SINGAPORE: After PAP MP Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) suggested in Parliament on Feb 24 (Friday) that fertility leave be given to couples undergoing IVF, given the current low fertility rate, some netizens said that the solution is far simpler.
“Actually only 2 things are needed to have more kids. A house to stay in, not a small room as suggested by our beloved minister. And good childcare support. Just do these 2 properly please,” one Singapore Reddit user wrote on a thread on r/Singapore on Sunday (Feb 26).
The comment was in reference to a remark from then Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo who responded to complaints that flats do not get allocated fast enough for couples to have babies by saying, “You need a very small space to have sex.”
Mr Ng, who has had three children through the help of IVF, said in a Facebook post that it is “a physically and emotionally painful journey.”
“We can do more to help those undergoing IVF and I spoke up about this in Parliament. The government has urged employers to be sensitive to couples undergoing IVF. But we need to do more than just urge,” he added.
Mr Ng also wrote, “As we create a Singapore Made for Families, the government can do more to help employers be more sympathetic by introducing gender neutral fertility leave. This will support couples, send employers a clear signal, and trigger mindset shifts in the workplace.”
Other commenters on the Reddit thread took Mr Ng’s suggestion seriously and thanked him.
“As someone who’s been trying and failing for 3 years to conceive and now resorting to IVF, thank you, Louis Ng. Too bad the humane and decent people in the PAP always get shafted to be backbenchers, Speaker of the Parliament, and future presidential candidates,” wrote one.
“This actually makes sense. My wife and myself were considering IVF, but after learning about what she has to go through (need to take 2 weeks leave) for just a 30% chance of success, she does not want to go through with it. Now we’re happily living a DINK lifestyle. With this fertility leave in place, we would likely have made a different decision,” wrote another.
Some praised Mr Ng for how he has conducted himself as an MP.
While one called him “a real treasure,” another wrote that he is “ the most progressive MP in Singapore and fights for more issues than any other MP (opposition or not).”
Another Reddit user chimed in “Not just fertility leave. It depends on how supportive your workplace is. Like one has childcare leave but doesn’t dare to use and get backstabbed or grumbled by colleagues when finally use these leave.”
Singapore’s Total Fertility Rate for 2022 is 1.237 births per woman, an increase of 0.57 per cent increase from 2021. Studies show that a total fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is needed to ensure a broadly stable population. /TISG