Why Are Pro-Life, Pro-Family Policies Good for Nations?

The birthrate has fallen in most nations below the replacement rate. Some nations are acting to stop the free fall. The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently approved a new budget that is aimed at boosting the national birthrate. S. A. McCarthy at The Daily Signal reported that 1 billion euros (nearly $1.1 billion) was set aside to support mothers and families.

Some of those measures include increased financial aid to working mothers with two or more children, increased government funding for day care facilities, and extended parental leave. Meloni, herself a working mother, said, “We want to dismantle the narrative that birthrate is a disincentive to work. We want to incentivize those who give birth to children and want to work.”

The prime minister added: “We want to establish that a woman who gives birth to at least two children has already made an important contribution to society, and therefore, the state partly compensates by paying social security contributions.

Italy’s birthrate is currently one of the lowest in Europe. At the end of the 19^th century, the Italian birthrate was 5.06 children per woman, but since the 1970s, the birthrate has declined rapidly, dropping from about 2.66 children per woman at the end of the 1960s to 1.24 in 2020, and the population’s average age has increased, with 20% of the population being over the age of 65.

In addition to the measures noted above, Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti implemented a plan earlier this year to adjust tax breaks so taxpayers with children can keep more of their paychecks. He also announced plans to offer income-tax deductions for families: Those with one child may deduct 2,500 euros ($2,641) from their taxes; those with two children may deduct 10,000 euros ($10,567), and those with more than two children may deduct an additional 2,500 euros ($2,641) per child.

When Meloni came to power as prime minister last year with the slogan “Dio, patria, famiglia” (God, fatherland, family), she pledged to make Italian families and the nation’s birthrate priorities for her administration….

Meloni has made family – not just birthrates – a chief focus. She opposes abortion, which is currently legal in Italy during the first 90 days of pregnancy, and same-sex marriage, which is not legally recognized in Italy. Under Meloni’s administration, same-sex partners have also been banned from being listed as parents on a child’s birth certificate; the new laws require both biological parents to be named.

Surrogacy, which Meloni called “an abomination that seeks to reduce human life to a bargaining chip,” is also illegal in Italy, and the prime minister has introduced legislation in Parliament to criminalize Italians seeking surrogacies abroad.

Italy took its inspiration from conservative-led Hungary to bolster families. Under the direction of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary has implemented “a slew of pro-family policies. Last year, for example, Orban exempted mothers under 30 from paying income tax.” In addition, Hungary subsidized “large families and granted tiered tax breaks for mothers.” The entire effort by Hungary is to “support families in [the] country and increase birthrates [by] implementing a slew of pro-family policies.”