Medical, legal, philosophical and socio-economical prerequisites of decrease of the fertility rate in Europe

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MEDICAL, LEGAL, PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMICAL PREREQUISITES OF DECREASE OF THE FERTILITY RATE IN EUROPE

Larysa S. Kupriianova, PhD in Medicine Visitor Professor Humanitas University, Milan, Italy

Daryna S. Kupriianova, Lawyer Head of the Board of DAR for Peace and Equality, Milan, Italy

Summary

During less than a century number of our population halved. Fertility rate in Europe as well as in the whole World decreases constantly. There are numerous prerequisites because of which we can observe an aforementioned tendency. We are emphasizing here namely medical, legal, moral, philosophical and socio-economical ones. Not to underestimate remain postulates that separate a vision that we deserve to reach as a society i.e. equity, equality, personal freedom, zero discrimination etc., and tendencies, biases and prejudices that slow us down every single day and make those goals impossible to reach with our current state of mind.

On one hand, there is number of reasons which explain an actual decrease of fertility rate clearly enough. Among them we are emphasizing high level of domestic violence, violence against women, weak abortion legislation which enslaves human rights of women in most of European countries, and, therefore, voluntary or forced sterilization, child-free tendencies, moral traumas, victim syndromes because of personal weakness and inability to do as we/or particularly woman pleases to. Additionally, rich black market of illegal abortions which consequences are often lethal or acutely dangerous for a female reproductive system, alongside with female organs mutilations committed by perpetrators of domestic violence etc, all these prerequisites lead to a visible decrease of the statistics that were mentioned before. However, at the same time, the modernly promoted desire to "live one's life in full", to "enjoy life without special responsibilities being husband/wife/parent", lack of desire to create a family "until the studies will be completed, house will be bought, financial stability will be reached, all dreams will come true and so on, also keeps the idea of family life and parenthood on distance, as individuals want to maximize their happiness and pleasure with minimizing worries and "pains" at the same time.

In addition, because of child-free tendency lovers and children's haters, along with childfree hotels, restaurants, flights and other services make parents actually into outcasts from the other "proper society, that knows how to live this life without worries". Parents of small children cannot obtain some services, are limited from visiting some places (and most of the times not because of rational reason, but rather in the aim of protecting other people's tranquillity), experience a high level of moral pain and feeling "non-normal" when their life is different from of those, who "properly knows what and how to do". At the same time, we shall claim that as long as the parenthood become popular and societally accepted again, and will not be associated with becoming outcasts anymore, and as long as the abortion legislation will not be optimized and become pro-feminine, along with anti-violence practical tools of fighting with perpetrators, we will not be able to talk about successful overcoming of the fertility crisis in Europe.

Key words: prerequisites of decreasing the fertility rate, domestic violence, violence against women, demographic crisis, utilitarianism, human rights, discrimination, personal freedom, same-sex marriages, in-vitro, surrogate motherhood, abortion legislation, forced abortion and sterilization.

Relevance of the topic

In the XXI century Europe is tended to face specific and quite unique challenges in the sphere of maintaining the positive index of fertility rate and, therefore, child birth rate. It is still stable and positive though, however, according to EUROSTAT data, since the years of 1950 the index of the fertility rate was at least halved [11]. The fertility rate is the most commonly used metric which measures the average number of children for women [7]. If we compare the World's data and European one, i.e. if we decide to compare number of children that were born since the year 1960 in Europe or in the World in general, we will see, that the index decreased from 4.6 babies for one women in average to 2.5 ones [11]. According to the fact that mostly data is completed for the World's population we shall emphasize that the same indexes towards European population reach accordingly 4.6 to even 1 o 1.5 babies for a European woman in average.

This statistics shows exactly that for Europe the aforementioned index has not only halved but has decreased drastically in less than 100 years. It is worthy to add that if we compared World's and European statistics precisely, we would see that less than a century ago an average index of fertility rate in some countries was able to reach 7 babies for a woman in average, so the index which seems to be almost impossible for European population both in the past and in present times.

Рic 1. The United Nations Population Division

In 2010, the United Nations presented the United Nations Population Division, which you can see on the picture above, where you can already note a clear decrease of the World's population during the tim frames that were mentioned before. This statistics does not represent the further decade until 2020th, but the main tendency remains visible enough [11 ].

Pic. 2. The World fertility rate, 1960-2021, according to the World Bank data

Picture 2 though, represents more actual data, until the year of 2021, which also confirms that the global decrease of a newborn population remains and will most probably remain an actual tendency in the future.

However, every tendency has its own prerequisites. There are concrete reasons why actual statistics look like that and no in a different way. Specifically, we should definitely underline a couple of most important categories according to which such a tendency is supposed to be scientifically discussed. In the frame of our research we are highlighting namely legal, medical, philosophical, social and economical aspects that are stably causing decreasing in the European population.

Legal aspects

Despite the fact that Europe is constantly pushing forward modern tendencies in all spheres of social life, the common difference between legal "paper strategies" and those ones which are actually functioning differs diametrically. One of the most relevant and crucial discrepancy which impacts the level of fertility in particular, is lack of well-functioning abortion legislation. Abortion operation is supposed to be a part of one of fundamental rights of every individual, so it is a human right, which decides clearly on whether a woman is able to decide on her own body and future or not. According to he UN data, almost 40% of pregnancies every year are claimed to be unwanted [4,9].

Those pregnancies on the democratic background were supposed to be interrupted by the abortion operation. The reality seems to differ significantly. And it is not exceptionally a matter of protecting "unwanted children", as it could be claimed by social initiatives that negate necessity of abortion in case of being undesirable pregnant. Nowadays reality is diametrically different, because women are being refused to terminate their pregnancy even if doctors can notice a high probability of severe illness in child, like Down syndrome, Cerebral palsy etc. These diseases cannot make children born with them excluded from the society though, but it is supposed to be exceptionally parent's decision (or even mostly woman's one, because the highest rate of responsibility towards children in family is still by the side of mother), and not the governmental or doctor's one.

Children suffering from severe diseases are changing the life of parents completely. Not every household is able to provide for those children, or, simply, not every household is able to sacrifice one of the parent to dedicate him-/herself to educating and taking care of this child. Not mentioning a high level of psychical tension which arises in minds of those parents who give a birth to an ill child. They will love this chid by any matter, of course, but it can keep them from making a decision on having other babies, because of the fright to give a birth to another child with the same disease. So that, the biggest number of parents will decide to be absolutely attentive towards their contraception using highly effective methods to prevent all possible future pregnancies, even, despite the fact that the probability of giving birth to an absolutely healthy baby remains on the level of 50% against the same 50% of probability of giving birth to a child with a severe disease.

Couple of cases that hit Europe in 2023 that took place in Poland [1 2], when the women were refused firstly in abortion operation, however the fetus has possessed an incredible level of mortal probability and has dead as a result of childbirth; or even the case when a women was not able to give a birth to child without Caesarean section, but the doctors have decided to wait until "the critical moment", when this section "will be visibly necessary" and the woman has also died during the childbirth, - all these cases lead to a high level of distrust to medical system and the State in general from the part of its citizens. Because, nowadays, lack of legal abortion "solutions" does not lead to increasing the fertility rate and this postulate we can definitely confirm even observing our aforementioned graphics. These tendencies are oppositely reduce an opportunity and desire of people to procreate in a favor of the future Europe.

And now, why? First of all, there are clear prerequisites from libertarian doctrine, especially, Nozick's postulate [1] on the matter that every individual has to possess a clear and inviolable right to do as he/she pleases until this act violates interests or liberties of other person. In our situation, once the women will be deprived from deciding on their own body or procreating, first of all, they will be deprived towards their natural individual right (which is also supposed to be irrevocable) to decide on their own body. So, now, the decision on whether they will give a birth hit ad nunc or not depends on the State, husband sometimes, some religious believes and postulates that we are going to talk about further etc, but not on her own free will. Is it possible that in our modern society (especially while talking about the society of the EU) women will tolerate such inequality of rights?

Is it possible that women will proceed observing negative practice of neglecting fundamental right of woman which sometimes leads to violation of her very right to life? No, it will not definitely function like that, because the proper (but radical though) solutions exist and they are available among women. It merely means that women will decide to use radical ways of contraception, among which the most acute and cardinal will be a sterilization operation. "Is it not too radical?", you may think - Yes, it definitely is. However, by willing to possess the right to control their own body, women sometimes confuse a lack of desire to have children at all and name themselves "child-free" (which is also supposed to be an acceptable solution or decision in society, however it is still not), with lack of desire to have children in this precise moment.

Hereby we remember about situations, when the girl/woman is not ready for marriage (or, at least, she is not ready for a marriage with the father of her child), or to get rid of her personal and business desires (because the biggest responsibility and time for raising a child will be by her side), or financial possibilities are not good enough for raising a child, domestic conditions are too weak, etc, in each case, by trying to protect herself from unwanted pregnancy as well as by taking into account the fact that in case of occurring of that "unwanted pregnancy" she might be left on her own with this "issue", without even a support from her motherland, she would definitely want to protect herself from this danger using every available method, even if this method will be radical and even life-changing. Unfortunately, in most of situations, women are suffering later because of their radical solutions not to have children at all that were summoned by lack of governmental solution in the sphere of available abortions or lack of possibility to have a child in a moment when she had an opportunity, but could not afford it.

Sometimes, radical solutions found by women are not completely theirs though. As soon as we know, sterilization and female organs mutilation are some of methods of committing the sexual and physical violence towards women nowadays. According to a general statistics provided by European Gender Equality Index [2] as well as on the basis of merits provided by Council of Europe HELP online courses on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence [13], every third woman in the World is violated, at least once in her life, most of them constantly suffer from domestic violence. According to the fact, that around 80% of perpetrators are either partners, or ex-partners, or spouses or ex-spouses, the procedure of protecting all those women is still weak. Mostly because of the fact, that it is always difficult to denounce someone we really love. However, around 600 cases of domestic violence in Europe in the year of 2021 ended by death of the victim [3]. What is happening with other victims then? Mostly, domestic physical violence is tightly accompanied by sexual ones, and perpetrators are not desiring to have as many children as their victim can have as a result of an unprotected sexual act under the violence. And the perpetrator is finding a way: he is forcing his wife/partner/girlfriend to operation of sterilization to be "always confident not to have children at all". Victims are mentally weak and not just because of systematic violence, but also because of indifference from their State and organs responsible for helping such a victim. Why? Because, one such a woman will try to denounce her offender in more than 70% responsible officers will pose million and million of questions like "Why did not you denounce him earlier? Why do you still live with him? Cannot you really provide for yourself?" etc. It makes the level of victim's belief to a State lesser and makes her feel lonely and unwanted even by her own State. That is why the level of denouncing is decreased.

That is why offenders can still force victims to sterilization or even to mutilate reproductive organs of victims in domestic conditions by himself (with a consequence of the victim's death mostly, of course), or, for example, the perpetrator feel free to force his victim to a "black abortion operation" abroad, in case if his victim is still fertile.

The market of legal abortion operation is bright, rich and unable to be taken under control. It can be widely popular even on the territory of the countries, where legally the abortion operation is prohibited. That is why the postulate of "abortion trip" or "abortion travel" has appeared. The State is officially counter-abortion, however, the "travelers" that come with their "unsolved issue" being forced by the perpetrator (or even by economic and other conditions that were mentioned by us before) that make the victim desire to ask for abortion operation, find "black doctors" willing to help them in exchange for some amount of money. According to the fact, that these "black doctors" are always questioned (because it is difficult to imagine ourselves an honored doctor delivering such "black services" in the underground), lack of necessary antiseptics lead to multiple side effects, including death of the woman or future infertility and other severe diseases. As we have told before, there is surely a risk that illegal abortion operations are sought not only by victims of domestic violence, they can be sought by also by victims of sexual violence committed by a stranger, or by victims of a group sexual assault, or minors (when the woman is too young to give birth according to a social point of view), or, probably, as we have additionally mentioned, she is not able or ready to provide for her child in this very moment of her life. In any case, results and consequences are the same, risks are same, mortality is too high and, what is more, lack of "legal documentation" on these "black abortions" lead to inability to bring these "black doctors" to justice. And all these matters, despite being resulted by domestic violence or violence against woman, or being a such a quasi free choice of woman, who is looking for solutions abroad, because she is not able to afford the child, in each case, this is the most clear and real consequences of a weak abortion legislation in this State or other.

Because the solution for somehow unwanted pregnancies will be found, despite of critics narrated by the government, or the church, or the society, the solution will be found, and either this solution will be safe and will be able to protect woman from negative consequences of the "underground abortion" and give her an opportunity to become a mother some times later, or she will be doomed to suffer from negative consequences of her choice for whole her life, all of this depends only and exceptionally by the State. While the State will be still represented by a dominance of men, who will still try to raise the level of fertility in the country by trying to enslave a women's ability to decide on her own body and life. As long as we have lack of equality in the government (however, it is officially claimed that the tendency of equality is being kept), despite brutal legal measures trying to limit women's control on her own body and life, such a legislation will still lead to future decreasing of the fertility curve line.

Why it is also so important to make abortion operation available for women and legally as well socially accepted? First of all, when woman is coming to a gynecologist for her first visit upon her pregnancy, when the doctor will support woman literally in every her possible solution and make her know that actually every her solution will be realizable, this woman will be more up to protect and keep her pregnancy even despite all difficulties that she might face in the future. Again and again, we shall underline that people are tended to behave in a radical and emotional way only when they do not see an available solution, or this "desirable solution" is blocked or limited for them. If abortion will become an available option (as it is supposed to be in a democratic state which supports postulates of equality and personal liberty), the solution of getting rid of an unwanted pregnancy will become not "so desirable" as it is nowadays.

Because, when something is available for us every minute of our life, we are not so interested in this solution any more. To add, the doctors are tended to be more understandable and emphatic comparing to law enforcement officers (however, this lack of balance is inappropriate), that is why by claiming the pregnancy even as a result of sexual assault or domestic sexual violence, the victim would not know that the doctor is also not a proper "helper" in this case and only one thing he/she can do is to finish off the victim saying to her that the abortion is prohibited (and therefore graving her emotional condition), in our desirable state of things, the victim will be protected as by the State (by possessing the liberty to think deeply and decide on her pregnancy, and to interrupt it in case of necessity), as by an ability to calm the emotions with usual human conversation with the doctor, who can also sometimes become a better supporter than law enforcement and who can possible help in denouncing the domestic violence properly.

Such tendency namely will be not just more supportive, as it was mentioned before, it can also become a "life raft" for women, because perpetrators will stop feeling so all-mighty to commit everything they want to, they will feel a possible responsibility for their crimes and the fact that the rights of women are fully protected by the support of the State will make women desire to have children more than in case of uncertainty that exists now.

Medical aspects. Hereby it would be quite useful to mention that main medical aspects are profoundly connected with social, moral and economic ones, while those that are medical remain as an advanced consequence of previous three. Therefore, we emphasize specifically here: social and economic aspects: according to EUROSTAT data, an average age of separating from parents among boys and girls in the EU particularly is around 2633 years old. There are lots of prerequisites that make this statistics true. Namely: 1) while the student frequents studies at the University/Polytechnic/ Technic school, there is barely an opportunity to find a job to provide oneself completely without a need of financial support from parents. First of all, in the aim of completing proper education, an individual is supposed to study full-time, while the distance learning is mostly preferable like the second higher education or like an opportunity to upgrade competences that already exist. And it is not just a prejudice which is popular in the European society.

Frankly speaking, it is rather not a prejudice. There is a practical aspect which predetermines this necessity, i.e. while an individual is obtaining the first higher education he/she is supposed not just to learn a lot, but also to practice his/her skills under the control of professionals teachers. Before an individual will be able to control oneself personally while upgrading its competences, these competences are supposed to be learnt qualitatively. Otherwise, this individual will be competitive enough to apply for a good job position ever. If so, this individual is almost separated from the opportunity to work during studies. It also predetermines a lack of possibility to provide for. Therefore, with no proper opportunity to gain enough money, even by taking the part-time job young people mostly decide to remain at parents' home, as parents still desire and are able to support an individual financially and also materially (by providing him/her with food, housing, clothing etc). After competing the studies the situation barely changes due to the fact that the job position which is able to provide an individual with a good salary and conditions is mostly unavailable for freshly graduated ex-students, most of "highly desirable" employers expect employees with a specific practical experience, which was not available for obtaining during studies and not is not available for "rapid gaining" as well.

As a result, this individual remains "limited" from opportunities to separate from his/her parents a little bit (or not a little bit) longer. It addition, it is also worth to mention that the more individuals remain in the parents' house the more they become "addicted" to the level of comfort they possess by living like that, because with a high level of personal comfort in such circumstances the necessity and desire to go somewhere, to take personal responsibility for something and, especially, to ground its personal family, remain difficult to realize. At the same time, individuals are highly against grounding families while living with their parents. Everybody wants instead to be financially independent, to have their own housing possibilities and to be fully professionally successful (at least up to an appropriate desirable level). Sometimes, parents of these individual also support the necessity to wait with creating family until all these practical matters will be settled. However, if the family is even supportive, the high level of personal pride which is typical for new generations does not allow these individuals to become husband/wife/parents while being dependent from their parents.

It is rather possible for them like the last and unwanted solution, while the same solution was completely normal for generation of our parents that were quite well with necessity of sharing the living space with older generations because of lack of other opportunities. The issue of being limited and desire to obtain freedom "to proceed with something more" lead to building "unserious relationship" or will to "live together without documenting relationship" which will exist literally for years. At the same time, by understanding the whole situation as well as while being unsettled under couple of prisms, it is obvious that young people decide to postpone an idea of becoming parents for long years ahead, which also leads to decreasing the general curve of fertility level in Europe.

And the whole situation is absolutely comprehensible, while "the family cannot be built under the conditions of instability". Are there only inner factors that do not support the idea of founding family in such circumstances? - Rather not, because comparing the university realities of our parents' and grandparents' generations and ours one, we can definitely emphasize that previous generations were definitely more family- and children-oriented than we are as well as they were so even by taking into account studies, limited finances, unstable job position on the very beginning etc, however, in our realities the fact of being a parent while obtaining your first higher education (after school mostly) is generally anti-concerned or concerned rather neutrally than positively. Modern prejudices and biases transform young parents into people that literally "lose their opportunities for self-development for the sake of their baby" and, what is more, because of unclear reasons these prejudices remain alive and popular, likewise creates our modern realities and prisms under which young individuals observe their life perspectives. Therefore, unfortunately, as long as idea of being young parents remains "unpopular", the curve of fertility level will suffer as well;

- moral aspects: the sooner we become more tolerative towards LGBTQ+ pairs officially, the more our society remains conservative in our minds up to nowadays. Our modern generation will not blame those people of making coming- out though as it was typical for previous generations, but still there are people that border their friendship or work relationship with LGBTQ+ persons and, what is more, there is still a great percentage of people that while tolerating same-sex pairs and marriages do not tolerate surrogate motherhood services for them or in-vitro procedures combining them with surrogate motherhood, thinking that those people either do not have to have children or have to adopt babies from orphanages. As long as the second option is not the worst idea, but an optimal solution undoubtedly, still same-sex pairs shall have a freedom to decide, which option will be better for them. Moreover, they along with their offsprings shall be protected not just legally, but also societally and mentally from being bullied for the fact that their parents have same sex or that the child was born from in-vitro procedure using the services of the surrogate motherhood. The children shall not be bullied among themselves and shall not be divided into "properly conceived" and "non-properly conceived". When our European society will think more outside the box and be more perceptive towards all possible family and birth-giving solution that may take place, our fertility curve will also be optimized;

- the aforementioned facts lead us to understanding of the main medical aspect of our problematic: due to long lasting financial and relationship instability among younger generation, individuals are more up to have children after being separated from their parents, i.e. at around 30-33 years old, what cannot leave the mother's and father's health without negative effects. Our organism is tended to cumulate negative effects of environment, influence of stress, diseases and illnesses that were experienced by individuals, and, the more person experience it, the more negative effects will be reflected on the health of fetus or even on the probability of having pregnancy loses or malfunctions, while one will take place. At around five decades ago, a typical "normal age" of giving birth to children (at least first ones) was proclaimed in the frame of 18-25 years old, according to medical postulates of those times. Medical doctors of those times were sure that after 25 y.o. a probability to give birth to an absolutely healthy child is decreased almost to 0%. The level of quality of medical services is changed positively though. However, while we are observing the dependance between raising the average age of giving birth among our generation's individuals and the general average number of children that born in our families we can clearly postulate that the aforementioned "medical rule" works, if not completely, then highly probably. The older people (especially, making the focus on women's health) give birth to their children, the higher is probability of not just "sharing" maternal and parental diseases to the child, but also the lesser become health and physical possibility to successfully deliver the second and the further pregnancy. That is the main reason, why the curve of fertility level decreases under the prism of this category.

Philosophical aspect

According to the theory of utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, all people's action are directed to obtaining the highest level of pleasure and to maximize it [1]. Two philosophers were not agree with each other actually on ways and kinds of pleasures that were supposed to be obtain, as J.S.Mill was up to think that all pleasures can be distinguished into higher and lower ones, while J. Bentham's opinion declared that it actually does not matter, by using what types of pleasures person is able to maximize his/her good feelings in life. Moreover, the quintessence of utilitarian theory was that generally everything what do we do as individuals is divided into actions that bring us either pleasure or pain.

Therefore, the utilitarian theory focuses on importance for people to maximize pleasure while decreasing level of possible pain. Utilitarianism, as a philosophical theory, deserves our close attention due to the fact that it describes some aspects and prerequisites of the fertile level curve decrease in a splendid and accurate way. Namely, the simplified tendency to obtain and keep "all you life for yourself as long as possible" is also one of utilitarianism direction. We would like "to see the World, to travel, to enjoy life, to refuse high level of responsibilities" so to realize postulates that cannot walk hand in hand with an idea of marriage and having kids. However, this thought of being unable to combine role of parents, marriage with individuals leaving their life and enjoying it in full is mostly prejudice, because there are lots of people completing this "impossible combination" in their everyday life. Despite this fact, this prejudice is painful and dangerous, it becomes even more and more popular day after day.

Young people can barely imagine themselves being parents till they... (be financially stable, see the whole World, enjoy the life in full etc), and, what is more, every single day there are lots of hidden anti-child market tricks that subconsciously make younger generation into kids' haters. What does it mean? It is absolutely not such impossible for understanding nowadays, that popular emphasizes about developing and enjoying our personal liberties in full before founding a proper family with kids was actually a basis for a successful child-free point of view. It was the time, when people started distinguishing "reaching the level of highest pleasure in enjoying their life" vs being a proper husband/wife and a parent as soon as possible, which was typical for older generations.

An idea of associating being child-free or to postpone procreating children, until all pleasures of life will be reached is improper though, however it makes an inappropriate understanding of real pleasures in life. There are no doubts, that everybody has a right to decide on his/her own life and do as he/she pleases. But, when the idea of equalizing being parent with finalizing a free and beautiful life full of pleasures appears, it starts tipping the scales in the child-free or temporarily child-free zone. And this attitude appears to be dangerous, while logically children cannot disturb "a beautiful life plan" and "enjoying the individual's personal liberties". The child-free or temporarily child-free is supposed to be absolutely tolerated, but on the basis of real decision non dependent on societal prejudices and fashion tendencies.

At the same time, last five years bring us child-free hotels, restaurants, cafes and the newest trend of 2023 - child-free planes' cabins. It is barely possible to underestimate a necessity, value and importance of passengers' and clients's tranquillity and comfort, but neither towards pets nor, especially!, towards children we cannot allow such an attitude, because the tranquillity of some passengers (literally children' haters) will cost a demographic crisis in the future. And now, why? Let us decline observing statistics and think logically: people who already have kids do understand that children can be naughty and noisy during flight, visit to a restaurant and during the stay in the hotel. But, it is an absolutely normal tendency, as each of us was a child once upon a time. While we are starting separating children from some services we, implicitly, separate (what is obvious) their parents from this kind of services. Are we talking about exceptionally material loses of hotels, restaurants and air companies owners? - No, not at all.

On one hand, we are talking about direct discrimination of children's rights (so we are limiting human rights on the basis of their age), as here we are not talking about bordering rights of children while prohibiting them watching some kinds of films which are not legally allowed for their age, or limiting using cigarettes or drinking alcohol, also on the legal basis. Here we are talking about a direct discrimination of human rights of a child to be present somewhere and to use some kind of services that are not prohibited for kids legally, but just on the basis of peoples' opinion and their inadequate tendency to seek for tranquillity. On the other hand, though, the kind of moral influence in parents which is created in a such way is moving their minds to a decision not to use some services (not to provoke people, who are children's haters, and, therefore, to limit some kinds of their rights and even pleasures), and, implicitly, also not to think about having more kids in future, because since this time even kids' lovers will treat a parents' role like a role where an individual will be actually bordered in couple of his rights and pleasures. What is more, here we are not talking about a phantom bordering of something which makes a human life more interesting, intensive and marvelous, the point here is that the idea of having child (not just in the everyday life), but specifically while going out or traveling somewhere, make parents feel like outcast, which sooner or later will start associating an idea of being a parent with the idea of feeling moral pain. This is actually the second side of utilitarian theory.

And, as we have already postulated, even the most kids' lovers will feel this painful experience acutely. Due to the fact and utilitarian theory as well, all individuals try to avoid feeling each type of pain, especially moral one. Humans do not feel well while being outcasts and nowadays such kinds of limits can literally border our inner freedom and feeling of societal security. Therefore, the idea of living "proper life" in the society will be some time tightly associated with remaining child-free, while "busy bodies parents" will become outcasts living "improper and uninteresting life" beyond the society. This tendency is directly dangerous for future fertility rate in Europe. We shall stop separating people and therefore discriminating them because of each reason, especially, when we want to avoid demographic catastrophe it would be better to memorize that children cannot bother anyone. If so, the only one people that shall be separated with their "ingenious ideas" are those ones, that claim their haters' theories. The idea of proud parenthood must be societally protected and therefore we will reach a positive increasing in the fertility rate.

Conclusions

To sum up, there are numerous prerequisites that predetermine a decrease in a fertility rate in Europe. Nowadays, the population decrease is rather a tendency which becomes a logical consequence of all hidden and obvious reasons that we have been talking about in the current article. Therefore, to eliminate all aforementioned prerequisites and overcome the potential population and fertility rate crisis we shall take the following actions:

- there should be no space for closing eyes on the domestic violence and violence against women. Women, girls are supposed to be protected and feel that the State is taking care of them all the time. There should appear real and practical tools of punishing penetrators and protecting women's rights and freedom from the violence;

- the proper abortion legislation is the most acute issue of nowadays. Women cannot be enslaved by legal postulates, tendencies, theories and customs that make her feel like in prison without a right to do as she pleases and to control her own body and life. Pro-feminine abortion legislation will eliminate numerous cases of lethal and other dangerous consequences of illegal abortions, as well as make women more confident in their right to take different kinds of decisions thoughtfully. Thus, a lesser number of women will try to eliminate their "unwanted pregnancy" as soon as possible and will decide to keep a child with an appropriate support of the State;

- the fact of having children and being parents cannot make individuals in outcasts; they cannot be limited in using specific services and modern comforts just because of accompanying a kid. Tranquillity of some open-minded children's haters cannot prevail over pride of being parents to future generations. Parenthood cannot be a source of moral pain, it should turn to fact of being one of the greatest human pleasures. And this is a proper direction of modern tendencies development in the sphere of pro-population activity;

- in the aim of supporting childbirth we shall also remember about same-sex pairs, LGBTQ+ persons that also want not just to create a social cell, but also procreate using all tools available for them including surrogate motherhood and in- vitro procedures. Therefore, neither same-sex parents not their children cannot be objects for bullying among their peers and/or parent of children from "traditional parents". Equality among couples, children and people is supposed not be just proclaimed legally, but also societally current.

fertility women trauma abortion

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11. The World Bank Data, fertility rate, total births per woman (1960-2021)

12. Official web-page of Council of Europe HELP online-courses for legal professionals

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