Top Court’s Ruling on Lesbian Parents Criticized by Salvini

Rome: Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini on Friday criticized Italy’s Constitutional Court, accusing it of making a political decision regarding a recent ruling about lesbian couples with children conceived through Medically Assisted Procreation (MAP).

According to Ansa News Agency, the court determined that a ban on recognizing the ‘intending mother’ as the legal parent of a child born in Italy through MAP performed abroad is unconstitutional. This decision emerged from a case referred to the court by a Lucca-based court concerning a child of a lesbian couple. The term ‘intending mother’ refers to a woman who plans to be the legal parent of a child born via surrogacy or assisted reproduction but did not carry the pregnancy herself.

Previously, the ban required intending mothers to undergo a lengthy and uncertain adoption process to be recognized as the child’s legal parent. In Italy, MAP is only legally available to heterosexual couples, prompting some to seek these procedures abroad.

Salvini, during a visit to Genoa, expressed his disapproval of the ruling, stating, “I consider it a political ruling.” He further commented, “I defend everyone’s freedom to love and affection. Long live free, aware love. But I defend the right of the child to come into the world if there is a mother and a father.” Salvini labeled the ruling as biased, arguing that “there are so many jurists who claim the exact opposite.”