The Italian parliament has banned couples from traveling abroad to have a child through surrogacy. According to activists, the project of Prime Minister Georgia Maloney's party is aimed against same-sex partners. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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It is noted that since taking office in 2022, Maloney has followed a very conservative social program, seeking to promote what she considers traditional family values. This makes it difficult for LGBT couples to become legal parents.
On Wednesday, the upper house of the Senate voted in favor of the bill proposed by Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party by 84 votes to 58. Last year, the bill was already approved by the lower house.
The legislation extends the ban on surrogacy, which has been in place in Italy since 2004, to those who travel to countries such as the United States or Canada where it is legal, imposing prison terms of up to two years and fines of up to €1 million.
Motherhood is absolutely unique, it cannot be replaced, and it is the foundation of our civilization. We want to eradicate the phenomenon of surrogacy,
Earlier this year, Maloney called surrogacy an “inhumane” practice that treats children like a product in a supermarket, echoing the position expressed by the Catholic Church.
On Tuesday, demonstrators gathered outside the Senate building to express their outrage over the bill, claiming that the government is attacking LGBTQ people and harming those who want to have children, despite the fact that the birth rate in Italy is sharply declining.
Alessia Crocini, president of Rainbow Families, noted that 90% of Italians who choose surrogacy are heterosexual couples, but they mostly did it in secret, meaning that the new ban will de facto affect only same-sex couples who cannot hide it.
The crackdown on surrogacy comes amid a falling birth rate in the country. In March, the National Statistical Institute ISTAT said that in 2023, after 15 years of continuous decline, the birth rate fell to a record low.