The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has warned that Britain’s declining birthrate at a time of soaring abortions is a symptom of “cultural rot” and desires to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown that the fertility rate in 2023 fell to 1.44 children per woman, significantly below the alternative rate of two.1 children. SPUC described this figure as a “moral alarm bell”.
SPUC noted that the falling birth figures go hand in hand with rising abortion figures. ONS figures have revealed that just about a 3rd of all pregnancies in Britain end in abortion. In some parts of the country almost half of pregnancies are terminated.
In an announcement SPUC said that “the low birth-rate isn’t merely a policy issue – it’s a cultural rot”.
“When social norms, economic pressures, or personal ambition deter families from visible growth, it reflects how deeply individualism, consumerism, and fear have permeated our collective psyche,” it said.
The group also emphasised the necessity for investment in facilities that may encourage women to decide on life, resembling crisis pregnancy centres, material aid and counselling, and further added that policy reforms are needed to vary the present financial incentives.
“We must challenge the false narrative that children are an economic burden. Yes, wages are squeezed, housing is tight, and careers are competitive – but these are policy failures, not inevitable facts,” it said.
“We have to support targeted reforms: family‑friendly housing policies, tax incentives, expanded parental leave, childcare subsidies. Bringing back a culture that respects and promotes childbirth is each a practical necessity and an ethical imperative.”
SPUC concluded warning that a society by which women have just one child on average has consequences not only for the ladies concerned but for all of society and said that culture must reaffirm the worth and importance of motherhood.
“Raising a baby isn’t just a personal fulfilment – it’s forging the following generation of residents, carers, innovators. Children usually are not optional extras; they’re the lifeblood of stable societies,” it said.

