ROME — Italy's parliament has made surrogacy a “universal crime,” to the delight of many feminists and pro-lifers and the chagrin of the LGBTQ+ lobby.
Member of Parliament Carolina Valchi, who proposed this measure, said: said This week's final approval of legislation making surrogacy a universal crime will “bring an end to the brutality that has exploited the most vulnerable women and turned children into commodities.” .
italian senate approved The bill passed Wednesday by a vote of 84-58 after receiving prior approval from the House in July 2023 by a vote of 166-109.
The new law is the result of long discussions between the public and parliament and “signifies a historic moment for our country,” Valki said. saidIn Italy, it is stipulated that “borrowing a womb is a crime no matter where it takes place.''
Valchi went on to explain that an important aspect of the new law is that acts carried out abroad by Italian nationals will also be subject to prosecution for surrogacy crimes.
This therefore acts as a deterrent against a practice that would never have been tolerated in Italy, but unfortunately “extraordinary market developments are being seen in the very few countries in the world where it is allowed,” she said. said.
“Motherhood can't be a market,” she said, and children “can't be bought.”
Varchi's words were echoed by Italy's Minister of Families, Equal Opportunities and Fertility, Eugenia Roccella.
“Those who hide behind the rhetoric of 'rights' to justify the practice of surrogacy are wondering why there is a global network of feminists who support Italy's efforts and see our country as a model to be followed everywhere.” “You have to ask yourself, do we do that?” Rossella said.
Fratelli d'Italia Senator Lavinia Mennuni similarly praised the law as a means to eradicate the “productive tourism phenomenon.”
Fellow party member Lucio Maran added that the new law protects “the dignity of mothers and children, with the right to know who the father is, who the mother is, and the right not to be reduced to a commodity.”
Representatives of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups were quick to denounce the bill as anti-gay.
“Criminalizing other people's pregnancies is one of the ways the Italian far right is trying to eradicate homosexual parenting in our country,” said Alessia Crocini, president of the LGBTQ+ organization. Family Arcobaleno.
She added that the law hides behind “allegations that this party's pro-women self-determination has never been a priority, as its militancy and continued attacks on abortion rights demonstrate.” .
As Rainbow Families, she said, we “will not stand still and will continue to fight in the courts and on the streets.” “We fight every day to affirm the beauty and freedom of our families and our sons and daughters.”
Pro-life groups praised the new law as necessary to protect the dignity of women and children who are victims of exploitation in the international surrogacy market.
“The approval of the law banning the rental of wombs as a 'universal crime' makes today a historic day,” said Provita & Familia spokesperson Jacopo Coche. Through surrogacy. ”
As of today, “Italy is no longer an accomplice, even indirectly, in the practice of using women's bodies as 'ovens' to produce custom-made children, as if they were bought and sold.'' No,” he added.
For the pro-life movement, the day marks a long-standing cultural event consisting of dozens of meetings, street posters, citizen rallies, demonstrations, flash mobs, and a mass petition signed by more than 60,000 citizens. “This is the day that marks the culmination of the political battle,” he said. .
Meanwhile, the Vatican called for a worldwide ban on the “deplorable” practice of human surrogacy.
in declaration of the title dignitas infinitaThe Vatican's Doctrinal Secretariat (DDF) said in a statement last April that surrogacy reduces children to the status of “mere objects”.
The document also condemned “so-called surrogacy,” which disregards human life and turns fetuses in their mothers' wombs into “trafficked objects.”
The group argued that surrogacy is a “grave violation of the dignity of women and children” and relies on “exploitation of the situation to exploit the material needs of the mother.”
“A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract,” the declaration said, quoting Pope Francis.
