America’s declining birth rate: A public health perspective
As birth rates decline in the U.S., policymakers are debating whether to encourage a baby boom—and if so, how. Ideas range from funding bank accounts for newborns to lowering the cost of in vitro fertilization to changing tax policy to encourage larger families. This panel brought together health and policy experts to explore the drivers of declining fertility, considered whether the U.S. needs more births, and discussed innovative strategies to improve the health of moms and babies.
SPEAKERS:
Ana Langer, Professor of the Practice of Public Health, Emerita, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Margaret Anne McConnell, Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Henning Tiemeier, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
MODERATOR:
Veronica Adamson, DrPH ’26, Founder/Chief Advisor, InnovaHer
