After big holidays, snowstorms or natural disasters there is a belief that 9 months later more babies than usual are typically born. Will be see the same thing nine months from now after the passing of Hurricane Irene?
Nine months after the blackout of 2003, a few scientists jumped in to debunk the myth. "The origin of the myth is generally traced to the New York blackout on Nov. 9, 1965, and has been anecdotally linked to everything from ice storms to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Evidence does not support an increase in fertility after these kinds of events, Morgan said (S. Philip Morgan, a Duke professor of sociology and demography and then president of the Population Association of America). He goes further to say "Even if the blackout did encourage people to have more sex, that's only one factor in the creation of a baby boom. Many couples still would be using contraception or would not be able to conceive on the night (or two) of the blackout. Finally, even if the couple conceives, they may not be able to carry the child to term or choose not to do so,"
So even if we don't have a ton of Hurricane babies nine months from now, it does seem to me that science is indicating a lot more sex than normal may have taken place this weekend. Anyone interested in corroborating this hypothesis?
To read more about the science of emergency babies: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040512044711.htm