Italy bans citizens from seeking surrogacy abroad

The Italian Senate has approved a law that prohibits Italians from seeking surrogacy abroad, punishable by three months to two years in prison and a financial penalty of up to €1m (£830 000; $1.1m).1

The ban has been supported by the government after a furious debate in the Senate and parliament. Promoters claim a rule of common sense against the “exploitation of the female body and children” while opponents have condemned the law as “useless,” “unconstitutional,” “from the Middle Ages,” and “against children and rainbow families.”

Surrogacy has been illegal in Italy since 2004 under the law on assisted reproduction, which also prohibits the sale of gametes or embryos.2 The …