Birth Rates Are Low. Can A “Fertility President” Fix That?
Birth Rates Are Low. Can A “Fertility President” Fix That?  
Podcast: Smart Girl Dumb Questions
Published On: Tue Jul 21 2026
Description: And does it even need to be fixed? In this episode Nayeema tries to understand whether demographic collapse is a crisis or a con job. She sits down with Malcolm and Simone Collins, a New Right pronatalist couple with ties to the Heritage Foundation and Elon Musk and policy drafts being submitted for White House consideration. They have 5 kids, 30 embryos on ice and aspirations to keep going til Simone’s uterus “falls out”. On the agenda: why aren’t people having kids (is it a modern marriage crisis, does picking embryos based on IQ make you a eugenicist, and in a movement that intersects with racist overtones are the Collins interested in drawing a line in the sand or in co-opting controversy in their aspirations of fame? Also: how does one afford five to twelve kids anyway? Whether you think they're visionaries or completely off the rails, this is one conversation you won't forget. Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ.  Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR PREGNANT FRIEND.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices