Surrogacy to be considered a 'universal crime'

Surrogacy, which is a crime in Italy, is being brought under the scope of universal crime.

The proposal prepared by the far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, the major partner in the right-wing coalition government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to classify surrogacy—already a crime in the country—as a "universal crime" has completed its parliamentary approval process today, which lasted over 1.5 years.

The bill, which was first accepted in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, on July 26, 2023, was voted on in the Senate today.

In the vote held at the 200-seat Senate General Assembly, the bill regarding the classification of surrogacy as a universal crime in Italy was accepted with 84 "yes" votes against 58 "no" votes, and it has become law.

Since surrogacy has been a crime in Italy since 2004, it is stated that the purpose of this bill is to prevent people from going abroad for this practice. With the new law, the way will be paved for Italians who resort to surrogacy practices in different countries to be tried with up to 2 years in prison and fines of up to 1 million euros.

Opposition left-wing parties and activists who voted "no" in the Senate vote were opposing the proposal that became law today, describing it as "medieval" and "unconstitutional."