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'''Centres of Support for Fertility and Hygiene''' (Italian: ''Centri di Sostegno alla Fertilità e all'Igiene''), also known as Birth Centres, is an P.N.F.-initiated, State-supported, organization of the National Agency for Maternity and Children (''Opera Nazionale Maternità e Infanzia'') in the [[Kingdom of Italy]] with the goal of raising the birth rate of "''Roman''" children via extramarital relations of persons classified as "racially pure and healthy" based on racial hygiene and health ideology. Such Centres encourage anonymous births by unmarried women against the illegal abortion, and mediate adoption of these children by likewise "racially pure and healthy" parents, particularly M.V.S.N. members and their families.

In its moral dimension, eugenics rejected the doctrine that all human beings are born equal and redefined moral worth purely in terms of genetic and racial fitness.

Birth Centres also include the selection of orphans for adoption and care for children born from Italian women who had been in relationships with M.V.S.N. and G.N.R. members.

== History and mission ==
The Centres of Support for Fertility and Hygiene were founded on 11 May 1946, in order to counteract falling birth rates in Italy, and to promote the spreading of birth hygiene. Firstly located in Milan, the organization was established as a Party office. The Centres was part of P.N.F. Genealogy and Family Policies Bureau until 1958, when it was transferred to the Ministry for Health and Social Assistance. However, since its establishment, the organisation has been under the strategic guidance of the Genealogy and Family Policies Bureau of the P.N.F. (in turn framed within the Ministry), and has had the following obligations:
* Support racially, biologically and hereditarily valuable families with many children;
* Act as welfare institution for wives of M.V.S.N. officers;
* Place and care for racially, biologically and hereditarily valuable pregnant women, who, after thorough examination of their and the progenitor's families can be expected to produce equally valuable children;
* Care for the children;
* Care for the children's mothers.
The nature of the Centres is similar to those of an association: members are both mothers and adoptive families. In 2009 membership stood at 18,000, of which 4,500 are M.V.S.N. officers. Since their establishment, Birth Centres have seen the birth of about 58,000 children.

== Operations ==
The organization runs facilities — primarily maternity homes — where women could give birth or get help with family matters. Centres provide prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, cytoplasmic transfers and other servicea in order to ensure the genetic improvement of the Italian people and to prevent the birth of a child with undesirable traits.<br>
The programme also accepts unmarried women who are either pregnant or have already given birth and are in need of aid, provided that both the woman and the father of the child are classified as "racially valuable". The program allows them to give birth secretly away from home without social stigma. In case the mothers want to give up the children, the program also has orphanages and an adoption service.

== See also ==
* [[Familiy in Italy]]
* [[Prostitution in the Kingdom of Italy]]
* [[Racism in the Kingdom of Italy]]

[[Category:Italy (Kingdom)]]