Children are expensive, and they require a sacrifice of time and interest by parents. But what is the root cause of Europeโ€™s ongoing demographic suicide โ€” which coincides, by the way, with an explosion of the Muslim demographic on the continent? Prof. Thornton says Europeans are not reproducing because โ€œthe dolce vita lifestyle does not include children.โ€ A Europe that is drawn to instant pleasure has little interest in investing in either children or the future of the Europe.