Up the duff and in the red

June 7, 2026 — 1:30pm

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As policymakers attempt to reverse falling fertility rates in Australia, one part of the puzzle still requires societal recognition: pregnancy is civic work, and as such, it must be adequately supported and compensated.

Suppose we lived in a society where a medical breakthrough had allowed young men to act as “immune tissue donors” for the elderly. They could volunteer to grow tissue for nine months in their prostatic utricle (the male equivalent of the female uterus), which would then be used to improve the immune system of elderly people.

This miraculous procedure which would increase the quality of life of the elderly would come at a cost for the young, however. It would often cause pain, headaches, tiredness, vomiting and nausea. There would also be health risks associated with the procedure. It would increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and infections. Most troubling, dozens of young men would die every year as a result of complications during tissue removal.

Now suppose the procedure had a high level of uptake at the beginning, but slowly volunteer numbers started to decrease, making policymakers bemoan the consequences for the beneficiaries. As participation decreased, no one seemed to acknowledge the decline had something to do with the costs and........

© The Sydney Morning Herald