Raise that birth rate!
Day off to procreate
September 13, 2007 09:30am
THE Russian region of Ulyanovsk has found a novel way to fight the nation’s birth-rate crisis by declaring today the Day of Conception and is giving couples time off from work to procreate.
The hope is for a brood of babies exactly nine months later on Russia’s national day. Couples who "give birth to a patriot" during the June 12 festivities win money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes.
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Do you think Australians should be given a day off to procreate and boost the population? What would we call the day - Life. Begin it? Maybe hold it on Labour Day.
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Ulyanovsk, about 900 kilometres east of Moscow, has held similar contests since 2005. Since then, the number of competitors, and the number of babies born to them, has been on the rise.
Russia, with one-seventh of Earth’s land surface, has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled countries in the world. With a low birth rate and a high death rate, the population has been shrinking since the early 1990s.
In his state-of-the-nation address last year, President Vladimir Putin called the demographic crisis the most acute problem facing Russia and announced a broad effort to boost Russia’s birth rate, including cash incentives to families that have more than one child.
Ulyanovsk Gov. Sergei Morozov has added an element of fun to the national campaign.
The 2007 grand prize went to Irina and Andrei Kartuzov, who received a UAZ-Patriot, a sport utility vehicle. Other contestants won video cameras, TVs, refrigerators and washing machines.
Eep. I hope there is some kind of clause that invalidates elective ceasarians on that day or the rate would go through the roof!
Oh,personally I’m not sure I like the idea but that is probably at least partly due to the comments already made here in AU about “one for him, one for her, one for the country” and my fear that there will be many unwanted children because of it.
Comment by Ness — September 14, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
I agree with you Ness.
This is akin to the family first party wanting to offer $10,000 for families to have a third child. Personally i think it would encourage many more babes that are only wanted to for the pay out and not for the sheer joy of the child.
Alex
PS- keep up the good work Emily. Reading your blog has really whetted my appetite for BMid next year. Now I just have to cross my fingers i am one of the lucky ones who gets in. I so dont want to do nursing.. Oh no, not the medwife avenue (grimace)..
Comment by Alex — September 19, 2007 @ 9:07 pm