Cutting back on shopping, cutting back on dining out, and how apparently, cutting back on having children. Hard times, difficult decisions.

“The biggest concern would be the economy,” said Anita Nemakal. “It is hard to raise two kids, already in this economy.”

Anita Nemakal and her husband have two children, but recently, in part because they worry about job security, Anita said she did something to guarantee they’d have no more children.

“This is the metal mico insert that is actually inserted into the fallopian tube,” said Dr. Savitha Krishnan, OB/GYN.

It’s called the Essure procedure, a relatively new form of permanent birth control.

“Iit is kind of hard, because when you look at the other babies, you always feel it is nice to have a little one around,” said Nemakal.

OB/GYN Savitha Krishnan told us in recent months more and more women are confiding in her that they have contemplated abortions because of the economy. And she says, in recent months, the number of couples asking about permanent contraception has approximately doubled.

“Absolutely. At a couple of the procedures that I have done just in the last two or three weeks, 31 patients have actually told me that they could not afford to have another pregnancy. 36 said they would consider terminating another pregnancy, so they want a very sure method of contraception,” said Dr. Krishnan.

Officials with the Women’s Community Clinic in San Francisco help uninsured women and girls with all kinds of medical needs including sexual and reproductive.

Just last week in our drop in clinic, which is an appointment free clinic, we saw a huge increase in the number of women in our waiting room,” said Carlina Hansen, executive director.

Demographers say it’s too early to tell what effect all the economic anxiety will have on the actual birthrate. Babies, after all, are lagging economic indicators. They arrive nine months after production.
But in the past, significant downturns in the economy have affected birthrates. Before the great depression, the birthrate was about 25 per 1000 people. By the time the depression ended, it had dropped to less than 19 per 1000.

“People really have to make very hard decisions at this point in time because they really feel that the quality of life for their first child is going to get impacted if they have a second or a third,” said Dr. Krishnan.

In perhaps another sign that people now worry they can’t afford kids, condom sales have jumped in recent months.

POLITICAL EDITOR RANDY SHANDOBIL
KTVU CHANNEL TWO NEWS

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