One recent concern for the nation of Australia is the precipitous
             decline in the Australian birth rate. The Australian birth rate is
             one of the lowest birth rates in the civilized world. Statistics
             have also shown that a growing number of Australian women
             are postponing childbirth later and later. This is not only true of
             teenage mothers but also young women in their twenties, whom are
             traditionally at their most fertile biological peak' as well as more
             economically and personally stable than teenagers.
             The most frequently cited reasons for the low Australian birth rate,
             an object of frequent debate in the nation, include the lack of available
             affordable childcare as well as the fact that more and more women are
             pursuing careers, eschewing motherhood until later in life, only then
             finding out that hey have problems with their fertility. Also, the
             proportion of the population aged 65, past childbearing age, has grown
             steadily in Australia since 1975. (Australian Health Trends, 2001)
             Since 1976, the Australian birth rate has been sinking below
             replacement levels for the nation. This recent fall since the 1970's is
             even greater than the fall that occurred with the introduction of the birth
             control pill to the nation in the 1960's. Unlike the single factor of the
             introduction of the birth control pill, the 1970's anti-teenage mother
             campaign waged by the government, cutbacks in the health system regarding
             prenatal and day care, and social trends that de-emphasized motherhood have
             all created a trend towards later childbirth and smaller families since
             1976. The burgeoning wealth of the population, the lack of social status
             accorded to motherhood in general as well as early motherhood, and even the
             increased rate of travel amongst young Australians have all been blamed for
             this growing trend. Also, the higher rate of congenital abnormalities in
             babies that are the child...