Sweden’s PM puts IVF at centre of re-election bid amid record low birthrate
The Nordic country is facing its lowest fertility rate since records began
Sweden’s Prime Minister has pledged to make IVF central to his his re-election campaign in an attempt to gain more female voters.
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Ulf Kristersson's centre-right Moderates party has announced they will fund IVF for additional children.
Official statistics showed this year Sweden’s fertility rate sank to 1.42 last year, the lowest since 1749 when records Began.
Kristersson hopes to hold onto power in the September general election by courting the Swedish female vote. The current minority-run coalition depends on the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats.
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Speaking on his phone-in podcast, Kristersson said: “It is a level we have never had in Sweden.”
“And that got me thinking. It could be because lots of people don’t want to have children, but I am quite sure that it is also because quite a lot of people never get those children that they really would like to have.”
Under Swedish law, those trying to have their first child are eligible for six rounds of free IVF but additional children are not funded.
A single attempt for an extra round of the treatment costs around 50,000 kronor (about £3,975).
Kristersson's government has already commissioned a study into how to reverse Sweden's falling birth rate, warning that if it continues each generation will be about a third smaller than that of their parents.
Opposition party the Social Democrats said more help is needed for those who want children, but warned against “short term political moves” or offering “false hope” for hopeful couples.
Fredrik Lundh Sammeli, the Social Democrats’ social political spokesperson, said: “The issue of demographics and sinking birthrate is an important issue for politics. We need to build a society where people feel optimistic and belief in the future and where the public sector also removes obstacles for people who want to have children.”