A South Dakota Baby Boom?!

The media is reporting that recently released state population stats reveal a "baby boom" in South Dakota last year - the highest birth rate in the state since 1987. The details show two sectors of our populace are responsible… apparently our native mom/dads and our Hutterite moms/dads have been busy.

According to the state Health Department's annual statistics and vital records report, the 12,253 live births in South Dakota last year represent an uptick in the birth rate to 16.2 births per 1,000 population, from 15.8 in 2006. That keeps the state running ahead of the national trend, where the 4.315 million births last year represented a 14.3 percent birth rate.

While most of South Dakota has very much declining birth rates, our highest birth rates are on reservations. That should not be taken as a racial observation but as an observation where you have areas with a low median age, you tend to have more kids," says Mike McCurry, extension specialist with South Dakota State University's department of rural sociology.

Contrast Shannon County, where the average age on the Pine Ridge reservation is just under 21, to McPherson County, where the average age is 46. "You can understand why you can expect to see a higher birth rate," McCurry says.

But it's not quite that simple. The other group propelling the state's birth rate is Hutterites, according to McCurry.

Of course, the numbers would be 707 higher had it not been legal in our state to kill the unwanted children. 

The state birth rate is 16.2 and the fertility rate is 2.3.   2.1 is the number of children per couple needed to replace the existing population. Thanks to eugenic groups like Planned Parenthood, most of the world is experiencing a demograpic winter with fertility rates far below 2.1.  Thirty-three of our fifty states are below 2.1 (thanks in part to the work of you know who).

I've botched my math here before so I'll let someone else do it. I'm wondering how close South Dakota would be to that 2.1 if the native/hutterite numbers are not added in. I'm asking if the main and largest sector of our populace is below that 2.1 fertility rate.

In related news, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin had a baby boy last night. Congratulations to Stephanie and Max!

 Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and her husband, Max Sandlin, announced the birth of their first child, Zachary Lars Sandlin. The healthy baby was born at 5:16 p.m. Monday weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Stephanie and I have been blessed with a beautiful, baby boy this Christmas,” Max Sandlin said. “Mother and baby are both healthy and happy. Of course, Zachary’s arrival makes our holiday even more special as we are surrounded by the love of family and friends.”

You know what I'm thinking so I might as well just put it out here… Happy as I am for her, and that is sincere, I hope and pray there are profound moments these next few days where she looks at closely at her baby and wakes up to the fact that little Zachary was just as precious six months ago in her womb as he is today. What makes every child precious and protectable under law has nothing to do with circumstances in the life of the mother, whether the mom wants it or not, who the father is, what stage it is in its development, or ANY other factor.