Italy on Wednesday criminalized residents who go abroad to have children through surrogacy, a measure slammed by opponents as “medieval” and discriminatory to same-sex couples.
The measure extending a surrogacy ban in place since 2004 was promoted by Premier Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party and its conservative coalition partner, the League, asserting that it protects women’s dignity.
The Senate after a seven-hour debate passed the bill 84-58, the ultimate step in the method after the Lower House’s approval last 12 months.
Italians searching for surrogacy in countries corresponding to the United States or Canada, where the practice is legal, can withstand two years in jail and as much as 1 million euros ($1.1 million) in fines.
The surrogacy ban applies equally to all couples. But same-sex parent advocates say it hits gay families particularly hard in a rustic battling record-low birthrates and where only heterosexual couples are allowed to adopt.
Same-sex marriages are also banned in Italy, and LGBTQ+ couples have been fighting to acquire parental rights for the partner who just isn’t the biological parent.
Several lawmakers and LGBTQ+ activists protested in front of the Senate to oppose the law, some holding banners that read: “Parents, not criminals.”
“When protectionism prevails, a social phenomenon just isn’t erased,” opposition lawmaker Riccardo Magi said through the protest. “It is just relegated to a dark area, which the law doesn’t reach. In that case, it’s easier for exploitation, abuse and rights violations to prevail.”
“We are very saddened because Italy has once more missed a chance to display that it’s a rustic in keeping with what Europe and the world are,” said Cristiano Giraldi, the daddy of two 10-year-old children born from a surrogate mother within the U.S.
The Catholic Church has strongly opposed surrogacy in Italy and abroad, with Pope Francis calling for a universal ban and criticizing what he called the “commercialization” of pregnancy.
At the identical time, the Vatican’s doctrine office has made clear that same-sex parents who resort to surrogacy can have their children baptized.
While industrial surrogacy contracts are common within the U.S. — including protections for moms, guarantees of independent legal representation and medical coverage — they’re banned in parts of Europe including Spain and Italy.
