Mary Kenny
US second lady Usha Vance touches her abdomen after disembarking Marine Two as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland June 20, 2026. “We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning, July 19,” JD Vance said in a statement. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our three other kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.” Photo: OSV News / Elizabeth Frantz, pool via Reuters. The US Vice-President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha have recently welcomed the birth of their fourth child. Yet American fertility as a whole continues to plummet. It’s down to an average of 1.6 infants per woman, with a marked trend, as elsewhere, towards the one-child family.
Meanwhile, in China, society is coping with the outcome of the one-child policy of the 1980s and 90s, which was accompanied by forced abortions and infanticide. China has an ageing population – 20% of Chinese are over 60 – and there are 250 million only children who care for ageing parents alone, with no sibling support.
And because of sex-selective abortion, favouring sons, it’s estimated there are between 28 and 35 million more Chinese males than females. These are depressingly known as ‘leftover men’ as most of them will have little chance of marrying or having their own families because of the missing girls.
“The best thing my parents did for me was give me siblings,” a young woman said to me, being one of four. I’m sure Mr and Mrs Vance’s offspring will feel similarly pleased to have the company of sibs.