Rome [Italy], April 13 : Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called surrogacy "inhuman" and is supporting strict penalties against the practice, including fines of up to USD 1 million and multiple-year prison sentences, CNN reported.
The act of surrogacy with or without payment is already illegal in Italy. However, Meloni's Brothers of Italy party has introduced a bill that would further criminalise the act by increasing fines from USD 6,40,290 to USD 1,067,150 and increasing jail terms from three months up to two years.
In her address at a conference 'For a Young Europe: Demographic Transition, Environment, Future' in Rome on Friday, Meloni said, "I continue to believe that surrogacy is an inhuman practice."
She further said, "I support the bill that makes it a universal crime." Her remarks regarding surrogacy fall in line with the viewpoint of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis in a document released on Monday said that surrogacy "violates" the dignity of the child and the woman, who "becomes a mere means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others."
The conference on Friday was designed to focus on Italy's declining birth rates, which the Meloni-led government has vowed to reserve by making it easier for working mothers to find adequate child care and other support.
At the conference, Meloni said, "The demographic challenge, and the economic sustainability to which it is connected, is one of the main challenges for us." She added, "There is no point in managing the present if the future is not secure."
Italian PM has been calling for public spending increases to support families, including baby bonuses and tax breaks for families with children. She has already reduced taxes on diapers and baby formula, CNN reported.
Meloni's decision to criminalize surrogacy is largely considered a move against the LGBTQ+ community, CNN reported. Italy was the last European nation to legalize same-sex unions, which it did in 2016. However, it has not allowed gay couples to be "married," in line with the Catholic Church.
Under Meloni's government, birth certificates mention the name of the "mother" and "father" instead of "parent 1" and "parent 2." Earlier in 2023, the names of lesbian mothers were removed from birth certificates in some communities where her party leads the government.
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