Three children born to lesbian mothers in Italy have reportedly had their birth certificates altered to remove the name of one mother following the election of the country’s recently elected Prime Minister in October 2022.
In March, a written statement was circulated demanding that town halls cease to register both parents in a same-sex couple, insisting only on the recognition of biological parents.
It is believed that some parents may also have to change the surnames of their children.
Michela lives in Bergamo, Northern Italy, and was one of the first mothers to be affected.
“I cried for ten days when I opened the letter. It was as if I did not exist,” the 38-year-old told MailOnline.
Same-sex couples continue to be affected by Italian legislation
Many more same-sex couples are expected to be targeted due to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition disapproving of LGBTQ+ couples raising children.
Meloni, a self-described “Christian mother”, has previously spoken out against “gender ideology” and “LGBT lobbies”.
In June, a state prosecutor in Padua demanded the retrospective cancellation of 33 similar birth certificates dating back to 2017.
READ MORE: LGBTQ+ Italians on alert over Meloni as right triumphs in election
The government has defended the prosecutor’s decision, but the final decision will be made in November.
Though Italy introduced same-sex civil unions in 2016, the bill did not allow full adoption rights for same-sex couples.
Subsequent bills against IVF for same-sex couples and surrogacy carried out abroad have been viewed as an enforcement of Meloni’s conservative family ideals.
Italian attitudes to surrogacy are more polarised
A study reported in March that 90 per cent of Italian couples seeking surrogacy are heterosexual, but choose to undergo the process in secret – meaning that these bills effectively target same-sex couples who are unable to hide it.
Public attitudes in Italy remain more divided. According to Reuters, an Ipsos poll conducted in May demonstrated that, although 65.4 per cent of Italians oppose surrogacy, 45 per cent are in favour of legal recognition for children born through it versus 26 per cent who are explicitly opposed.
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