Spain's 'Baby Benefit' - The Final Countdown

 

Spain's 'Baby benefit cheque', was introduced in July 2007 as an incentive to increase Spain's birth rate from an average of 1.36 for each woman of childbearing age - below the average for the rest of Europe, and to lift the population. As part of the Government's austerity reforms the benefit is now due to come to an end on midnight December 31st.

The benefit is currently pid as a one-off cheque to the value of 2500 Euros.

The deadline has resulted in a significant increase in the number of women seeking inducement or caesarean births in order to give birth before the scheme comes to an end. Few women are daring to state this as being their motive to their Midwife or Doctor and so are 'inventing' symptoms that may mean that they succeed. Either way, this is putting an unnecessary strain on health services.