the deputy Argentine José Luis Espert, of the Avança Liberdade party, drew criticism by warning that the country will become “a gigantic slum” if it does not begin to “put some kind of control” on the birth rate, limiting social assistance plans and promoting of educational and labor measures.
According to Espert, the growth rate of the population of poor families is 4 to 5 times greater than that of the population of middle and upper middle classes.
“This means that, if Argentina does not limit the birth rate of poor families, it will be a gigantic slum in another half century after 60 years of decadence”, declared the legislator to the news portal Infobae.
The economist also proposes to audit the social plans granted by the government and limit those who have “two children and not more” to the Universal Child Benefit (AUH), a monthly subsidy created in 2009 under Cristina Kirchner, currently vice president of the country, and who can be chosen by the father or mother of children under 18 and who is unemployed, whether informal worker, domestic service worker or low-income self-employed.
“If every person benefiting from the plans is subsidized for every child they have, the person will have no control over the birth rate. You have to have responsible parenting. Children have to be loved in order for them to come into the world, because if unloved children come into the world, those unloved children will not receive the affection they deserve, they will be mistreated, they will probably be raped and we will be forming criminals, rapists and murderers in the future,” added.
The deputy was convinced that some sectors decide to have children to obtain more social plans: “Some poor people want to have children to receive the benefit, but others have children because they don’t know how to take care of themselves, they don’t have birth control”.
In this sense, he said that the solution lies in transmitting culture and encouraging people to complete their studies and learn a profession.
“When I talk about birth control, I’m not talking about plugging the tubes, no. That’s a Nazi idea. I say teaching should be done in the slums, in the marginal areas. Birth control is about making culture about responsible parenthood. Children have to come into the world loved, they have to be wanted, sought after,” he declared.
