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Women in the United States are having babies less often, and the fertility rate reached a record low in 2023, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2023, the US fertility rate fell another 3% from the year before, to a historic low of about 55 births for every 1,000 females ages 15 to 44, according to final data published Tuesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Just under 3.6 million babies were born last year, about 68,000 fewer than the year before. (McPhillips, 8/20)

The number of women going through pregnancy without prenatal care is growing — even though the overall number of babies born in the U.S. is falling, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lopsided trend, published Tuesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, may reflect, in part, a growing number of women unable to access OB/GYN care after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. (Edwards, 8/20)

Tiny homes expected to shelter homeless pregnant women are being built by the Westside Pregnancy Center in El Paso, Texas. The three homes, which are already under construction behind the Westside Community Church, should be completed by October. While the nonprofit pregnancy resource center in the border city describes itself as focusing on "helping families in need with free resources, including pregnancy tests, essential baby items, ultrasounds, classes and more," the organization has close ties to the pro-life movement. (8/19)

Unlike in vitro fertilization, the procedure used by the Walzes does not involve freezing embryos, so it has not been targeted by anti-abortion leaders. (Harmon, 8/19)