Memo to Macron: The fruitful will inherit the earth.

At the recent “Goalkeepers” event hosted by Bill and Melinda Gates, French president Emmanuel Macron bemoaned the high fertility of poor women in Africa, saying they lacked education and contraception.

“Present me the woman who decided, being perfectly educated, to have seven, eight or nine children.”

Well, hundreds of highly educated moms with multiple children sent family photos on Twitter with the hashtag “postcardsforMacron.” Doctors, lawyers, scientists, military officers, and more.

In Africa, where Christianity is growing rapidly, big families are a sign of a culture that values life and faith. Contrast this to Western Europe, where nations have fallen below the replacement rate and are aging fast.

It may be tough for Macron and other Western leaders to believe, but many people, especially in the global south, see children as gifts, not burdens. When Europeans lecture African women for having too many babies, it sounds a lot like imperialism—this time of values and attitudes.

Image: Google Images