Back in 2019, LifeSiteNews reported on data indicating that Spain was experiencing what some called a “demographic suicide.” According to the Spanish National Statistical Institute, during the first six months of that year, 215,478 citizens died, while only 170,074 were born. During the same year, Spain had an abortion rate of 11.53 per 1,000 women. It was the lowest birthrate in 80 years. A death rate higher than the birth rate was not only demographic decline — it was a death spiral.
In nation after nation, legalized abortion combined with the collective decision not to reproduce has resulted in aging populations. This, in turn, has placed enormous strain on the healthcare system, as an increasingly smaller pool of taxpayers funds a rapidly growing number of elderly people needing more care. Combined with the fact that people are living longer, predictable crises have arisen — in accessibility (or presence) of long-term care, palliative care, and the funds necessary to sustain a healthcare system in nations where the population is not replacing itself.
In response to this, Western nations have begun to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, beginning with the Netherlands. Canada, where the brutal and scandalous state of long-term care was exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic — the military had to be sent into homes to care for old men and women lying helpless in their own waste after being abandoned by their caretakers — recently expanded government-funded and government-facilitated suicide to the mentally ill.
