The LGTBQ collectives have called a street demonstration in Milan for this Saturday
Los rights of children of same-sex couples they are again on the target in Italy. The latest has been the decision of the government led by the far-right Giorgia Meloni to block, through a ministerial circular disseminated to the institutions, the registration of the children of homosexual couples foreign born, which forced the Milan City Council to suspend the registration of these children in the civil registers. As a consequence, various LGTBQ groups, the 5 Star Movement (M5E) and the Italian Democratic Party (PD) have called a street demonstration scheduled for this Saturday.
The cause is also that the current right-wing coalition that governs in Italia also approved this week a resolution in Parliament confirming that this country nor does it recognize the European Certificate of Paternityproposed by the European Commission (EC) so that all EU countries automatically recognize and accept paternity established and legal in another Member State, including that of LGBTQ familiesthat of adopted children or the fruit of the surrogacy born in other EU countries .
In particular, the EC proposal was rejected by the Senate’s Committee on European Policies, where the majority coalition is Meloni’s. The argument has been that “some provisions contained” do not respect “the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality”reason why, if this certificate is approved, “suppose an invasion of European law on the national”, they said.
The mess of surrogacy
The right-wing coalition’s decision, however, has been censured by the opposition currently led by the PD, which has heavily attacked its rivals. “This decision places Italy next to Poland and Hungary by restricting the perimeter of rights”, said the spokesperson for the PD in the Senate, Simona Malpezzi, also stressing that the European standard does not “at all” affect Italian laws and regulations.
The proposal, the progressive senator continued, had as its objective that children have the same rights in all European countries, “always putting the priority right of minors first”. On the contrary, senators opposed to the measure justified their vote by considering, among other things, that these initiatives imply an implicit recognition of the surrogacy, a practice currently illegal in Italy. “Brussels cannot decide for Italy. Children need a mother and father,” added Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the ultra-right-wing League.
national battle
In this climate, also the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, has promised that the matter will become a battle at the national level. “This, in my opinion, is a clear step backwards from a political and social point of view, and I put myself in the shoes of those parents in Milan who thought they could count on this possibility,” said Sala.
On the contrary, the right-wing position has been celebrated by the ‘pro-life’ movements and anti-abortionists. “Well these ‘no'”, said Jacopo Cogne, spokesman for the Pro Vita and Famiglia association. “We now hope that the Government and Parliament will continue in this direction, and convert the surrogacy in an illegal practice universally,” added Cogne.
Sin mebargo, it’s not the first time that in Italy this measure is being discussed. Already in March 2022, when Mario Draghi’s Executive governed, the city of Turin was forced to abandon the registration of children of gay couples. “I do it with great bitterness, obeying costs me a lot“, said then the mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo.