Solidarity campaign with 12,000 candles on the Federal Square
BERN: 15.6.2024 / Around 250 people from all parts of Switzerland accepted the invitation of the Mamma association and lit a sea of lights of 12,000 candles on the Bundesplatz late on Saturday evening. In doing so, they commemorated the approximately 12,000 abortions per year in Switzerland and the numerous emergency situations in which women apparently see no other way out than to have their own child „taken away“. The solidarity campaign is also intended to call on the Federal Council to take measures against the high number of abortions in Switzerland and to counteract the worryingly low birth rate of 1.33 children per woman (2023). With a federal birth allowance, it could propose an „economic deal“ in favor of women and thus create an incentive for those in need to say yes to having a child.
At an impressive vigil on Saturday evening, June 15, 2024, around 250 people lit 12,000 candles on Bern’s Bundesplatz. In doing so, they visually highlighted the approximately 12,000 abortions that take place in Switzerland every year. There are always numerous financial emergencies behind this. Children are often perceived as a „poverty trap“. This is why the solidarity campaign is calling on the Federal Council to introduce a federal birth allowance of CHF 7,000 per child, a measure that should be seen as an „economic deal“ primarily for the benefit of women.
All Swiss women and women with a C residence permit are to receive this federal birth allowance. On the other hand, women without authorization for permanent residence in Switzerland should not benefit from this birth allowance. According to a calculation by the NZZ (2018), a normal earner pays an average of CHF 194,000 in taxes into the federal coffers over the course of their lifetime. This means they pay back their federal birth allowance of CHF 7,000 around 28 times.
Dominik Müggler, President of the Mamma association, says of the federal birth allowance: „This forward-looking idea could reduce the number of abortions in Switzerland by 15-20%, as women in precarious situations would be more likely to say yes to having a child if they received financial help.“ And further: „This ‚economic deal‘ could also significantly increase the current record low birth rate of 1.33 children per woman (instead of 2.1).“If 10,000 more children were born each year thanks to such a birth allowance, the initial costs would be in the hundreds of millions. Soon afterwards, however, the new taxpayers would pay billions into the federal coffers every year in the form of taxes and duties. A federal birth grant is an investment that pays off. And children are our future!
Mamma Association – Keeping life alive
Jurastrasse 2, 4142 Münchenstein | Tel. 061 703 03 07 | info@vereinmamma.ch
