Italy passes law banning adoptions without consent activists say targets LGBTQ+ couples
Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to travel abroad to have a child through surrogacy – a pet project of Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni’s party activists say is designed to target gay couples.
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has pursued a conservative social agenda, aiming to promote what he sees as “traditional family values,” making it less difficult for LGBTQ+ couples to become legal parents.
The Upper House Senate voted for the bill proposed by the Meloni Brothers of Italy group with 84 out of 58 votes.
The law extends the ban on adoption already in place in Italy since 2004 to those going to countries like the United States or Canada, where it is legal, imposing prison terms of up to two years and fines of up to one million euros ($1.49). million Cdn).
“Being a mother is completely different, it cannot be done by a person, and it is the basis of our civilization,” said Brothers of Italy Senator Lavinia Mennuni during a parliamentary debate.
“We want to break this stigma of surrogacy tourism.”
It is legal in Canada
In Canada, about one-third of child pregnancies are with intended parents worldwide, according to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada.
“The Internet has been shown to be a major source of information for target parents, with Canada presented as a desirable location,” the study’s authors note.
As the consulting website Surrogacy In Canada explains, Canada may be seen as a “preferred country for surrogacy” because of its “altruistic surrogacy legislation, high level of health care and a supportive environment for intended and birth parents.”
Finding a mate willing to carry their future child will change the lives of Stephanie Craig and Mike Murphy. A couple from Guelph, Ont., are hoping the connections they make through their Instagram account will help them find a soul mate. And they hope their story will help reduce stigma around fertility and make the journey easier for other couples going through the same thing. Reporting by Aastha Shetty/CBC.
Under Canadian law, surrogacy is legal, but there are rules regarding what can and cannot be paid to the surrogate. For example, you cannot offer to pay or advertise a payment for someone to act as a surrogate. However, heirs can be paid for medical and other expenses related to the pregnancy.
Earlier this year, Meloni called childbearing an “inhumane” practice that treated children like supermarket products, echoing the view expressed by the Catholic Church.
On Tuesday, protesters gathered near the Senate to express their anger at the bill, saying the Italian government is bullying LGBTQ+ people and harming those who want to have children, despite Italy’s declining birth rate.
‘Bad Law’
“If someone has a child, they should be given a medal. Here, instead, you are imprisoned … if you don’t have children in the traditional way,” said Franco Grillini, a long-time LGBTQ+ rights activist. in Italy, he told Reuters at the show.
The president of Rainbow Families, Alessia Crocini, said that 90 percent of Italians who choose surrogacy are heterosexual couples, but they do so secretly, meaning that the new ban will only affect gay couples who cannot hide it.
The strengthening of surrogacy comes after a fall in birth figures, with the national statistics agency ISTAT saying in March that births will fall to a record low in 2023 – the 15th consecutive annual decline.
“This is a very bad law. There is no country in the world that has something like that,” said Grillini, referring to the government’s move to prevent Italians from using practices that are completely legal in other countries.
Source link
