In a time of drastic change and economic uncertainty, Singapore has decided to offer a one-off payment of approximately $7000 USD to couples who have a child during the coronavirus pandemic. Historically, Singapore has had an extremely low birth rate with past initiatives to encourage couples to have more children including cash grants, pre-school subsidies, and even match-making tea dances. With the rise of the coronavirus and its alarming effects on the national and global economy, state officials in Singapore fear that people will refrain from having children due to issues with job security and income uncertainty. This low-fertility trend is one that is becoming increasingly prevalent throughout wealthy countries across the world, with many young couples in Europe abandoning or postponing their plans to have children.
However, whilst the pandemic has caused birth rates in wealthier countries to fall, there has been a dramatic increase in the birth rates of low and middle income countries, where barriers to accessing contraception have only been heightened due to lockdown measures. Additionally, as a result of gender norms, physical violence, or the lack of access to reproductive health services, many couples in low and middle income countries simply do not have the ability to choose when they want to get pregnant. Therefore, whilst countries like Singapore expect COVID to decrease their birth rates, other poorer countries in South-East Asia are preparing for a post-pandemic baby boom. In fact, a recent joint study by University of the Philippines Population Institute and the United Nations Population Fund found that the strict lockdown measures taken in the Philippines might lead to the highest birth rates in nearly 2 decades. This trend is apparent throughout countries across the world, and is increasingly alarming, as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has forecasted the occurrence of nearly 7 million unintended pregnancies, and Maries Stopes International has predicted millions of unsafe abortions globally and an increase in maternal deaths.
As delegates proceed with their research, they should consider how the pandemic has impacted the country they represent. How, for instance, has the pandemic impacted families’ access to family planning services and maternal healthcare? How has the pandemic affected families’ demand for these sorts of resources? Has the pandemic created greater inequities related to access to family planning and maternal healthcare? The COVID-19 pandemic is continuously evolving, and delegates’ answers to these questions will likely shift accordingly. Still, it is important that delegates begin to consider and respond to these issues. The pandemic will almost certainly transform how healthcare and family planning services are offered across the globe. Delegates, then, must consider the implications of these changes and how they might affect the policies they propose.
The Economic and Social Council Blog 