Philadelphia will PAY pregnant women $1,000 a month to curb falling fertility ... trends now
Pregnant women in Philadelphia will be paid $1,000 a month as part of a trial program hoping to lower infant mortality rates in the city.
Starting next year, 250 expectant mothers will receive the no-strings-attached payments from their third month of pregnancy through their baby's first birthday.
The pilot program, known as the Philly Joy Bank, will operate in the areas of the city with the highest rates of low birth weights — Cobbs Creek, Strawberry Mansion and Nicetown-Tioga.
Out of the ten most populated cities in the US, Philadelphia has the highest rate of infant mortality. The scheme also comes amid a baby bust across America that is seeing fewer women than ever have children - amid changing family values.
Some 250 women will receive the no-strings-attached payments from their third month of pregnancy every month until their child's first birthday
Fertility in the US has plummeted in recent decades (top). The average American woman is now only having 1.6 children throughout her life, well below replacement level of 2.1
Announcing the scheme at a news conference announcing the scheme on Monday, Dr Stacey Kallem, director of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, said: 'The no-strings-attached is key.
'We are respecting the dignity and autonomy of program participants to use the funds as they see fit to improve their health and the health of their babies.'
The city's infant mortality rate is 1.5 higher than the national average, and Black babies are over four times more likely to die before their first birthday than White babies.
The scheme is inspired by other similar
