The Giorgia Meloni party, the prime minister’s pet project, has been accused by activists of targeting same-sex partners, so much so that the Italian parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to travel overseas to have a baby through surrogacy.
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has pursued a highly conservative social agenda, looking to promote what she sees as “traditional family values,” making it progressively harder for LGBTQ+ couples to become legal parents.
The upper house Senate voted into law a bill proposed by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party by 84 votes to 58. The bill was already approved by the lower house last year.
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A surrogacy ban that has been in effect in Italy since 2004 is now extended to individuals who travel to nations where the practice is permitted, such as the United States or Canada. The legislation carries stiff penalties, with jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to one million euros ($1.49 million CT).
“Motherhood is absolutely unique, it absolutely cannot be surrogated, and it is the foundation of our civilization,” Brothers of Italy Senator Lavinia Mennuni said during the parliamentary debate.
“We want to uproot the phenomenon of surrogacy tourism.”

A woman shows a banner reading ‘We shout it from the heart, now rights’ during a pro-surrogacy press conference in Rome Tuesday. (Alessandra Tarantino/The Associated Press)
In Canada, as many as one-third of surrogate pregnancies have international intended parents, according to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.
“The internet has been demonstrated to be a major source of information for intended parents, with Canada presented as a desirable destination,” note the study authors.
As the consultancy website Surrogacy In Canada explains, Canada may be be seen as a “preferable country for surrogacy” due to its “altruistic surrogacy legislation, high standard of health care and supportive environment for intended parents and surrogates.”
