Fox News Senior Medical Analyst Marc Siegel made some eyebrow-raising comments lamenting that birth rates are down among teenagers aged 15 to 19.

On Thursday, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that the U.S. fertility rate fell to another record low. The agency reported that the number of births per 1,000 women of childbearing age declined from 53.8 in 2024 to 53.1 last year. The latest figure represents a continuation of a decades-long decline in fertility rates.

Siegel joined Friday’s edition of America’s Newsroom, where Dana Perino said that while the continuing trend is not surprising, “the numbers might feel a little shocking.”

    • NannerBanner@literature.cafe
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      2 hours ago

      Most places in the united states have ‘romeo and juliet’ style laws, where two people who are within a certain age range (usually 1-4 years) aren’t (necessarily) breaking the law, even if one is underage.

    • bss03@infosec.pub
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      4 hours ago

      Depends on the state, but I think mostly yes.

      Like many laws, statutory rape is often inconsistently applied. The most likely scenario is that someone with societal power uses it as a lever to impose their will. Cops rarely, if ever, go looking for someone to protect through enforcement of the law.

    • DillDough@lemmy.zip
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      5 hours ago

      It can be. Even just taking a nude photo of your own body as a minor is a crime in the US.

    • Horsey@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      This is one of those things that just can’t be true. (Regarding consensual sex)