Italian Governor Suggests Paying Women to Not Have Abortions, Keep Baby
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 2, 2010
Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) — An Italian governor in a northern region has suggest paying women to not have abortions and, instead, to keep their babies. The idea has come up before but Roberto Formigoni, governor of the Lombardy region, says financial difficulty should never become a reason for an abortion.
He says women should be offered 4,500 euros (about $5,000) divided in monthly installments, to not have an abortion.
Women qualifying for the non-abortion stipend must prove financial difficulty and they would receive the funds in 18 monthly payments to help them take care of the baby until, hopefully, they can make it on their own without government support.
According to a BBC report, Formigoni, a political ally of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said he wanted to support "the family, motherhood and births."
A representative of the Italian Bishops’ Conference told the BBC the Catholic Church supports the idea: "Anything that respects life is to be applauded."
Lombardy has set aside 5 million euros, about $6.1 million, for the idea.
Augusto Colombo, a gynecologist in Milan, told the London Times that the financial offer comes as more Italian women are considering abortions given the difficult financial times worldwide.
“Whoever has trouble making ends meet often decides not to have a child,” he said.
Cinzia Sasso, a feminist writer in Milan, criticized the idea because she says it would only allow 1,000 women to receive the support — ignoring how these women would be helped and how their unborn children would not be killed.
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