Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in alignment with her stance against surrogacy, is advocating for stricter penalties against the practice, including fines of up to $1 million and extended prison terms.
Surrogacy, whether compensated or not, is already prohibited in Italy. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party has proposed a bill to intensify these penalties, raising fines from €600,000 to €1 million and extending jail sentences from three months to two years.
Speaking at the ‘For a Young Europe: Demographic Transition, Environment, and Future’ conference in Rome, Meloni reiterated her condemnation of surrogacy as an “inhuman practice,” echoing sentiments shared by the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, in a recent document, denounced surrogacy, citing its violation of the dignity of both the child and the woman involved.
The conference aimed to address Italy’s declining birth rates, a challenge that Meloni’s government has pledged to confront by enhancing support for working mothers, including improved childcare services.
Meloni emphasised the importance of securing the future through measures such as increased public spending to assist families, including incentives like baby bonuses and tax breaks.
Critics view the move to criminalise surrogacy as targeted against the LGBTQ+ community, given Italy’s recent history regarding same-sex unions. While Italy legalised same-sex unions in 2016, it does not permit gay couples to marry, aligning with Catholic doctrine.
Meloni’s government has reinforced traditional family structures by revising birth certificates to replace gender-neutral terms with “mother” and “father,” and, in some areas, removing the names of lesbian mothers from birth certificates.
