21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Dobbs didn’t cause the birth dearth. “It is a step in the right direction that liberal columnists such as Catherine Rampell are not only acknowledging that birthrates are declining in the United States but also admitting it is a problem. Unfortunately, Rampell then reverts to fact-free blind partisanship by blaming the Republican Party for the phenomenon.”

That’s the usual progression. First, there is no problem. Second, there is a problem, but it’s the Republicans’ fault. But the facts are different: “The 17 states with the highest general fertility rates are all designated by Cook Political Report as Republican, or GOP-leaning, including such Republican strongholds as North Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Utah, and Texas. By contrast, the bottom six states — and nine of the ten states with the lowest fertility rates — are all either Democratic or Democratic-leaning. … Only two Democratic states have birthrates above the national average, compared with 20 Republican states with above-average fertility.”