The new law makes it much harder for hetero couples struggling with infertility and for gay couples who want to have children to start a family. Human rights groups, including LGBTI activists, have called the law “medieval”.
Surrogacy has been banned in Italy since 2004. People who turn to a surrogate mother in the country themselves risk up to two years in prison and a fine of up to one million euros. According to the new law, these restrictions and penalties also apply to Italians who use the services of a surrogate mother in a country where this is permitted, such as the US or Canada.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s radical right-wing Brotherhood of Italy party is firmly in favor of the new law. “The bill making womb renting a universal crime is finally law,” Meloni wrote to X. She called it “a common sense standard against the commercialization of women’s bodies and children.”
Surrogacy is permitted in the Netherlands as long as no financial compensation is involved.
