Posted By Bernard Gaynor on Thursday, July 11, 2019 12:15 pm | 6 comments

Who made the statements below? More importantly, when were they made and what major political battle occurred shortly afterwards?

I think you may be surprised. But, then again, you may not.

There will be brownie points and perpetual boasting rights on this site for the first person with the correct answer.

Who said this:

But the truth is our Western societies are not ageing; they are dying.

And this:

Tonight I will argue that Australians should pursue some clear national goals in the field of family policy. These include:

• Generally, the promotion of pro-natalist policies designed to ensure that, ideally, our birth rate increases closer to replacement level (2.1) or at least does not decline any further;
• The recognition that “children are a social good and not merely a private, optional pleasure.” We all have an interest in each other’s children and nobody more so than the childless.
• The recognition that women and their families’ desire to exercise their human right to have children is being restricted and in many cases denied by the failure of the world of work (mostly ruled by men) to recognize that women are not identical to men, but are, uniquely, able to bear children and should be given every encouragement to do so, as those children, their health and education are a vital national interest.
• The recognition that a higher birth rate requires us to ENHANCE rather than restrict the choices of women and that it is desirable for women to fulfill two goals: childbearing and a career; and that our society’s survival depends on making it possible for them to do both.
• The recognition that the dramatic decline in marriage and increase in divorce has had profoundly damaging effects on our society and that we should take steps to promote the traditional married family with a view to increasing the number of marriages and decreasing the number of divorces.
• In summary, the recognition that our nation would be stronger and our future more secure, if there were more children, more people were married, fewer were divorced and, as a corollary, more children grew up with both their biological parents.

And this:

There is nothing more natural, nothing more human, than the creation of new life when a man and a woman come together in marriage and create a family. That human right has never been more challenged.

And this:

The gravest threat to Western society over this century is neither global warming nor international terrorism. Rather it is the unprecedented, sustained decline in the birth rate in almost all developed countries to levels that are well below replacement rate.

And this:

We should not be afraid to make the case for marriage. There is a very high correlation (higher than there is for race or poverty) in most of the research between the absence of the biological father and child poverty, juvenile crime and sexual abuse.

And this:

We know that children are in every respect better off if they are living with their biological parents, formally married (as opposed to cohabiting). We know that there is a social cost (and not just in dollars) from marriage breakdown and single parenting.

Here’s a little hint:

And thanks to Sean for the tip!

Who said this:

The gravest threat to Western society over this century is neither global warming nor international terrorism. Rather it is the unprecedented, sustained decline in the birth rate in almost all developed countries to levels that are well below replacement rate.

— Bernard Gaynor (@BernardGaynor) July 11, 2019