Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni Speaks Out on Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage

Chiara Albanese
·1 min read
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(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.

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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.

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