PADUA, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — A magistrate in northern Italy has requested that birth certificates issued to lesbian couples have the name of the nonbiological mother removed.
Earlier this month, Valeria Sanzari, interim prosecutor of Padua, opened a legal case to remove the names of non-biological parents from birth certificates issued by the famous city, Reuters reported.
“In Italy, marriage is only between a man and a woman, and therefore only the biological parent is the parent whose surname can be registered,” Luca Ciriani, the minister for parliamentary relations, told RTL radio last week.
Set to be heard later this year, the case could annul the 33 birth certificates of children born to parents with same-sex partners in Padua since 2017.
The move to change birth certificates follows Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s order to city councils to stop non-parents from adopting their same-sex partners’ children.
Katy Faust, founder and director of Them Before Us, as well as a leading advocate for the rights of children and the traditional family, celebrated Sanzari’s request, tweeting, “Good for Italy. BCs are not for adults.”
“It’s not a 2nd marriage license,” she added. “BCs are for kids. Their best legal ave[nue] to answer the question, ‘Who am I?’ 2 moms on a BC doesn’t tell kids who they are, but who adults wish them to be – the child of 1 or 2 strangers.”
Good for Italy.
BCs are not for adults. It’s not a 2nd marriage license. BCs are for kids-their best legal ave to answer the question, “who am I?” 2 moms on a BC doesn’t tell kids who they are, but who adults wish them to be-the child of 1 or 2 strangers. https://t.co/CsOU0dETVn
— Katy Faust (@Advo_Katy) June 22, 2023
However, LGBT activists are alarmed by the move. Pink News condemned the effort as “part of far-right [sic] and anti-LGBTQ+ prime minister Giorgia Meloni‘s government’s crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ+ families gained in the last few years.” Italian LGBT rights advocate Alessandro Zan claims the ruling will lead to children of same-sex couples being “orphaned by decree” since the birth certificates would not list a non-biological parent as a parent.
While the move would certainly not leave children orphaned, Pink News is correct in reporting that Italy is moving to restore traditional and family orientated values under the leadership of the Christian and pro-family Meloni.
At a recent conference in Rome attended by Pope Francis, Meloni voiced her concerns about the plummeting birth rates in Italy.
READ: Pope Francis, Italian PM Meloni address nation’s plummeting birth rates at recent conference
She revealed that her government has “dedicated a department to birth rates” to “address the great crises, among which the demographic one is undeniable.”
“We want to give Italians back a country where being fathers and mothers is a socially recognized value and not a private matter,” Meloni stated. “A nation where having a child is a beautiful thing, which does not take anything away from you and does not prevent you from anything and which gives you a lot. For decades, the dominant culture has told us otherwise. I think it’s time to reverse the trend.”
Italy is continuing to reclaim its pro-family values despite backlash from other western countries, including a recent condemnation by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Obviously, Canada is concerned about some of the [positions] that Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights,” Trudeau stated at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Meloni.
When asked about Trudeau’s remarks, Meloni stated that her Canadian counterpart had fallen “victim [to] fake news” and that his comments were “a bit rash.” She noted Trudeau’s characterization of LGBT issues in Italy “doesn’t correspond to reality.”