Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni Speaks Out on Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage
(Bloomberg) -- Giorgia Meloni has largely refrained from commenting on divisive social issues since becoming Italy’s most right-wing prime minister since Benito Mussolini some three months ago. But this week she spoke out against abortion, same sex marriage and gender self identification.
Most Read from Bloomberg
How to Get a Free Flight to Hong Kong in 500,000 Airline Ticket Giveaway
World’s Rich Take Advantage as $1 Trillion Property Market Craters
The government will help women avoid an abortion by providing financial support so that they do “not miss out on the joy of raising a child,” Meloni, 46, said in an interview published in the latest issue of Grazia magazine, without giving details.
Abortion within the first 90 days has been legal in Italy since 1978 under Law 194, and Meloni said before coming to power that she intended to “fully enforce” that law. Activists are concerned the right-wing government will try to roll back rights by exploiting weaknesses in the legislation, such as the prerogative of doctors to be “conscientious objectors.”
Meloni also said that people who identify with a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth are falling victim to ideology. “Being a man or a woman is rooted in who we are, and can’t be changed,” she said.
Commenting on same sex parents, who aren’t recognized by Italian law, Meloni said that each child has the right to a mother and father. She compared surrogacy to “slavery,” adding that using a woman’s body in such a way will never be considered progress.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
FBI Documents Show Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian Grilled for 1MDB Secrets
Microsoft Expands Game Pass as Regulators Fret Over Activision Deal
Gina Raimondo Becomes China Player in a Job Where Her Predecessor Used to Nap
Female Execs Are Exhausted, Frustrated and Heading for the Exits
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
