ROME (AP) — Italy’s lawmakers are currently deliberating on a proposed bill that aims to criminalize Italian citizens’ attempts to become parents through surrogate pregnancies abroad, even in countries where the practice is legally permitted.
Surrogacy has already been prohibited within Italy since 2004. However, if this new legislation is passed, it would make it unlawful for Italian citizens to engage a surrogate mother in another country, carrying potential penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of up to 1 million euros ($1.15 million) for those found guilty.
Lawmaker Maurizio Lupi, leader of a small centrist party that is part of Italy’s coalition government, strongly opposes the practice. He stated, “We vehemently reject the commodification of children. Surrogate motherhood represents the most extreme form of commercialization of the human body.”
During the ongoing debate, protests erupted both inside the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian Parliament, and in the adjacent square. No specific date for the bill’s voting has been announced at this time.
During the debates, lawmakers who are against the proposed law displayed placards with the slogan “Parents, not criminals.” Interestingly, some members of the political opposition have aligned with the government, arguing that surrogacy undermines the dignity of women when they are financially compensated for carrying someone else’s child.
The current Italian government, led by the far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is actively championing this legislation. With a comfortable majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, Meloni’s coalition is well-positioned to advance the bill through the legislative process.
Although the “universal ban” would affect both same-sex and opposite-sex couples equally, critics perceive it as part of a broader agenda by Meloni’s administration to penalize what they consider “non-traditional” families.
Lawmaker Alessandro Zan, who identifies as gay, expressed concerns that the proposed law would heavily target “rainbow” families and the LGBT community. Italy currently prohibits same-sex marriages, and LGBTQ+ couples have been fighting for parental rights, including the ability for non-biological parents to make medical decisions and participate in their children’s education without requiring additional permissions.
In a ruling last year, the highest court determined that non-biological parents could not be automatically listed on children’s birth records. Some mayors had previously included non-biological parents on birth certificates obtained abroad. However, the court stated that non-biological parents must go through the adoption process, which can be a lengthy legal procedure.
Recently, the prosecutors’ office in the city of Padua ordered the removal of non-biological parents from the birth certificates of 33 children registered since 2017. Furthermore, these children are no longer legally allowed to use the surname of their non-biological parent.
Lawmaker Chiara Appendino, who previously served as the mayor of Turin, had registered non-biological parents on birth certificates. She argued that the current crackdown disregards the rights of children. Appendino expressed frustration, stating on Twitter, “While the government is talking about absurd universal crimes, the consequences are being borne by children.”