A new law could be passed in Italy that would mean anyone who travels abroad to have a baby via surrogate could face prosecution
The bill, which is currently being debated in parliament (April 2023), is said to be part of the socially conservative agenda being peddled by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Becoming a parent via surrogacy is already illegal in Italy with punishments varying from prison sentences of up to two years or a hefty fine of 600,000 to one million euros.
According to the news agency, Reuters, if passed, the new law would mean it would be against the law to have the help of a surrogate abroad even if the country in question allows surrogacy. This would include countries such as Canada and the US.
Alessia Crucini of the Rainbow Families Foundation, which represents same-sex couples said at present many heterosexual couples have surrogacy abroad in secret and pretend that the baby was conceived naturally, but she said it was not possible for gay couples to do this.
She said applying the new law in practice would be ‘extremely difficult’.
She is quoted as saying to the Foreign Press Association, “To criminalise a practice that is perfectly legal and regulated by very strict laws in countries that cannot certainly be called rogue states would be problematic in terms of international law.
