The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Italy’s parliament has passed a law that criminalises would-be parents who use surrogate mothers abroad. Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government says it’s protecting women’s dignity. Critics say this is the latest blow against LGBTQ rights in Italy, which banned domestic surrogacy in 2004. But the new law goes further by punishing those who travel to countries where surrogacy is legal (such as parts of the US and Canada) with up to two years in prison and fines of up to €1 million. The ban applies to all couples, but same-sex couples in Italy are already unable to adopt or use IVF. Meloni, who has described surrogacy as “inhuman”, is pursuing hardline socially conservative policies at home even as she remains aligned with Western allies on issues like Ukraine.
