The Minisero della Salute (health ministry) issued the booklet, which shows two white couples on its cover juxtaposed with an image of others (including a black person) getting high:
Outrageously racist cover of Italian gvt fertility leaflet (which doesn't even touch upon #infertility you can't "prevent") #fertilityday http://pic.twitter.com/QDcPjfkimE
— Claire Fernandez (@CFerKic) September 21, 2016
More offence fr #Italy #fertility campaign: pamphlet cover shows 'good habits' as white people, 'bad habits' as black people. #racism http://pic.twitter.com/57OiZD6aSx
— Megan Williams (@MKWilliamsRome) September 21, 2016
It was supposed to mark the country’s national fertility day—the aim of which was to encourage Italians to have more babies—but instead sparked yet another controversy for a campaign that many called ill-conceived from the start.
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Italy’s ministry offered the following statement to refute accusations of racism:
The photos represent a homogeneity of people, as is the multi-ethnic society in which we live. Racism is in the eye of the beholder.
A previous ad to promote fertility day was also derided for being of poor taste:
#fertilityday Donna e ovociti:la vita fertile della donna https://t.co/KRLTQHasYT http://pic.twitter.com/1aCjPicTzI
— Fertility Day (@FertilityDay) August 9, 2016
It says, “Beauty knows no age. Fertility does.”
The New York Times explains the crux of the issue for ads like these:
The problem is not a lack of desire to have children, critics of the campaign say, but rather the lack of meaningful support provided by the government and many employers in a country where the family remains the primary source of child care.
So, Italy wants more women to have babies because it has one of the lowest birthrates in the world—but many believe that the country’s officials don’t support parents once kids are born.
The country’s previous campaign was dropped.
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