Our Pledge for the 2024 European Elections, look up the candidates who signed it

In view of the upcoming 2024 European elections The Why Wait Agenda has launched a “Pledge” to act to close the fertility gap, the imbalance between how many children people would like to have and how many they actually have, from a profoundly secular and pro-choice standpoint. Here's the list (in progress) of candidates who already signed the “European Fertility Gap Pledge 2024 / A European Parliamentary Pledge to Close the Fertility Gap” Ireland 🇮🇪 – Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, member of the European Parliament, running for re-election as an indipendent in Ireland Midlands North West France 🇫🇷

– Leïla Chaibi, member of the European Parliament, running for re-election in France for La France Insoumise.

Her message about the Pledge: “Merci pour votre initiative très importante et intéressante que je soutiens” – Joëlle Marie-Reine Sciard, regional councilor in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, running for election in France in the list PS/Place Publique. Belgium 🇧🇪 – Estelle Ceulemans, former secretary-general of FGTB-Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique Bruxelles, running for election in Belgium for the Socialist party.

Her message about the Pledge: “Je m'engage à ce que toutes les femmes aient un accès libre et égalitaire à la santé sexuelle et reproductive, y compris l'avortement”.

Italy 🇮🇹

– Brando Benifei, member of the European Parliament and of the S&D Alliance, running for re-election in Italy for the Democratic party.

His message about the Pledge: “I am glad to be signing this pledge which express a thoughtful and well-structured stance on the crucial issue of birth rate” – Pierfrancesco Maran, city councilor in Milan since 13 years , running for election in Italy for the Democratic party.

– Alessandra Moretti, member of the European Parliament and of the S&D Alliance, running for re-election in Italy for the Democratic party. – Pina Picierno, member of the European Parliament and of the S&D Alliance, running for re-election in Italy for the Democratic party. – Emanuela Pistoia, professor of European Union Law and chair of the Department of Law at the University of Teramo. Running for election in Italy for the list Stati Uniti D'Europa. Her message about the Pledge: “Il diritto alla maternità delle donne non può limitarsi al diritto di non avere un figlio! Va parimenti sostenuto il diritto ad avere figli! La genitorialità non può fondarsi sulla mortificazione delle donne come membri attivi della società, né tantomeno sull’obbligo di portare a termine gestazioni non desiderate. Servono: educazione alla fertilità grazie alla quale le donne abbiano una seria chance di diventare madri dopo aver completato gli studi ed essersi inserite nel mondo del lavoro, sostegno alla genitorialità condivisa, sostegno alla genitorialità nei luoghi di lavoro, accesso alla medicina riproduttiva” – Giuditta Pini, former member of the Italian Parliament (2013 to 2022); running for election in Italy for the Democratic party. – Marilena Grassadonia, LGBTQI+ activist and former president of the association “Famiglie Arcobaleno”; woman, lesbian, feminist and the mother of three kids. Currently head of Sinistra Italiana's Rights and Freedoms department and director of the the City of Rome's LGBT+ Rights' office. Running for election in Italy for Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra. – Simona Merisi, lawyer; running for election in Italy for Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra. Her message about the Pledge: “M'impegno, laddove eletta, a promuovere nel Parlamento europeo tutte le azioni da voi proposte, che condivido completamente” – Carolina Morace, former footballer, coach, TV commentator; running for election in Italy for MoVimento 5 Stelle. – Maria Angela Danzì, member of the European Parliament, running for re-election in Italy for MoVimento 5 Stelle. – Simona Cosso, teacher and union rep, provincial secretary of Sinistra Italiana Genova. Running for election in Italy for Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra. – Giusy Esposito, former member of the CinqueStelle parliamentary group's staff in the Italian Parliament.  Running for election in Italy for MoVimento 5 Stelle. – Matteo Di Maio, career counselor and LGBTQI+ activist. Running for election in Italy for Stati Uniti D'Europa. His message about the Pledge: “Se eletto, mi concentrerò per evitare ogni tipoligia di discriminazione legata alle tecniche di procreazione medicalmente assistita. Mi impegnerò, come scritto nel vostro documento, per garantire l'accesso alla medicina riproduttiva a tutti i cittadini, indipendentemente dal loro stato civile o orientamento sessuale. In Italia purtroppo assistiamo a una pericolosa deriva culturale sul tema, con delle fortissime discriminazioni verso alcune tipologie di famiglie e di genitori, con gravi ripercussioni anche per le vite dei bambini nati con alcune tecniche di PMA, penso soprattutto alle famiglie arcobaleno” –  Paolo Bernini, former member of the Italian Parliament (2013 to 2018); running for election in Italy for MoVimento 5 Stelle. Germany 🇩🇪 – Dinh Dat Hoang, vice-president of the AG Migration and Diversity of Monaco, member of the Young European Federalists.  Running for election in Germany for the SPD. – Marcel Japes, physicist by training, consultant, former president of JuLis (Junge Liberale, youth organization of the Freie Demokratische Partei) in Frechen. Running for election in Germany for the FDP.Die Liberalen.

His message about the Pledge: “I am glad to sign the pledge. The decision to get a child should not depend on the question whether it is possible from a financial point of view, it should only depend on the desire to have a child. If parents decide to have a child they have to be encouraged for that. It is also important that also male persons are encouraged to take care in this to ensure and lead to gender equality”. Polonia 🇵🇱 – Bożena Przyłuska, cofounder and president of Kongresu Świeckości (a lay, independent human rights' platform), among the National Women's Strike's leaders; entrepreneure and the mother of two grown sons. Running for election as an indipendent in Poland in district 3, podlasko-warmińsko-mazurski in the Lewica (Left) Coalition. Her message about the Pledge: “Moim priorytetem będzie doprowadzenie do przyjęcia przez Parlament Europejski Karty Praw Kobiet. Wiele zawartych w niej zapisów z pewnością przyczyni się do zwiększenia dzietności w Europie” (My priority is going to be to get the European Parliament to adopt the Charter of Women's Rights. Several of its provisions will certainly contribute to increasing the birth rate in Europe”). Slovenia 🇸🇮 – Aleksandra Vasiljević, Deputy Mayor of Velenje. Running for election in Slovenia for the SPD. Her message about the Pledge: “I believe in the right to make choices. Also about how many and when you want to have children. However, conditions for a supportive environment to make a choice must be ensured in society”.