Antwerp Mayor’s ‘Make Babies’ Call Sparks National Debate
A single remark by Antwerp’s acting mayor, Els van Doesburg (N-VA), urging people to “not hesitate and make babies” has ignited one of Belgium’s most contentious social debates in recent memory. The 37-year-old politician’s comments, made in an interview with Belgian weekly magazine HUMO, have triggered a firestorm of criticism and support that touches on privilege, parenthood pressures, and the country’s childcare crisis.
The Controversial Statement
In the HUMO interview published on August 31, Van Doesburg revealed that she now ends her speeches with a direct appeal: “Don’t hesitate, people: make babies! As many as you can!” The first-time mother, whose son Marcel was born in June 2025, defended her enthusiasm, saying that on social media “it sometimes seems as if mothers are competing about how hard they have it. That must not become the universal image of motherhood.”
According to VRT NWS, the remarks quickly spread across social media, drawing sharp criticism from prominent figures and ordinary citizens alike. Well-known Belgian friturist Dorien Nuyts publicly accused Van Doesburg of being “privileged” and “world-remote,” pointing to the shortage of childcare places in Antwerp. “It is her task to provide a childcare network,” Nuyts said. “There is a ridiculously small supply in her city.”
Privilege and Parenthood
Critics argue that Van Doesburg speaks from a position of considerable advantage—a large home, a partner in Peter De Roover, Speaker of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, and financial resources that most parents lack. Professor Jochen Devlieghere of Ghent University told VRT NWS that the backlash stems partly from this disparity. “When Antwerp residents who can’t find childcare see that statement, it naturally leads to frustration,” he said.
The controversy has also exposed deeper structural problems. Belgium faces a shortage of more than 10,000 childcare places, according to research from the Flemish agency Opgroeien, with waiting lists of up to 18 months in some regions. Devlieghere noted that 8 to 10 percent of Belgian parents experience parental burnout, while a 2026 CM survey found that more than 60 percent of parents reported little to no “pink cloud” experience in early parenthood.
Van Doesburg’s Defense
Van Doesburg has pushed back forcefully against her critics. In an Instagram post on September 3, she wrote that finding motherhood wonderful “apparently makes me ‘privileged,’ ‘world-remote’ and ‘inhumane.’” She added: “What are we all telling ourselves? What does that say about how we view motherhood?”
Appearing on the VRT talk show ‘De Afspraak’ the same evening, she said she was “surprised by the flood of toxicity, reproaches and hatred” that followed her comments. “I’m not going to stand next to your bed or force you to have children,” she insisted, explaining that she simply wanted to counter what she sees as an overly negative discourse around motherhood. As HLN reported, she argued that “today the pendulum has swung to the other side and you apparently can no longer say you love being a mother without having to add a hundred caveats.”
A Society Divided
Reader reactions collected by HLN reveal a deeply polarized public. Critics accuse Van Doesburg of ignoring the financial realities facing most families, with one reader noting that “the lunchbox must still be filled.” Others support her message, arguing that parenthood deserves celebration in a society that focuses too heavily on its burdens. A third group questions the environmental wisdom of encouraging more births in an era of climate change and overpopulation.
HUMO’s TV critic Stefaan Werbrouck offered a pointed analysis in his column, arguing that the criticism “didn’t bubble up because she complains too little about her pink cloud, but because she also said that other mothers complain too much.”
Broader Demographic Context
The debate unfolds against a backdrop of declining fertility rates across Europe. Belgium’s fertility rate has fallen from 1.86 children per woman in 2008 to 1.52 in 2022, reflecting broader demographic trends that have policymakers concerned about aging populations and shrinking workforces.
For Van Doesburg, who became the youngest mayor of Antwerp in the city’s history when she took office in February 2025, the controversy represents an unexpected test of her political resilience. The question now is whether this moment of intense public scrutiny will reshape how Belgian politicians—and society at large—talk about one of the most personal decisions a person can make.