Mixed message in France’s letter about fertility | Letters

Letters: Daniel Whittington writes that it shows a lack of understanding; plus letters on the length of maternity leave and the emotional cost of leaving conception too late

As a 24-year-old French man, I think this plan (France’s letters to 29-year-olds to remind them to have babies is a spectacular missing of the point, 10 February) reveals a mind‑boggling lack of understanding by our country’s leaders of what is actually going through the minds of our generation.

For as long as I can remember, teachers, scientists and the media have been telling us that the world is essentially ending and that life on Earth will not endure. The tone varies, but that is the general message we have grown up with.

Of course, the financial inability to have children is a strong and valid argument, and probably the more rational one. But when you have been conditioned to believe that the very idea of a viable future is limited, deeper and more emotional concerns come into play.

Perhaps if governments began acting in ways that demonstrated a genuine commitment to the future of our habitat, people would feel more inclined to populate it.
Daniel Whittington
Puteaux, France

• Imagine receiving such a letter just after having a miscarriage, or after a breakup with a long-term partner, or worse, if you know you can’t have children.

My daughter was born in Sweden, where they had more than a year’s maternity leave to be shared between parents, and subsidised childcare. (Nowadays, Sweden also has declining birth rates.) Standard maternity leave in France is still four months. One of my friends had a breakdown when she had to go back to work and leave her three-month-old baby with a childminder.
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• I read this article with some dismay. Rather than advocating a “mind your own business” approach, Zoe Williams might have been better advised to consider the huge emotional cost to women and men of leaving conception too late. I recently met an NHS gynaecologist who routinely visits schools to remind pupils of the limits on their fertility.

In an age of virtually unlimited choice, it is hard for many young people to understand that in this particular issue there are no guarantees about your “choice”. The French government is taking a dynamic, proactive approach to this sensitive and emotive issue and I do wish Zoe had paused to consider the broader view.
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