In a 2012 column dissecting why our country’s fertility plunge is a big deal, Ross Douthat, a columnist for the New York Times, made the point that today’s babies are tomorrow’s taxpayers, workers, and entrepreneurs, and relatively youthful populations speed economic growth and keep spending commitments affordable.

Simply put, fertility rates are important, both on an economical and cultural front, and the downward fertility trend should be alarming to everyone. In order to alter this trend, we should make it easier to raise kids. And as lawmakers, if we accept the notion that taxation can change behavior for businesses, why not for families?