See Elon Musk, who said the decline in women having children is “one of the biggest risks to civilisation”. But a pompous letter from the government and the promise of free egg freezing – which is far from a panacea – is unlikely to do much about the falling fertility rate anywhere. Women having babies into their 40s is a sign of advances in healthcare and not something we should be unduly alarmist about. Why?Opens in new window ]But, at the same time, these women presumably didn’t just wake up one day and think “Oops! Not a chiding letter about their declining egg reserves – or even an offer of egg freezing, or a complimentary night in a hotel in exchange for a bit of babymaking.

Source: The Irish Times February 14, 2026 15:01 UTC