IT is baby bonus with an additional twist. In baby-strapped Italy, politicians are proposing that women be paid not to have abortions.
The scheme – put forward by the left – comes at a time when the Roman Catholic church is urging a rethink of the country’s 1978 abortion law, reported The Guardian.
It allows abortion on demand in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Last year a majority of MPs from across all parties succeeded in bringing in a law on assisted fertilisation that gave embryos full rights from the point of conception. This could affect the abortion law. [Source]
If consistancy was ever a measure when it came to abortion laws it would have an effect.
With a general election due in four months, both sides are keen to woo the decisive Catholic vote.
Under the scheme, women with financial problems would get between 250 euro ($495) and 350 euro a month for up to six months before giving birth.
I wonder if the word scheme is used as a perjoraitve here? Regardless this looks to be a serious attempt at one of the causes for women to choose abortion.
The low fertility rate threatens to undermine Italy’s competitiveness and make its welfare system unsustainable.
We must stop abortion not because it is the murder of an innoncent human being, but much worse because it threatens competiveness and the welfare system.
Mr Giuseppe Fioroni, one of three MPs sponsoring the budget amendment, said: ‘We want to prevent children being considered as luxury goods in the way that they are now.’
Mr Rocco Buttiglione, a staunchly Roman Catholic member of the Cabinet, said research showed that ‘a significant share of abortions – between 10 per cent and 15 per cent – take place for economic reasons’.
Of course the story had to include a tie in to the Vatican.
The language issuing from the Vatican has grown stronger in recent weeks with one cardinal describing abortion as ‘the worst kind of murder’.
14 comments
My Italian grandparents were dirt poor subsistence farmers and they had eight children. I don’t even think they had a word for abortion.
The problem in Italy is not a lack of socialism.
We have been studying these things in my International Relations class. In Africa the more family members the better, because they need every one in the family to obtain it’s survival. But I heard the problem in Italy is from the Radical Party, don’t know much about the issue there, but it would be nice to see the U.S. Government pay people not to have abortions.
I whipped up a bumper sticker on Cafe Press that tells a comperable story for those in the US.
Enjoy 🙂
My grandparents were from Durango, Italy and had fourteen children. They arrived in America about 1895. Grandfather was a winemaker. Ah, those were the good days of pasta & vino.
Finally there is a story that mentions the elephant in the living room that everyone has been avoiding.
The Europeans talk of pensions for which there will be no funding. We in the USA talk of a “bankrupt social security system.” The moral bankruptcy of our society has led to a fiscal one as well.
Tony should have come up with another bumper sticker: “Stop killing those who will support your retirement”.
Anything to get the attention of the IGMSY generation. (I’ve Got Mine ….. )
Lord have mercy on us all – especially those in most need of your mercy.
I would think “scheme” is not used perjoratively. I’ve often heard plans by European governments refered to as “schemes”. I’ve also heard an Irish person refer to some plan by the Bush administration (a plan he approved of!) as a “scheme”. So I think it’s just a typical word for a plan or idea.
My family and wifes family are all from Italy and had many children. I know many Italians (from Italy) and the reason they give for this problem is that the woman are independent now, dont want to be bogged down, the men are living home longer and like to have a girlfriend or two, and with industrialization taking root, the Italians, who like the finer things in life, would rather have a “Ferrari” than a child, as that is a quote.
That again just goes to show just how poor the catechism, if there is any at all, in Italy and all of Europe for that matter. I was told that in 30 years without immigration, Italys population could go from 60M to 30M, and that is a travesty
We were taught in our traditional pre-cana, where we met with traditional priests for 8 times for 3 hrs a time one on one before they would dare marry us, that our first and foremost reason to get married, other than love is to populate earth and heaven. Now, there is no precana anywhere, if there is it is given over a weekened with a bunch of other couples or done by some lay couple.
This also goes into the new code of Canon law of JPII which basically makes marriage not a sacrament instituted by Christ but an extension of dating with an annulment, over 60k given last year, available to the highest bidder
Finally! People are beginning to see that there isn’t OVERpopulation, but UNDERpopulation! I’m sure people won’t care, though, because they’ll figure it won’t apply to them to “be fruitful and multiply” and that someone else will do the “dirty work”.
Although the motivation behind the anti-abortion movement is secular, the end result is Divine.
The reason our country of the good old USA is becoming Hispanic is bacause these good people are having more children and much less abortions. We need a higher population here and we’re getting it from the thousands of Mexicans that have crossed out borders and also from Central America. I advise everyone to start learning Spanish because we of European
extraction are dying out and we will be the minority.
Tony, I like your bumper sticker idea.
I remember back when I first met my husband and he was rat holing money, and said it would take a long time to get ready for retirement, that the social security that everyone was getting then would be gone by the time he and I retired. I laughed. I’m not laughing anymore, nor do I think that I will see a nickle of what I’m due. Thank God my husband and I have retirement packages set up all over the place, but then…..what do we do when the banking system crashes and we all loose our retirement money? Will that never happen? Who will take care of us? It won’t be those aborted babies who just didn’t fit into our lives at the time now will it? That one bedroom appt. on the lower east side, on the forth floor, with no heat, and half working appliances could be a lucky find in times to come……..
I’ve heard that Europe is being populated by Muslim immigrants.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to recall something said about the end of the world and the anti-Christ coming from Muslims or something like that when they come into power?
I can only surmise that Europeans, after 2 world wars fought on their soil, figure with the EU and relative peace and industrialism they dont need any children, America, or God for that matter as they are now going to live the good life.
But as France found out a few weeks ago with burning of cars, and as Spain with the Moors, Italy with invasion after invasion (recall Pope St Pius V praying and the defeat of the Moslems?), the Europeans have become a secular society and will be ripe for an overthrow by the Moslems. And as prophesied, many have already said the EU fullfills prophesy in Revelations. And the Vatican continued watered down teachings, Pope Paul VI smashing of the Papal tiarra at the UN (symbolizing that the Pope is no longer King at a secular organization)with Popes now donning a miter and Ecumania running rampant with the One World religion concept being pushed by the Vatican and Cardinal Kasper, one can only wonder when Our Lord will chastise the millions and the Church of Vatican II for rejecting the faith as handed down by sacred scripture and the teachings of the Apostles
Lucy,
My wife and I have made our plans for retirement without taking Social (In)Security or any company provided pensions into account. If we get them, cool. It’s gravy. But the meat of our investment strategy has been personal investments like 401k, 403b, Roth and conventional IRAs.