Two nations are having a crisis on pregnancy. Italy is launching a Fertility Day campaign to urge women to get pregnant since the birth rate is declining, while Venezuela is doing the opposite. Clinics in this South American country are offering "sterilization day" to ensure that women won't get pregnant. Both instances address one issue despite the differences in circumstances: being pregnant is very costly for many families.
On Sept. 22, the government of Italy will spearhead the Fertility Day campaign to encourage young women to get pregnant and help improve on the country's dwindling birth rate. Quartz reports that campaign posters and advertisements in relation to Fertility Day have cropped up on the internet early on.
But the drive has resulted in a backlash because the ads have been done in bad taste. Some cite the context of the Fertility Day campaign as "offensive, sexist and violent" to women, per this Twitter post. This particular ad says, "Beauty has no age. But fertility does."
Should I really explain why I find the #fertilityday offensive, sexist and violent?
Shame on @bealorenzin pic.twitter.com/jQLN4Wx2A6— elena biserna (@elenabiserna) August 31, 2016
Italian women have been delaying pregnancy or are choosing not to have babies because there is a lack of proper policies in the government to help support women's cause. As it is, mothers don't get a lot of benefits from the government when daycare, children's health care and education are expensive.
Worse, working moms are also not expected to return to work after giving birth. Some companies in Italy can fire women if they get pregnant, per CBS News. If mothers don't work, how can they afford to support their children with just their husband's income? How can they advance in their career, if they wish to also do this aside from being a mom?
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, women are trying to avoid pregnancy for a somewhat similar issue in relation to economics. Many families cannot afford food and medicine, let alone baby items and needs. But beyond these, there's also a social unrest in Venezuela as crime is high and the political climate is volatile, per Fox News Latino. Many believe the time is not right to bring a child into the world.
But because they cannot abort babies nor use contraception, due to stringent Venezuelan government laws and culture, clinics are reportedly conducting "sterilization day" operations for women. The report notes that the slots for this are limited, but clinics already have over 500 women in the waiting list. Learn more about Venezuela's "sterilization day" in the video below.
