Italy’s conservative majority is trying to make the fight for more births a central policy issue.

Prime minister Georgia Meloni (of Fratelli d'Italia) made headlines in June when she managed to exclude abortion from the final declaration of the G7 summit, despite the reluctance of countries such as Canada and France, which have made voluntary terminations of pregnancy an untouchable policy issue.

In the Mediterranean country, abortion is regulated through the Law 194 of 1978, which gives free access to a voluntary termination of pregnancy in the first 90 days of gestation.

Although the Italian leader said she does not plan to change the law, she has also underlined the “prevention of abortion” as a priority. Since April, pro-life groups are allowed to share their views in health centres.

Financial help for the first 5 years

Now, the leader in the Senate of Forza Italia (a minor party in the Meloni’s government coalition) wants to try another pro-life initiative.

Maurizio Gasparri presented the idea of supporting women who decide not to end their pregnancy with 1,000 euros a month during the first 5 years of life of the child.

The “Maternity Income Bill” would only apply to women who earn less than 15,000 euros a year.

The goal, said Gasparri, is to develop Article 5 of the Italian law on abortion, which states: “[…] When the request for termination of pregnancy is motivated by the impact of economic, social, or family circumstances upon the pregnant women’s health, to examine possible solutions to the problems in consultation with the woman”.

In diretta a @Ariachetira sto mostrando l’art. 5 della Legge 194 che la mia proposta di legge non fa altro che attuare offrendo una possibilità di scelta che oggi manca! Il resto sono solo bugie. pic.twitter.com/zVzR3Ux93d

— Maurizio Gasparri (@gasparripdl) July 4, 2024

Gasparri expected this bill to cost around 600 million euros a year, but defended that other public grants and subsidies such as those dedicated to buying electric cars also have large budgets and end up having less impact on human life.

Members of pro-abortion parties in Italy described the proposition as “propaganda using the bodies of women”. They criticised the initiative as an effort to restrict the access of women to abortion.

The Senator said he was open to improve the text for it to be approved.

“Experts must accompany women and help remove obstacles”

“In recent years, progressive forces have fought to make the counselling centres open places where women can go for abortions without interference”, Chiara Lamberti told Evangelical Focus. “There is a push, based on the French model, to consider abortion an inalienable right”.

Lambierti works in the press office team of the Italian Evangelical Alliance and writes for several Christian magazines.

Italy’s Law 194 says “abortion should not be used as a means of contraception”, she emphasises, and that “services to protect maternity and pregnancy” should be guaranteed.

In this sense, she continues, public counselling centres should “accompany women” and “experts are to be called upon to find solutions” to “all economic and social obstacles that lead mothers to seek abortions”.

The law that Senator Gasparri puts on the Senate’s table, says Lamberti, “is a proposal to put into practice the principle that women should be helped to carry the pregnancy to term and to cope with motherhood, even if there are financial obstacles”.

“It is a step away from the idea that abortion is a right only for the woman and her body”, she concludes.