National is literally paying people to make babies

Stuff.co.nz
30 August, 2017

You read it here first folks: we are one election bribe away from paying couples to procreate. Forget what you might have heard about personal responsibility and that you shouldn't have children you can't afford. This is an election year, after all.

As part of a "Parents and Newborns Package" announced on Tuesday, the National Party have increased funding towards IVF treatment. National are not just claiming to support existing families. If you want a baby, they'll help out with that too.

Those who are eligible are already able to receive two rounds of taxpayer-funded IVF treatment. The new announcement will extend this to a third.

In Health Minister Jonathan Coleman's words, the reasoning behind the policy is that "all New Zealanders deserve the chance to have a family so we are also pleased to be able to stand behind people struggling to conceive, through funding for an extra IVF for those who need it."

The statement might have felt like a punch in the ovaries for families who are already struggling to make ends meet. It might have also raised some eyebrows amongst those voters who call for fiscal prudence so that taxpayers' money is targeted at those most in need.

The middle-class bias of the IVF policy is not so much a whisper, but a baby shriek.

The policy neglects one of the major reasons families cannot afford to have children, or delay having children when they are most fertile. It comes down to the major weakness so far in National's record: housing costs. 

The rising cost of housing is affecting childbearing decisions. In a world where housing inflation is greatly outpacing growth in incomes, even those earning a decent wage are having to choose between the house or a baby. 

And it makes sense. When your living situation is insecure because of renting, and all your savings are going towards a deposit, having a kid just isn't financially viable. Besides, whichever way you conceive, the costs don't stop once the baby is born.

For the middle-class, patience and optimism might someday ensure they get on the housing ladder. In the current climate, those on lower incomes wanting to start a family cannot be so certain that their patience will be rewarded.

Addressing the housing crisis is the most pressing issue for families and prospective parents of all income levels. If all New Zealanders truly deserve a chance to raise a family, then addressing the one thing that is eating up our incomes the most makes sense.

IVF treatment is expensive. Worse, it is an incredibly precarious and emotionally gruelling process. Rather than fund people to go through the anguish of baby roulette, surely a government espousing principles of social investment would do better to focus on ensuring would-be parents are in a financially secure position during their most fertile years. 

A social investment approach might also look into improvements to our adoption system.  It is a travesty that there are children in need of loving homes, and couples wanting to open their doors and hearts, but they get tied up in bureaucratic tape. 

When National announced $18 GP visits for Community Services cardholders, Labour slashed their policy to $10. When National extended Paid Parental Leave to 22 weeks, Labour re-stated its promise of 26 weeks. 

With this kind of one-upmanship, it is only a matter of time before an opposition party offers to pay people to make babies the old fashioned way. And they say politics has no place in the bedroom.

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