Italy, the crisis of births: serve 15,000 adoptions a year

Italy, the crisis of births: serve 15,000 adoptions a year

The state of health of a country is based on several factors, not just economic growth, which is essential, but also the environment, culture, education and births. On the latter front, ISTAT (Italian Institute of Statistics) has provided terrible and irrefutable data.

Italy is aging. There are now more than three years that the decline is unstoppable, says the Istat in its report "Birth and fertility of the resident population" havand registered at  546,607, about 15,000 fewer than in 2010.

A disheartening giving, but not surprising. Mainly due to a decline in Italian couples, 40,000 births less than in 2008, but this year also mixed couples (where one partner is foreign) have registered a downward trend in births, inverting the data of recent years. Until last year, in fact, the children of mixed couples continued to grow at a rate of 5,000 children per year, in 2011 instead showed a decrease of 2,000 births. The only good news is that of foreign couples, but also here in a lesser extent than in previous years.

These figures speak for themselves: without a change there is no future for the country of Italy. In the North as in the South, the causes are to be found in the misguided policies that penalize families for years, now put a strain on even the economic crisis. All this concerns also strongly adoptive couples in Italy, burdened by an endless bureaucracy and costs that make the adoption a luxury.

Why not think that a new law on intercountry adoption may compensate for this huge deficit (-15 000 newborns) who is putting the country on his knees? Adoption can be an opportunity for Italy to get closer cooperation with the countries, an important showcase for a stronger foreign policy but also a great response to the crisis of births, now seen almost with resignation.

Otherwise, the line in the birth rate will continue its nosedive and the hope of a future for the beautiful country will remain only a vain illusion.