In his view, young Austrians who fail to procreate are committing national suicide.
The chemist who made a key discovery leading to the invention of thebirth control pill has written a commentary calling demographic declinein Europe a “horror scenario” and a “catastrophe” brought on in part bythe pill’s invention.
Mr. Carl Djerassi, now 85 years old, was one of three researcherswhose formulation of the synthetic progestagen Norethisterone marked akey step in the creation of the first oral contraceptive pill, theGuardian reports.
In a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard,Djerassi said his invention is partly to blame for demographicimbalance in Europe. On the continent, he argued, there is now “noconnection at all between sexuality and reproduction.”
“This divide in Catholic Austria, a country which has on average 1.4 children per family, is now complete,” he wrote.
Djerassi described families who had decided against reproduction as“wanting to enjoy their schnitzels while leaving the rest of the worldto get on with it.”
The fall in the birth rate, he claimed, was an “epidemic” far worsebut less highlighted than obesity. In his view, young Austrians whofail to procreate are committing national suicide.
If it is not possible to reverse the demographic decline, an “intelligent immigration policy” will be necessary, Djerassi said.**
According to the Guardian, Archbishop of Vienna Cardinal ChristophSchonborn told Austrian TV that Pope Paul VI had predicted the pillwould cause a dramatic fall in the birth rate.
“Somebody above suspicion like Carl Djerassi … is saying that eachfamily has to produce three children to maintain population levels, butwe’re far away from that,” the cardinal said.
**The only “intelligent immigration policy”we can think of would be for Austria to offer tax breaks and other incentives to fellow Europeans who are in committed relationships, to migrate to Austria and voluntarily have children. — Ed.