Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended a controversial banner displayed by the Sivasspor football team promoting “normal birth”, namely vaginal birth, on Saturday, calling the issue a matter of “national survival” amid growing backlash from women’s rights groups and opposition figures.
The incident occurred ahead of a match between Sivasspor and Fenerbahçe, when players entered the pitch holding a banner reading, “Natural is normal birth”. The slogan, aligned with Erdoğan’s recent announcement declaring 2025 the “Year of the Family”, drew sharp criticism from women’s organisations, medical professionals, and opposition politicians who viewed it as a paternalistic intrusion into reproductive rights.
Speaking at the inauguration of a women’s and children’s hospital in İstanbul’s Bağcılar district on Saturday, Erdoğan dismissed the criticism as a campaign orchestrated by “malicious circles”. He claimed the initiative aimed to raise awareness about Turkey’s declining fertility rate and reduce reliance on caesarean sections, which he argues hamper long-term demographic sustainability.
“There was nothing offensive to women,” Erdoğan said. “It was a well-intentioned step to address one of the bleeding wounds of our country. This is a question of national continuity, a threat to our nation’s existence.”
The football club’s involvement in a state-led health campaign has intensified debates over the government’s push to control family planning narratives. Critics argue that such moves instrumentalise sport for ideological messaging and risk pressuring women into specific medical decisions.
As Turkey’s birth rate continues to fall, Erdoğan has doubled down on promoting traditional family roles, positioning demographic concerns as existential. The controversy underscores growing tension between state policy and gender rights in the country.
