By Kerwin Eloise
When I first wrote this op-ed piece in August of 2025, I didn’t expect much of the viral reaction it received, nor did I expect it to be revived again, this time by a government minister, one Kenson Casimir. The reaction to his request was met with swift denial as many felt that it came with little guarantee for prospective parents to consider again undergoing 10 months of uncertainty. Many of his supporters stressed on the “affordability” clause of his statement but the reality is that those who are more well off usually have less than those who can’t. To say nothing of those who have become DINKS (dual income no kids) couples and instead are the rich aunts and uncles of the families.
Whilst Casimir and others keep on skirting the issue the reality is that we need to increase our birth rate at astronomical rates or we experience a few disasters. An increasingly greying population with little to no caregivers available will create a massive black hole in the economy of Saint Lucia, with the potential to dismantle the healthcare system and in addition the various pillars of our economic fabric. For many citizens who lack either built-in wealth or family to take care of them, they depend on the state, the wider populace that is, to provide persons who would fulfill such roles. So, when we lack a suitable ratio to deal with these issues then it will exacerbate an already fragile ecosystem where we depend on each other to survive and thrive and foster a crisis of care, labour and national productivity.
Affordability is a key plank in the minister’s articulation whilst true is flawed on the face of it all. Most persons who can afford, or think they can, have already had children and many won’t be having more. Moreover, many of the DINKS are unlikely to join the birthing bandwagon and if they do the expectation of multiple children is most likely unlikely. The key as many of us know is the safety and security of the mother and her experience during childbirth and the postpartum period thereafter. Many men can attest to the scares and hardships their spouses went through and of course the women themselves can share the hardships of pregnancy, of organs being shifted, hair and tooth loss and other impactful issues. To say nothing of miscarriages and rainbow babies.
Whilst I commend the government’s desire to support via its thousand-dollar, one time inducement, it is definitely a poor incentive from an administration which knows how much it costs to maintain a child. I must confess to being both impressed and disappointed by this administration’s attempt to heal the social fabric. Impressed because they have done more than any other administration to ensure the social security of citizens remains secure but also disappointed because in 2026 these are policy measures that should have been 10-15 years old.
We must also consider that they have made strides in this new education policy, such as the first-generation scholarships, their payments to early childhood education centers and the plan for smart classrooms and inclusive education spaces. However, these are just bandaids if we are truly urging persons to engage in the aspect of baby making beyond it being pleasurable. The cost of living and the rise of inflation are near runaway trains if one is to be frank with prices often dazzling consumers’ eyes with their expense. The system is under pressure tremendously and needs a radical rethink if we are to coax reluctant parents to embrace the joys of parenthood. Fathers need to be encouraged to take fatherhood seriously, the move from just having children to ensure that they are made with responsible adult models is needed.
As well as ensuring the safeguards for their children are better if they turn out to be dirty rotten scoundrels. These would include facilitation of child support to be a percentage of a father’s earnings instead of a paltry $200. And whilst the view to make adjustments to maternity leave is commendable, paternity leave should be extended as new mothers need all the support that can be given. Not just financially, but structurally as well.
Policy measures should be in place ready, willing and implementable if politicians are making demands on people’s wombs and their lives.