Kansas City’s birthrate winces from a recent vasectomy

The economic downturn poses a quandary for straight couples. Sex is a fun activity that doesn’t come with a Ticketmaster surcharge. But it can result in the creation of a dependent who requires diapers, formula and a phone plan with unlimited texting.

Area couples appear to be doing a little bedroom math, because fewer babies are being born in Kansas City. One public-health official suspects that the recession is causing more couples to take steps to avoid pregnancy.