An Italian city has begun removing the names of non-biological mothers of same-sex couples from children’s birth certificates—a move that the country’s government insists is in line with the existing laws.
The cancellation of birth certificates is happening in Padua, a city located in the northern region. Italy has refused to give full adoption rights to same-sex couples due to a fear that it would trigger a rise in surrogate pregnancies, a practice that is outlawed in the country. In June, Valeria Sanzari, a prosecutor from Pauda, filed a lawsuit seeking to cancel 33 birth certificates of children born to couples who identify as lesbian.
These couples had gone abroad and underwent artificial insemination to have children. The kids were then registered in 2017 under Padua’s center-left government.
As of Thursday, 27 non-biological mothers had their names removed from 27 birth certificates, the prosecutor’s office in Padua told CNN.
The move has triggered a backlash from the LGBT community and its supporters. However, the government has lent support to Sanzari’s case.
In an interview with the local RTL radio last month, Luca Ciriani, the minister for parliamentary relations, said that “in Italy, marriage is only between a man and a woman, and therefore only the biological parent is the parent whose surname can be registered.”
Padua is the first Italian city to retroactively cancel birth certificates. Some expect similar measures to be adopted in other parts of the country.
Registering Only Biological Parents
Italy does not allow same-sex marriages but only civil unions. Since such marriages are not recognized under law, the non-biological parent of a same-sex couple has to make a special case to adopt the child of their partner.
Once the name of the non-biological parent is removed from a child’s birth certificate, they will no longer be able to carry out regular parental tasks like picking up kids from school. To do so, they must obtain permission from the biological parent. In addition, if the biological parent were to die, the children could be taken away.
