnʈ inhabitnt ɖs wīc – ʈri tîmz ɖ totl in 1950 – ɖ paṛdox z ɖt mni guvnmnts r wuriyñ abt tù fy sitiznz, nt tù mni. Abt 60% v ɖ globl popyleśn liv in plesz ẃr ftiḷtirets hv dropt b’lo ɖ rplesmntlevl v 2.1 brʈs p’ wmn, ɖ pônt at ẃć a cuntri’z popyleśn wd rmen stebl. In Sǎʈ C’rīa, ẃć olrdi hd ɖ wrld’z lǒist ret, it fél t jst 0.81 ɖs yir.

Bî 2050, popyleśnz wl b dclînñ in mor ɖn haf v Yṛpiyn cuntriz; in fîv – Blgeria, Latvia, Liʈueńa, Srbia n Ycren – ɖe r pṛjctd t drop bî mor ɖn 20%. Ćîna – sn t b oṿtecn bî India az ɖ most popyḷs neśn – sw a fifʈ cnsektiv fōl last yir t a ny record lo, wɖ jst 10.62 miłn brʈs dspt a popyleśn v 1.4 biłn n a sstend pś t pswed ppl t hv mor ćildṛn. Az xprts wornd ẃn ɖ parti mntend its “wn ćîld” poḷsi fr mor ɖn ʈri decedz, it z īzịr t rdys brʈs ɖn incris ɖm.

Yt fest wɖ popyleśnz ɖt r livñ longr, bt nt olwz in gd hlʈ, n wɖ fywr wrcñ-ej ppl t s’port ɖm, mni guvnmnts hv cncludd ɖe mst d so, ofn rjctñ incrist mîgreśn. Sins mni ppl wont t hv mor ćildṛn ɖn ɖe acć̣li d, s’portñ ɖm ʈru hǎzñ n ćîldcer subṣdiz or grants, flex̣bl wrcñpoḷsiz n betr p’rentl līv z snṣbl n welcm. Ɖ probḷm lîz in targit-drivn, ofn cowrsiv poḷsiz ɖt sīc t riimpoz cnsrṿtiv faṃlirǒlz n rvrs ɖ rîts v wimin n LGBTQ+ cḿṇtiz. Ireńn stethospitlz n clinics hv stopt dstribytñ contṛspśn n bánd vsecṭmiz. Poḷnd’z nir-totl ban on aborśn tc ifct śortli bfr ɖ guvnmnt anǎnst its straṭji t būst ftiḷti. Az Vḷdīmir Pūtin’z rīsnt rvîvl v ɖ Stalin-ira “Muɖr Ruśa” medl fr wimin wɖ 10 or mor ćildṛn demnstretd, sć meźrz r ofn acumṗnid bî a s’pozd sañtiḟceśn v muɖrhd ẃć in fact rdysz wimin t bebi-mcñ mśīnz.

Bt oʈoṛterịn guvnmnts d nt jst dmand mor sitiznz; ɖe insist on ẃt ɖe rgard az ɖ rît wnz. Ćîna hz dscurijd aborśnz n most rīsntli hz promist t xtnd mtrṇtibeṇfits t sngl muɖrz, hu wr prīvịsli xcludd. Yt ftiḷtirets hv pluṃtd in Źinjañ, wɖ Ôgr wimin rportñ forst steṛlîześnz n IYD implants. It z no cǒinsidns ɖt ɖ anti-aborśn muvmnt in ɖ YS gend streñʈ az ɖ resist “gret rplesmnt ʈiyri” cnspiṛsi tc hold. Viktor Orbán md ɖ pônt xplisit: “Instd v jst numbrz, w wont Hungerịn ćildṛn. Mîgreśn fr s z srendr,” Hunġri’z prîm̦inistr sd.

Proneṭlizm dets bac t at līst Louis XIV’z Frans, ẃć gev taxpriṿlijz t men hu hd 10 or mor l’jitiṃt ćildṛn; p’liticl raitrz at ɖ tîm sw ɖ petriarcl ordr v ɖ hǎshold az ɖ fǎndeśn v sośl ordr n ultiṃtli naśnl gretnis. Gvn ɖz rūts, ɖ cnvrjns v msojni, oṿberñ stetpǎr n nǎ resizm śd nt s’prîz s – bt it z ol ɖ mor rīzn t opoz ɖ infrinjmnts v hymn rîts.

Instroduction to Ñspel

"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

19/11/2022

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