On 16 October, the legislature of the Italian Republic adopted a key law exacerbating the rules on substitute motherhood (seration). The amendment extends the current ban on surrogacy, which has been in force since 2004, to Italian citizens who usage this practice abroad, even if it is legal in a given country. This is an crucial step in protecting the dignity of women and children and in combating the commercialisation of human life.
The fresh rules supply for severe sanctions for those who break the law: imprisonment of up to 2 years and a fine of up to EUR 1 million. The Senate's decision eliminates the legal gap so far, allowing the prohibition of surrogacy to be circumvented by actions abroad. This decision is widely supported by conservative environments in Italy, which have been fighting for severe regulation on this issue for years.
A surrogate, based on a contract in which a female commits herself to having a kid for another individual or couple, raises quite a few ethical and moral controversy. Many opponents of this practice emphasize that it treats women as "living incubators" and children as customized products. Moreover, it exposes all active parties, including the child, to long-term, negative intellectual and emotional effects.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the Senate's decision, setting the fresh law as a "reasonable regulation against the commercialisation of women and children's bodies". The author of the bill, Carolina Varchi, pointed out that the government was "the end of barbarism which exploited the most susceptible women and commercialised children". In her opinion, it is crucial to extend the ban to actions taken abroad, which will make a real deterrent mechanism.
The bill, which is the consequence of a multi-month debate, is powerfully supported by right-wing and centre-right groups. In the July vote in the Chamber of Deputies it was supported by 166 Members and 106 opposed. The final vote in the legislature ended with 84 to 58 in favour of the amendment.
The Italian decision is not isolated – many countries see the request to tighten the rules on surrogacy. Examples of specified actions can besides be found in Germany, France or Spain, where, despite formal prohibitions, this frequently functions in the grey area. The decision of the Italian parliamentarians is considered to be a model to follow, as an effective way to limit the surrogacy that violates human dignity.
Increasing public awareness of the risks of foster motherhood contributes to global action to defend women and children from specified practices. Italy, through the fresh law, has become an example of a country that continues to fight for the welfare of its citizens, recognizing the request to tighten the law up in the face of global challenges.
The decision of the Italian legislature represents an crucial step towards greater protection of human values and can set standards for another countries in Europe.
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Source: KAI
