To solve Taiwan’s plummeting birthrate, presidential candidate Terry Gou believes that the crisis could be solved by giving couples with a child a free pet as a reward.
The billionaire presidential told attendees at a Taipei city temple that the declining birthrate in Taiwan could be addressed by giving new parents a cat or dog.
“Give birth to a child and I will let you raise one more pet. A cat, a dog. Give birth to two, and I will let you adopt two more.”
According to a translation by Formosa TV, Gou said that he had recently visited an animal shelter and felt that two issues could be solved together.
“If there is no birthrate in the future, who will take care of our furry friends? So I have put these two issues together. You can’t expect me, one person, to propose a complete policy for every little matter. Adding and multiplying love, that’s my goal,” he told reporters.
Taiwan has one of the world’s lowest birthrates, with many people citing the high cost of living, and difficulties in accessing childcare. On the other hand, pet ownership is skyrocketing, with reports suggesting many couples choose animals over children.
However, Gou’s proposal was criticised by some government politicians and animal welfare groups who said that it didn’t make much sense to tie the two together and that gifting pets is not practical.
What do you think of his proposal? Let us know in the comments.
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