Subsidising Birth: Pronatalist Policy and the Rise of Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Across the globe, the reliance on assisted reproductive technology (ART) to reproduce is growing. In 2019, the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology (ICMART) recorded 783,073 in vitro fertilisation (IVF) births, representing an estimated 90% to 95% of total global ART activity. While these figures highlight a significant global trend, the concentration of ART-conceived births is most pronounced in nations where significant pronatalist policies have been implemented to combat demographic decline.

In these contexts, government subsidy programmes do more than just lower the financial barrier to entry; they institutionalise ART as a standard pathway to parenthood. By de-risking the high costs of cycles, the state effectively encourages a structural dependence on medical intervention in reproduction, often outpacing natural conception rates among specific age groups. This ‘subsidised birth’ model creates a unique socio-technical landscape where the biological process of reproduction is increasingly intertwined with state-funded technological support. 

While the global average of IVF-conceived births sits at approximately 0.54%, this figure masks the dramatic ‘fertility divide’ created by varying national policy frameworks. In countries with limited state support, such as...