A senior medical analyst on Fox News has raised eyebrows by suggesting that declining birth rates among teenagers are partly responsible for the United States' record-low fertility rate. Dr Marc Siegel described the drop in births to women aged 15 to 19 as a "problem" during a segment on the network's America's Newsroom programme.
His comments came after the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported that the US fertility rate fell by 7 per cent in 2025, from 53.8 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age to 53.1. Siegel acknowledged that 3.6 million births still occur annually, but noted that the fertility rate among 15- to 19-year-olds has fallen by 7 per cent in the latest year and by 70 per cent over the last two decades. He argued that young people are being told to delay parenthood until they are financially secure or have found the right partner.
Teenage pregnancy in the US reached its peak in the late 1950s, when the birth rate for girls aged 15 to 19 hit 96.3 per 1,000 in 1957, largely reflecting post-war social norms of early marriage and childbearing. The rate has since fallen sharply, with a temporary uptick in the late 1980s that peaked around 1991. A 2024 CDC report attributes the long-term decline primarily to fewer teenagers being sexually active and greater use of contraception among those who are.
Siegel also drew attention to the broader shift towards having children later, saying people are now having kids in their 30s rather than their 20s. He emphasised that the replacement rate is down to 1.56 children per couple, well below the 2.0 needed to keep the population stable. The affordability of raising a child in the US has also become a pressing issue, with LendingTree estimating that the total cost of raising a child through age 18 will be $303,418 in 2026, the first time the figure has exceeded $300,000, and roughly 2 per cent higher than the previous year.
The latest figures come amid a wider affordability crisis affecting American families, with childcare and food among the essential costs adding to the financial strain. The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment.
