Secular Baby-Making, or Lack Thereof

My dad recently left a comment with a link to this USA Today article about the Red States out-populating the Blue States (for more of my thoughts on this, see It's the Sex, Stupid).

Here's another article, along the same vein, from The Washington Times on on how the French Government is paying well-educated, working women to produce a third child.

I suppose none can truly deny the influence a mother (or whomever is raising the children) has upon the next generation -- even upon whether or not that next generation will have children of their own.

They say that man is mighty,
He governs land and sea,
He wields a mighty scepter
O'er lesser powers that be;
But a mightier power and stronger
Man from his throne has hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
-- William Ross Wallace, 1865 or 66