Surrogacy, the process where a woman carries and gives birth to a child for another couple, is outlawed in several countries.
Spain, France, and Germany are three countries where this practice is outlawed. And now, one European country has taken it a step further and made it illegal for citizens of their country to seek surrogacy abroad.
This week, lawmakers in Italy passed legislation that criminalizes seeking surrogacy abroad. This builds off of legislation already in place banning the practice in the country. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni supported the legislation (via The Hill):
Meloni’s conservative Brothers of Italy party proposed the bill, expanding on two decades of surrogacy denial within the nation’s borders.
The vote was 84-58. It had passed the lower chamber last year, the Washington Post reported.
The crime can be punished with a fine of 1 million euros and up to two years in prison.
Reportedly, in April, Meloni said: “I continue to believe that surrogacy is an inhuman practice,” adding, “I support the bill that makes it a universal crime.”
In addition, Meloni’s Cabinet member Eugenia Roccella reportedly stated, “People are not objects, children cannot be bought, and you cannot sell or rent human body parts. This simple truth, already contained in our legal system, that punishes as a crime the aberrant practice of surrogacy, can no longer be circumvented.”
“The right has made it illegal for Italian citizens to use surrogacy even in those countries where (it) is perfectly legal, regulated and safe,” he reportedly wrote on social media.
“Women’s bodies, wombs and freedom belong to women. Not to Giorgia Meloni. Not to this government. Not to any government,” Magi added.