Taiwan’s Declining Birthrate: Impact, Repercussions, and Solutions

2024-01-01 22:34:09

Hsinchu County Mayor Yang Wenke (third from right) visited TECO Hospital to visit mothers and babies on New Year’s Day and presented gold jewelry gift boxes and parenting gift bags. (Photo/Photo by Luo Junbin, China Times)

[周刊王CTWANT] All parts of the country welcomed New Year’s Day babies yesterday, but due to the impact of the declining birthrate, the number of New Year’s Day babies delivered in major hospitals was only in single digits. Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital finally welcomed a New Year’s Day baby after 5 years. Obstetricians and gynecologists have observed that this year’s “Year of the Dragon Effect” may reduce fevers for the first time, and dragon baby bonuses will no longer be available. The reason is that in modern times, people are born less and older. It is recommended that the government amend the “Artificial Reproduction Law” as soon as possible so that people who want to have children can Can have children.

The Lunar New Year will usher in the Year of the Dragon. In 2000, Taiwan hit a record number of 300,000 births per year, and there was a gradual increase in 2012. However, such a “Year of the Dragon effect” may not be seen again this year. As of the evening of the 1st, there was only one birth in Taipei City’s Shin Kong Hospital and one in labor. A total of four births occurred in three Cathay hospitals, two in Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and four in Taipei United Medical Hospital.

In other counties and cities, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital finally had one New Year’s Day baby born this year after five years. The hospital said that it is very precious now that the birth rate is extremely low; 6 in Pingtung; 1 each in Taitung and Kinmen; Changhua County, the most populous city outside Beijing, has only 11 this year; Chiayi County and City have a total of 10.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Interior, from January to November 2023, only 123,992 people were born in Taiwan, a decrease of 2.2% from the same period last year, and the number of deaths was 189,665. There have been 35 consecutive “life worse than death”. Xiao Shengwen, director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said that the single-digit number of babies born on New Year’s Day in each hospital this year reflects the decline in the total birth rate due to the phenomenon of declining birthrate.

Xiao Shengwen bluntly said that the reason for the decline of the “Year of the Dragon Effect” is related to the poor general environment. Modern people have the tendency of “having fewer children and living older”. Many people are afraid to have children, and the maternal age is relatively high, and there are many premature babies, which leads to the increase in the number of newborns. The nursing ward is often full of beds.

Huang Jianpei, secretary-general of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said that according to the number of mother’s handbooks distributed, there has been no significant increase recently. It is speculated that young couples no longer pursue having dragon children or dragon girls, and “dragon babies” may hit a new low this year.

Li Yiping, director of the Reproductive Medicine Center of Xinguang Hospital, said that the most common reason why people are afraid of having children is economic factors. Raising children and buying a house are too expensive. People who want to have children are unable to have children due to legal restrictions. It is recommended that the government quickly amend the Artificial Reproduction Law to allow lesbians and single women to apply for in vitro fertilization.

This year’s New Year’s Day coincides with the National Day of Amnesty. Huang Yuande, director of the Taichung Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, posted a photo with a New Year’s Day baby yesterday and said that the baby almost did not come into this world. Due to family factors, the mother wanted to induce labor when she was 5 months pregnant. , after he and the social worker tried their best to persuade, the mother gave birth to the baby on New Year’s Day. After seeing the baby, the mother promised to raise the baby herself. Huang Yuande said with a smile, “It is a meritorious deed on the Pardon Day.”

Taichung Children’s General Hospital delivered a baby boy at 0:00 a.m. yesterday. The new father originally planned to deliver the baby by caesarean section on New Year’s Day during the lunar calendar. Unexpectedly, the baby was born on his own. The couple were very happy.

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