Why there are so few babies in southern Europe
It’s mostly economics
The Museo degli Innocenti in Florence has an unusual name and hosts an unusual display: a collection of small broken objects, mostly medallions. They were split in two when a baby was delivered to Florence’s hospital for foundlings. Half the object, known as a segnale di riconoscimento, was kept at the hospital—in reality, a children’s home—while the other went to the mother. Should she wish to reclaim the child, she would have proof it was hers. Many of the children were born out of wedlock. But others were from families without the means to feed another mouth.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Baby gap”
Europe February 18th 2023
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