Ross Douthat thinks the dangers of climate change have been overstated; the most important long-term issue for America and the world, in his view, is a “birth dearth.” He most likely would say otherwise if he lived in Florida, California, or Arizona, but the aging of America unquestionably presents us with some serious policy challenges, so let’s go with it. How could our demographic issues be resolved?
There are two obvious answers to that question. The first would be to provide better financial incentives for women to have children. Douthat occasionally shows some interest in this approach, but he hardly seems passionate about it. The second, and even better, option would be to increase the levels of immigration into the United States. This would serve two purposes: it would provide us with additional essential workers; and it would be a compassionate solution to the problems at the border. On its face, it seems like a no-brainer.
Douthat does not support the immigration solution even though it is completely consistent with the teachings of his beloved Catholic Church. He appears to believe that the best way to increase our population is to compel American women to give birth against their will; in other words, the rights of the American unborn are entitled to more weight than the rights of the Central American born. That tells you demographics aren’t really an overriding issue in his eyes; this is really about a soft form of racism.