After the vote Meloni called the law a “rule of common sense, against the exploitation of the female body and children.” She said, “Human life is priceless and is not a commodity.”
While Meloni has projected a moderate image abroad; on the domestic front critics say she is attempting to appease hard-right core supporters with policies driven by identity politics.
Opponents to the law say it is part of a campaign to denigrate the reproductive rights of LGBTQ+ couples, who are not allowed to adopt or use in vitro fertilization in the country.
Alessia Crocini, president of Rainbow Families, a group that supports LGBTQ+ parents, said in a statement that it was an “ideological law” that formed part of “a right-wing crusade against diverse families.”
Filomena Gallo of the Luca Coscioni Association, which promotes civil rights, said the law is “useless and even harmful, if the aim is to protect people and prevent exploitation” and threatens the rights of children already born via surrogacy. The group has suggested an almost-certainly futile alternative law legalizing surrogacy without profit.
During Wednesday’s debate, Ilaria Cucchi, a senator for the Green and Left Alliance, said: “This is an inhumane act against parents and children, which only fuels stigma and discrimination.”