Italy passed a law on Wednesday that criminalizes seeking surrogacy abroad, a move the country’s conservative government said would protect women’s dignity, while critics see it as yet another crackdown by the government on L.G.B.T. families, as the law will make it virtually impossible for gay fathers to have children.

Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy — a pet project of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party which activists say is meant to target same-sex partners.

Italy has passed a law that bans couples from so-called surrogacy tourism, after far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni described the practice as “inhuman”. In April, Meloni, the leader of the populist Brothers of Italy party,

Italy on Wednesday passed the West’s most restrictive law against international surrogacy, threatening would-be parents who use birth mothers abroad with jail time and severe fines in a move that critics say will chiefly target same-sex couples.

The upper house Senate voted into law a bill proposed by Meloni's Brothers of Italy party by 84 votes to 58. The bill was already approved by the lower house last year. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

The Italian Parliament passed a law making it illegal for couples to go outside the country to have a baby via surrogate. This legislation would particularly make it harder for LGBTQ+ people to become parents.

Italy on Wednesday criminalized citizens who go abroad to have children through surrogacy, while opponents slam it as “medieval” and discriminatory to same-sex couples