The recent ‘prophecy’ of Elon Musk, who warned of the risk of ‘extinction’ that Italy runs by commenting on the data on the inexorable decline in births that have been going on for years, has rekindled the spotlight on the problem for a few days. “But regardless of what” the entrepreneur known for his vision of the future says, “there is an objective fact: the constant decrease in the number of children born in Italy. This year we are under 400 thousand. if we remove the approximately 60 thousand who are born “of foreign parents,” it emerges that Italian parents have approximately 340 thousand children “in a year. This is the alarm launched at time.news Salute by Filippo Maria Ubaldi, president of the Italian Society of Fertility and Sterility-Reproductive Medicine (Sifes-Mr).
“In 1965, couples residing in Italy gave birth to about a million. The difference is there for all to see. We are facing a seriously dangerous condition – he underlines – perhaps not comparable to war, but undoubtedly one of the most important problems. Unfortunately, however, there is talk of denatality only in the week following the release of the Istat data “.
Speaking on the occasion of the congress of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (Eshre), taking place in Milan from 3 to 6 July, the expert returns to analyze the roots of denatality. “The reasons – he observes – are many and very complex and concern social situations. Surely they are having children more and more later and this leads to a reduction in the probability of having a child. In analyzing the reasons for this, there are those who trivialize by saying that women do not want children, without considering, for example, that men too have a weight and may not take responsibility for having them “.
And in any case, he points out, this is a piece of the problem. “Other factors also weigh.” One in particular. “There is no welfare that is instead present in other countries such as France, and which in 30 years has allowed us to bring the replacement rate beyond the Alps from 1.3 to 1.99”, closer to the ideal level to maintain natural turnover of the population. “Today in Italy we are at 1.3, which is how they were 30 years ago in France when it was decided to invest tens and tens of billions for welfare and this was the result for them”.
“Just think of taxes – continues Ubaldi talking about the French experience – one child brings a 25% reduction in taxes, two children of 50% and three children of 75%. All these things, in addition to kindergartens and management facilities. of children, encourage children to have children. The policy says that we must try to facilitate the probability for couples to have children, but it does so in the week following the presentation of the Istat data. Then these good intentions are set aside, forgotten “.
Therefore, the president of Sifes-Mr urges, “Elon Musk is right. If we continue with this decrease in” births “I don’t know where we will go. We are the black jersey country in Europe, in the world the Japanese are”. But what appeal would fertility doctors make? “We are asking for more information in the first place. We would like the message to be conveyed that children must be done as soon as possible. Undoubtedly, more and more access to medically assisted procreation techniques must be guaranteed”, underlines Ubaldi. In this regard, the expert explains: “Together with other colleagues in the technical commission of the Ministry of Health we have edited the proposal for the new Lea, which has been accepted by the ministry” and now has to face a final step. “We hope that the path will come to an end before the end of the year”, he hopes.
“It is an interesting proposal – he comments – because it allows you to go for good medically assisted procreation in public facilities, facilitating access, regardless of the region in which you are, from North to South. And avoiding the very long queues that can be observed. today in some hospitals, and migrations from one region to another. All this work is important. However – Ubaldi reiterates – the question of denatality cannot be relegated to the issue of enhancing assisted fertilization, because this offers a 4% about the children born in Italy. The most important thing remains to provide information. Build a culture on fertility issues “.