Mayor of Montereau, Jean Debouzy, has come up with an unusual plan to radically boost birth rates in his town, where two schools "underequipped" with students are on the verge of being closed. Debouzy offered to supply all couples, both living and arriving in the town, with Viagra pills, The Local reported.
However, the generous (at least for some couples) offer needs to be approved by the local council — which is not guaranteed, since the "blue pills" currently require a prescription from a doctor in France. The mayor himself has reportedly acknowledged that the decree, offering free Viagra giveaways, was intended to be eye-catching specifically to draw the public's attention to the decreasing birth rates in the town.
Montereau is not the only French town struggling with the problem. The government has long been seeking ways to boost birth rates, offering various benefits such as tax breaks, parental leave, and childcare services. At present, France has a birth rate of 2.06 children per woman, which is higher than in other advanced EU states, such as Germany. Still, the rate has been declining in recent years.