The Madrid regional parliament has approved a law so that preborn children [1] become eligible for family benefits.
Under the measure, families may include a child in utero in their eligibility for certain benefits once the pregnancy has been medically verified. These benefits include transportation discounts and tax relief.
Special benefits for large families (with three children) will kick in earlier. Families with two children will become eligible once a third pregnancy is verified after the 14th week. If miscarriage or stillbirth occurs, they will not be required to reimburse any benefits received.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative president of the Madrid region, explained that the pro-family measure is an effort to counter the country’s sharply declining birth rate. Spain’s fertility rate stood at 1.1 in 2024, which is among the lowest in the world, and well below the 2.1 needed for population replacement.
Opposition parties have slammed the legislation as a “culture war” tactic and as threatening abortion rights through the recognition of the value of unborn life.