Italy’s right-wing government is removing the names of lesbian mothers from their children’s birth certificates as part of its crackdown on same-sex parenting and surrogacy.
In the northern city of Padua, 27 mothers had their children’s birth certificates confiscated. CNN reported on Friday. And in Bergamo, at least one mother had her child’s birth certificate canceled Daily Mail reported.
The draconian new measure only allows a child’s birth parent to be listed on their birth certificate. The measure will also prevent men in same-sex relationships from registering the birth of their child with both fathers’ names, according to CNN.
The extremist new law was signed into law by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the country’s first female prime minister. She routinely attacked what she called that “The LGBT lobbyAccording to CNN, she said she wants to make sure “all babies are born by a man and a woman.”
Meloni’s party, the Brothers of Italy, has its roots in the country’s neo-fascist movement.
“The ban is one of the most concrete expressions of anger unleashed against LGBTI people by the right-wing majority,” said Gabriele Piazzoni, general secretary of Arcigay, Italy’s largest LGBTQ+ rights group. said Reuters.
Michela, a 38-year-old lesbian mother who spoke to the Daily Mail, said she “cried for ten days when I opened the letter” and revealed her name had been removed from her child’s birth certificate.
“I suspect the government is afraid that a family that looks different from ours can be just as happy – maybe even happier sometimes – than a traditional family,” Michela told the publication. “On paper it says Giulia has one mother, but we know she has two. We will do everything to prove that we are a good family.”