Italy's Minister for Family, Birth and Equal Opportunities, Eugenia Roccella, said on Monday (21) that doctors are obliged to report cases of surrogate in the country.
The policy advised that health professionals should report the incidents to the Public Prosecutor's Office, and also stated that the action should also be followed by public officials.
“I hope that the application of the law will have a strong dissuasive effect. In Italy there is a procedure that protects minors and guarantees the possibility of the biological parent’s partner being recognized as the parent,” he said.
Filippo Anelli, president of the National Federation of Medical Associations (FNOMCEO), responded to Roccella's statements by stating that professionals are not obliged to report their patients.
“The doctor has a duty of care. That the doctor is exempt from the obligation to report his patient can also be deduced from the paragraph of article 365 of the Penal Code which exempts the doctor from this obligation when the report exposes the person being treated to criminal proceedings”, he stated.
“Therefore, the doctor must not, it is true, obstruct justice, but above all, he must not carry out acts that put the treatment relationship at risk, limiting the protection of citizens’ health,” he added.
Italy's Senate last week approved a bill from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party that criminalizes surrogacy abroad.
The act has been a crime in Italy for 20 years, but the ban has been extended and is now even more severe for its citizens. (HANDLE)
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