Fertility Day campaign backlash: Italian minister's natalist posters spark outrage

The Italian Ministry of Health, led by Minister Beatrice Lorenzin, launched a social media campaign for Fertility Day on September 22, 2016, with previews on August 31. The campaign, created by agency Mediaticamente for €113,000, aimed to address Italy's low birth rate (1.37 children per woman). However, posters with slogans like "Datti una mossa, non aspettare la cicogna!" and "La bellezza non ha età, la fertilità sì" were widely criticized as retrograde, moralistic, and offensive. Critics argued the campaign reinforced stereotypes, ignored women's choices, and failed to address economic barriers. The hashtag #fertilityday trended on Twitter. The article contrasts the campaign with a 2015 Danish tourism ad that promoted sex and romance to boost birth rates, and quotes journalist Natalia Aspesi on women's freedom not to have children.