Italy's Controversial Stance on Surrogacy and Same-Sex Parenting

A state prosecutor in Padua, Italy, has demanded the cancellation of 33 birth certificates of children born to lesbian couples since 2017, saying the name of the non-biological mother should be removed. The move highlights the legal morass facing gay families in Italy, where same-sex civil unions were legalised in 2016 but full adoption rights were not granted. Removing the name of a parent from a birth certificate creates bureaucratic hurdles and emotional strains, and the non-biological mother has to go through a lengthy and expensive special adoption procedure to regain her parenting rights.