St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves is pushing women of childbearing age to have more children as the country’s birth rate falls. On Monday, May 27, 2024, Gonsalves conducted a news conference in the Cabinet Room, mostly to discuss his recent trip to Taiwan.
As a result of the drop in birth rates, Gonsalves proposed that more women aged 25 to 35 have more children.
“We need them to have a few more babies,” the prime minister explained.
His proposal is predicated on the fact that “the population—the birth rate—is falling.”
People in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are living longer lives, resulting in an older population and fewer new births.
“We have to replenish the population, which is stagnant and getting older,” he said.
The Prime Minister emphasised that we must confront the realities of the need for new births while cautioning against teenage pregnancies.
“It can’t be replenished by people from Mars; it has to be replenished by real flesh and blood women.”
He acknowledged that many women in their childbearing years are preoccupied with their careers, but advised them to continue trying to grow their families.
“The civilisation has to find a way of replenishing itself and advancing.”
