Using others to carry your child has already been an offense in Italy since 2004. Last Wednesday, a new law reinforced this ban. A law adopted by 84 votes to 58.
The new legislation clearly broadens the scope of punishable persons and penalizes those who have a child through surrogacy abroad. In practice, it is a crime for which one is punished, regardless of where in the world the act is committed.
The text has long been defended by the far-right party Brothers of Italythat of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who claims to be a “Christian mother”.
The Italian government says this measure will protect the dignity of women. “In the case of surrogacy, the woman does not lend an organ, but gives birth to a child. The woman is therefore reduced to an incubator, which interrupts the relationship between mother and child,” said Gianni Berrino, senator of Fratelli d’Italia, in the hemicycle.
“People are not objects, children cannot be bought and parts of the human body cannot be sold or rented. This simple truth, which already appears in our legal system where the aberrant practice of surrogacy is a crime, can no longer be circumvented”, declared Family Minister Eugenia Roccella.
“Maternity is an absolutely unique thing, it absolutely cannot be the fruit of surrogacy and it is the foundation of our civilization,” for her part declared Senator Lavinia Mennuni, who indicates that she wants “eradicate the phenomenon of surrogacy tourism.”
Pierantonio Zanettin, senator of Forza Italiaalso added, estimating: “In our legal system, behavior considered lawful abroad can be considered a crime. Just think of sexual violence against a minor. In Italy, the age of consent is set at 14 years, but it varies from country to country”, added Mr. Zanettin. “Therefore, if a video of sexual intercourse with a minor under 14 was found on the cell phone of one of our fellow citizens in one of the countries where this is permitted, he would still be prosecuted in Italy and would not could not invoke the absence of double criminality in his defense.
