… The country’s leaders should tell people who bring a lot of children into the world: ‘It’s irresponsible, you’re doing bad to your children and your families. You behave irresponsibly towards your environment. ‘ I suggest that everyone with a stage and a microphone will tell those segments of the population: ‘You are not right.’ The more people there are, the greater the chance of falling below the poverty line. It is difficult for the state to care for large families and to keep them above the poverty line. We are growing at a tremendous speed. We are a very crowded country. Even the Negev is not so empty. No one is referring to this point … There is no developed country in the world approaching the birth rates of the State of Israel. Rooting makes a lot of children. The number of ultra-Orthodox children has increased three-fold since the 1960s when the number was 2.6 – less than secular doctors. Today the number is more than 7.
Dr. Avi Simhon, 09.11.2010, Sderot Conference for Society.